UP-FRONT VOTING NUGGET!!
GOP Suffers Tough Week for Voting Issues in Court from Politico
"A big week for voting issues in the courts, and as Ari Berman notes, none of these broke Republicans' way. ..."
Bashar al-Assad Lost The Support of Aleppo’s Wealthy When the Shelling Started (Mike Giglio) from the Daily Beast
"Many well-off residents of this besieged Syrian city found life good under Bashar al-Assad’s regime. But when the government began indiscriminately attacking rebels and residents alike, Assad’s support from Aleppo’s upper class has evaporated, writes Mike Giglio."
Rocky Future for China Seas (Kevin Rafferty) from the Japan Times [in English]
"...there is a real danger that the rapid growth of the region may be threatened by growing nationalism, complicated by muscle flexing by China, which is clearly on the rise economically and militarily."
World War II Memories and Territorial Disputes in Northeast Asia (Preeti Nalwa) from the East Asia Forum
"The 67th anniversary celebrations have brought the memory of war back into the political consciousness of the three most advanced nations in Asia. The three countries’ histories of World War II continue to negatively affect their perceptions of one another."
Can Europe Survive the Rise of the Rest? (Timothy Garton Ash) from the New York Times
"On many measures of power, the European Union belongs with the United States and China in a global Big Three. Yet say that to officials in Beijing, Washington or any other world capital today and they would probably laugh out loud. As European leaders stagger into yet another round of crisis summitry, this potential superpower is widely viewed as the sick man of the developed world. Why?"
Republicans in the Pursuit of Foreign Policy (Fyodor Lukyanov) from Russia in Global Affairs Forum
"America’s influence on the world is now stronger than ever, but its dependence on other countries has also grown. Indeed, Americans’ indifference to the world around them does not correspond to global reality. This year’s Republican nominees are a perfect example of this contradiction."
Typically American (Martin Eiermann) from The European
"According to German media, Mitt Romney is a spineless, shapeless politician. And 47 percent of Americans are apparently stupid or senile enough to vote for him."
California Community Considers Bold Response To Foreclosure Crisis: San Bernardino Eminent Domain Fight Closely Watched By Other Struggling Communities (Ben Hallman) from the Huffington Post
" ... local authorities are considering a proposal that would allow local governments to exercise their power to seize private property without landowners' consent in a dramatic -- some say radical -- new way. Governments usually use this power, known as eminent domain, to acquire private land for public purposes, such as roads or utility lines. But this plan, proposed by a San Francisco-based venture fund Mortgage Resolution Partners, calls for government authorities to seize the mortgages of underwater borrowers, paying the investors that own them a fraction of what they are owed, using money borrowed from the fund. Homeowners could then refinance with a federal loan at a much lower rate, based on what their home is actually worth instead of what they owe."
Ryan’s Budget Proposal Is Pitting G.O.P. Troops Against Top of the Ticket from the New York Times
"Even as Mitt Romney and Representative Paul D. Ryan exhort Republicans to embrace their proposed Medicare changes and spending cuts, the party’s rank and file is growing less enthusiastic about the fight than the top of the ticket."
The GOP’s Dangerous Animals (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"Some of the party’s stars are, well, nuts."
The Anti-Reagan: Even A Hologram Of The Gipper Overshadows Mitt Romney (Will Marshall) from the Daily Beast
"Ronald Reagan, whatever his failings, was a man of convictions. Mitt Romney, by contrast, is a man of circumstance, writes Will Marshall."
Did a Rambling Clint Eastwood Ruin Mitt Romney's Big Night? from The Week
"The GOP learns the hard way that an empty chair, an imaginary President Obama, and an octogenarian Hollywood star may be a recipe for disaster."
Clint Eastwood's Convention Schtick Draws Extreme Criticism from the National Journal
"Scott Walker: 'I cringed' during performance."
Why Clint Eastwood was Bad for Mitt Romney from the Boston Herald
"Why was Clint Eastwood so bad for Mitt Romney? Because on a morning when we should be talking about the Republican candidate for president, all we’re thinking about is Eastwood’s conversation with an empty chair. The RNC allowed their candidate to be upstaged. That’s not good for business."
Michael Steele: Voter ID Rhetoric Is 'Irresponsible,' Party Needs New Approach To Black Voters from the Huffington Post
"As the Republican National Convention drew to a close, Michael Steele, the party's former chair, said that his party needed to do a better job of outreach to communities of color, and that the rhetoric around voter ID laws was a detriment to those efforts."
Ah, the equivalent of another "mea culpa" from a FORMER GOP official. Where were their critical voices when it mattered? The paychecks and publicity were just too good. Who cares now what folks like Steele have to say?
OBAMA HISTORY NUGGET!!
The Night Obama First Shone (David Maraniss) from the Washington Post
"As the proceedings droned on, Obama kept a steady vigil at his back-row desk, four seats to the left of the center aisle, half-listening as he scrawled themes and phrases he might use in the most important speech of his career ..."
POLITICAL HISTORY PHOTO NUGGET!!
Elephants, Girls in Bikinis, and Bathtubs Full of Beer: Stunning Life Magazine Photos Document the Drama, Politics, and Pageantry of the Republican National Convention (PHOTOS) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"...in the mid-twentieth century, those on the stump relied as much on their political prowess as crowd-pleasing theatrics. At the 1968 RNC in Miami Beach, Florida, for instance, an elephant was brought in, and was ridden by two brave young women. Throughout the decades, Life magazine has captured memorable moments from the right-wing political gathering, from the tense to the absurd, and everything in between."
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