News Nuggets 1052

DAYLEE PICTURE:  The Litlanesfoss Falls in Iceland.  From the Daily Mail of the UK. 

UP-FRONT ELECTION NUGGET!!
Conservatives Pull Ads from Michigan: Pro-Romney Groups Focus on Key States; Obama's Campaign Off Air for Weeks from the Detroit News
"Mitt Romney's conservative allies are bypassing Michigan with their advertising while stepping up efforts in other battleground states — suggesting campaign strategists don't believe his road to the White House leads through his native state."

Romney, GOP Groups Pull Ads From Michigan and Pennsylvania from Talking Points Memo
Note the poll numbers in these two states.  THESE numbers (especially the Michigan numbers) are having them take a walk!  According to PollTracker, Obama ALREADY has a better spread in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.  I would think it would be safe to assume that the Romney folks have already concluded or are close to concluding that these states are also lost to them.  Possible pathways to victory for them are diminishing in number.
"The PollTracker Averages show President Obama ahead 48.9 percent to 45.4 percent in Michigan, and in Pennsylvania, where he leads 49.9 percent to 41.4 percent."

Bucking the Odds in North Korea (Jay Ulfelder) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Why Kim Jong Un might just dare to be different."

Central Bank to Snap Up Debt, Saying, ‘Euro Is Irreversible’ from the New York Times
"The bank said it had agreed on a framework for buying the bonds of troubled euro zone countries in unlimited quantities, but officials set conditions that could delay action for weeks or longer."

Cleaning Up the Economy (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"The next four years are likely to be much better than the last four years."

The Tale of Two Conventions Favors Obama (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"Judging by the party conventions, you’d wonder why this election is even close. ... Coming to Charlotte, I expected to see a party on the defensive. Instead, Democrats orchestrated a convention that felt strikingly focused and spirited. Speakers relentlessly emphasized the “Reelect Obama” side of the equation, relegating “Defeat Romney” to second billing. The oratory was superior, the visuals were more telegenic and there were no Clint Eastwood moments."

Obama’s DNC Speech: A Sober Call to Arms (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
"The president delivered a substantive address that conceded real change will take years. Howard Kurtz on his more nuanced message of hope."

Barack Obama Media Reactions: Pundits Have Mixed Feelings About DNC Address from the Huffington Post
"Overall, the rapturous reception given to Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton was left at the media doorstep. Most agreed that, rhetorically, Obama delivered a solid speech, saying that it was typical of the president's strong oratorical skills."

My Quick Take (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"... it’s hard to imagine a convention better staged or messaged than the one the Democrats put on for the last three days. Three blockbuster speeches. Actually a few more, but one biggie a night. But more than that a coherence to the core message that every major speaker returned to again and again."

Why Obama Will Win (Aaron David Miller) from Foreign Policy Magazine 
"Whatever his failings, the president is likeable enough -- and incumbency is a powerful home-court advantage."

Bill Clinton Media Reactions: Pundits Praise Former President's DNC Speech, Some Criticize Length (Rebecca Shapiro) from the Huffington Post 
Media figures gave President Bill Clinton their seals of approval on Wednesday night after he energetically supported President Barack Obama ... Immediately following the speech, the praise started pouring in."

No False Claims in Clinton's DNC Speech (VIDEO) from Bloomberg TV
"Megan Hughes reports on the fact checking of former President Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention, She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "In The Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)"

Clinton is Better Than Obama at Explaining Why Obama is Better Than Clinton (Timothy Noah) from the New Republic
"The underlying awkwardness here is that Obama, even if he never gets re-elected, has already achieved more--simply by passing Obamacare—than Clinton did in eight years. In his speech, Clinton waited too long to make the health care argument for Obama's re-election, but when he made it, he made it intelligently and forcefully."

Bill Clinton Forms Barack Obama's More Perfect Union (John Nichols) from the Nation
"... it provided a powerful reminder that in the ex-president competition—and there is an ex-president competition—Bill Clinton has defeated George Bush, overwhelmingly. Where two weeks ago, Bush was the former president whose name dare not be spoken at his party’s national convention, Clinton was more than a revered elder returning to the warm embrace of his party’s convention: he was a defining figure."

MSNBC Wins Convention Ratings For The First Time Ever On DNC's Opening Night from the Huffington Post
"MSNBC celebrated a major milestone on Wednesday when it topped its rivals in primetime convention ratings for the first time in its 16-year history."

Nancy Pelosi’s Brass Knuckles (Lloyd Grove) from the Daily Beast
"Pelosi is convinced that her party can flip the House this November—and she praised the Dems’ campaign committee chair’s ‘reptilian instincts.’ Lloyd Grove on how the ex-speaker is bracing for battle."

DNC: In Charlotte, it’s official: 2016 has begun (Jonathan Martin and Emily Schultheis) from Politico
"Mark Warner paid homage to “one of the greatest senators,” Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, Amy Klobuchar invoked the Iowa State Fair’s butter cow and Martin O’Malley recalled his experience with “all 99 counties” in the Hawkeye State as a young aide to Gary Hart in 1984. Yup, the 2016 campaign has already begun."

INSECT PHOTO NUGGET!!
Look What We Found in the Garden: Photographer Who Only Picked Up the Photography Bug Three Years Ago Takes a Close-up Look at Insects from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Keith Trueman, from Braunton, in North Devon, hunts for the bugs around his garden or around the local country park - and sometimes even invites the insects into his kitchen for their own personal photoshoot."