UP-FRONT IMMIGRATION NUGGET!!
How America’s Harshest Immigration Law Failed (Benjy Sarlin) from MSNBC
"The vast scope of the law turned Alabama into an unprecedented test for the anti-immigration movement. If self-deportation didn’t work there, it’s hard to imagine where it could. ... Elected officials, social workers, clergy, activists, and residents say an initial immigrant evacuation that roiled their communities ended long ago. Many who fled have returned to their old homes. Now Alabama is back where it started, waiting for a solution from Washington that may never come."
Is Fascism Returning to Europe? (Finchelstein and Bosoer) from the New York Times
"While countries like Argentina and Venezuela have slowly begun to move away from the Kirchners’ brand of Peronist politics and Hugo Chávez’s cult of personality, a dangerous right-wing brand of populism is returning to Europe. Indeed, the rise of movements like Greece’s neo-fascist Golden Dawn party, and the violence and assassinations that have accompanied it, are far more worrying than the residual authoritarianism that pervades Latin American politics."
Does Kim Jong-Un’s Aunt Need to Watch her Back? Wife of ousted uncle executed last week is conspicuously absent at gathering of Kim’s top aides from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"It comes days after Kim Jong Un executed his 'worse than a dog' uncle - her husband Jang Song Thaek. Dictator pictured alongside wife Ri Sol Ju at memorial service for Kim Jong-Il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang. It houses embalmed bodies of founder Kim Il-Sung and his son Kim Jong-Il
Why Conservatives Just Don't Get Pope Francis' Anti-poverty Crusade (Elizabeth Stoker) from The Week
"U.S. conservatives like to pair the cross and the coin, but that's not the case elsewhere around the world."
If You Want the American Dream, Go to Finland (Blake Fleetwood) from the Huffington Post
"Our education system is static and falling behind other advanced countries -- an economic time bomb -- whereas Finland is an educational superpower, the best in the west, according to the PISA studies of 470,000 15-year-old students from 65 countries...Our educational progress is merely mediocre compared to the rapid advances being made in other industrialized countries and Asian cities such as Singapore and Shanghai. American students rank 37, behind such countries -- in math, the basic sciences and even languages."
This Chart Blows Up the Myth of the Welfare Queen (Jordan Weissmann) from the Atlantic
"The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows us the frugal reality of life on the social safety net."
Are Young Workers the Future of Labor? (James Cersonsky) from In These Times
"As of 2012, only 9.5 percent of 25-34 year old workers and 4.2 percent of 16-24 year old workers were union members, compared to 11.3 percent of all workers. At the same time, nearly two-thirds of 18–29-year olds have a favorable impression of unions, more than any other age bracket. The time is ripe for labor leaders to bring the next generation into the fold."
Democrats' Dream of a Blue South: Moon Pie in the Sky? (Dan Merica) from CNN
"Southern Democrats said they are poised to make a comeback and prove Johnson's "long time to come." They point out the generation that vehemently rejected Johnson's Civil Rights Act is dying off. And in its place is a younger, more progressive and diverse group of Southerners."
Comparing the Failures of Bush and Obama (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Atlantic
"Any similarities in their political calculations are dwarfed by differences in their substantive errors."
Florida Republicans Will have to Testify about Redistricting (David Nir) from Daily Kos
"In a major procedural victory for opponents of Florida's new congressional map, the state Supreme Court ruled that legislators and their staffers can be required to testify about whether they drew the new lines with improper partisan intent. ... So barring a settlement of some kind, it seems likely that Republican legislators will soon have to give depositions about how this particular piece of cartographic sausage was made."
Appointees Who Resigned in Wake of Bridge Controversy Retain Attorneys from the Wall Street Journal
"Two appointees of Gov. Chris Christie’s who recently resigned amid a controversy over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge have retained private attorneys, according to correspondence from their attorneys reviewed by The Wall Street Journal."
RUT ROH!!
Christie Subpoenaed Over Fort Lee Lane Closures by State Assemblyman (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"Christie clearly hopes his blusterous personality can make this whole thing go away, but in the end, there's only one thing that can settle this issue: An open and transparent account of what actually happened. And until that happens, the more it's going to look like the reason Christie is stonewalling is that he's afraid of what such an account might show. ... So barring a settlement of some kind, it seems likely that Republican legislators will soon have to give depositions about how this particular piece of cartographic sausage was made."
Dreaming of a Penguin Christmas (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"It is also understandable that such challenges would be unsettling to many, but there are more sophisticated ways of discussing them without resorting to “The War on (fill in the blank).” Among other reasons, war demands victory rather than understanding. At first glance, Santa, the most innocent of icons, seems a gratuitous target for revision. Looking closer, however, diversifying Santa in a nation that elected a black president seems appropriate. When you make up stuff, you can make it up again."
POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY NUGGET!!
Watch The Moment Mitt Romney Realizes He Is Going To Lose The Election from the Business Insider
"Netflix is out with a trailer for its new Mitt Romney documentary — "MITT" — which provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look into some of the most important moments of his failed campaign for president. "
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