Where Romney antagonized the citizens, press, and leaders of the United Kingdom, Obama delivered a speech to over 200,000 applauding Germans in Berlin. Americans watching from home marveled at Obama’s ability to draw such an enormous crowd. Obama’s ability to impress and achieve respect overseas lent credence to his ability to conduct the nation’s foreign policy in a way Romney’s trip has not.
Read MoreThink about the outcry for Romney to release his tax returns (the Obama campaign’s widest, and most effective avenue of attack) seen in a totally different light. Romney might still have something to hide, but looking at his record, it seems he just doesn’t like talking about himself.
Read MoreEveryone should go vote in November and follow not just the presidential race, but also the congressional ones. Everyone should strive to be well informed on all the candidates’ positions.
Read MoreObama’s success in the Sunshine State (and, for that matter, throughout the country) may hinge on his ability to convince voters, young and old, that his Affordable Care Act will genuinely benefit them by lowering insurance costs and expanding eligibility for treatment, without bankrupting the government.
Read MoreThe question left to be answered is whether sending sexually revealing pictures to a young woman will continue to haunt Weiner. Given his strong legislative record and his ability to spend up to $6 million on the race, Anthony Weiner should throw his hat in the ring in the public advocate’s race to find out.
Read MoreJust this week, the Tax Justice Network published a report claiming that between $21 and $31 trillion of global financial wealth is “invested” in tax-free havens. That’s more than the GDP of the United States, China, and Japan combined.
Read MoreReally, the past three “nonpolitical” days have been the most political. Both Obama and Romney had to pass a litmus test. Was the president empathetic enough? Did he unify the country?
Read MoreFighting has spread to Damascus, the capital, and to the largest city, Aleppo. This is not just sporadic gunfire, but real, bloody, daily fighting. Border crossing stations are being seized by the rebels, letting more lethal weapons seep through the porous Turkish border. Hundreds of defectors join the resistance every day. On all fronts, the rebels are advancing.
Read MoreEventually, negative attacks begin to backfire, particularly if they hone in on personal history details. While he may be an ineffective leader, Obama is certainly a genius campaigner, and now his own tricks are being used against him.
Read MoreDespite changing governance in the region, the United States will uphold its policies of the past three decades so long as it continues offering aid to the Egyptian military and the military respects its peace treaty with Israel.
Read MoreThis report seems to think—or wish—that legalizing the settlements makes them morally correct, too. But while land can be politicized and subjected to legal dispute, the Palestinian people should not be politicized and subjected to hardship because of legal minutia. And the hardships that Palestinians have to live through daily in the West Bank outweigh any legal conclusions. The law becomes less interesting when people are suffering.
Read MoreIn mid-April, a CNN/ORC Poll of eight possible choices showed that among Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP, 80 percent held a favorable opinion of this person and 26 percent would like to see this person as Romney’s number-two. Though it may come as a surprise, this person is none other than former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
Read MoreLugo failed to work hand in hand with a powerful Congress and his burdensome Liberal “allies” and managed to unite most of Paraguay’s political system against him. Though the proceedings for his impeachment were perfectly legal, they leave Paraguay’s democracy weakened, its leaders diplomatically isolated, and its poor unattended.
Read MoreMeritocracy has, to a small extent, allowed elites to emerge and consolidate their positions of power, sans the moral imperative of the generations past. Yet meritocracy certainly shouldn’t be blamed for other corrupting influences like unlimited campaign contributions.
Read MoreIt’s been a tiring primary season filled with mostly broad, sweeping statements from both sides with figurative or actual “booing” from the opposite side. As we enter into the next phase of presidential and legislative debates, I hope we will hear more details.
Read MoreThirty-three is the number of times the House has voted to repeal The Affordable Care Act. Thirty-three. I understand the notion of “politicking”, and I understand that election years inherently hurt the legislative process. But there has to be a threshold. There has to be a point when Congress can no longer be called a legislative body, when it no longer deserves the seal of the United States.
Read MoreWe have to build an independent, fighting movement for universal healthcare from the ground up, starting with local struggles such as the fight for single-payer in Vermont and the successful struggle that won life-saving liver transplants for two undocumented immigrants in Chicago. Only through these kinds of struggles can we expose the crooked priorities of the for-profit healthcare industry and push for the sane solution, affordable healthcare for all.
Read MoreStill battling the disdain for his Mormon faith from hardcore religious-right groups, Romney can benefit from getting on the good side of the Christian friends of the Holy Land.
Read MoreMitt Romney can run a campaign by telling Americans about everything they’re missing, and what he would do to fill the void. It is efficient and clear. He sees the problem, and sets out to fix it. His strategy is sensible (notwithstanding the sometimes ironclad rigidity). It follows the mind of a businessman. But the president is more than a jobs plan.
Read MoreThe current split within the American society and economic uncertainty made the Obamacare more likely to strengthen Romney’s position. On the contrary, most of the reform supporters were seemingly going to support Obama in any case (whether the bill was passed or not). Why did Obama need to adopt the healthcare in his first term and accept all the risks associated to playing on the nerves of the independent Republican-leaning public?
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