Real Clear Politics

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:21:15 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Catherine Rampell, New York Times
There is no more disputing it: the economic recovery in the United States has indeed slowed.The nation’s economy has been growing for a year, with few new jobs to show for it. Now, with growth at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the second quarter and federal stimulus measures fading, the jobs outlook appears even more discouraging.http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/slow_recovery_slow_jobs_outlook_238703.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/business/economy/31econ.html?hphttp://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/business/economy/31econ.xml?hp 100238703 AM Update Catherine Rampell, New York Times 40076 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:26:27 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Daniel Gross, Slate
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/don039t_panic_about_the_economy_238727.htmlhttp://www.realclearmarkets.com/http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.realclearmarkets.com/ 100238727 AM Update Daniel Gross, Slate Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:32:32 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Mark Budman, AOL News
The Local Jobs for America Act proposes to spend up to $100 billion to create and save a million public and private jobs in communities this year. While a million jobs sounds like a huge number, let's look at the money spent on that task and analyze the premise. What does it mean to "create and save"? If a person is laid off after, say, six months on the job, does this job still count as created or saved? Moreover, if you divide $100 billion by a million, you get $100,000. That's a lot of money to spend to "create or save" a single job that may or may not...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/new_jobs_at_100000_a_pop_238720.htmlhttp://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-new-jobs-at-100000-a-pop/19575705http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-new-jobs-at-100000-a-pop/19575705 100238720 AM Update Mark Budman, AOL News 40089 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:21:11 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Steven Greenhut, Big Government
Every successful revolutionary movement starts with an act of defiance "“ as ordinary people stand up against the tyrants who are ruling them. The Boston Tea Party of 1773 is an iconic example, as colonists dumped a shipload of tea into the harbor rather than acknowledge the right of the British Parliament to tax it. The tea party, of course, helped spark the American Revolution as its message of "no taxation without representation"� gave voice to deeply held resentments throughout the American colonies.The media have made much ado about the political Tea parties,...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/bell_rings_in_tea_party_spirit_238715.htmlhttp://biggovernment.com/sgreenhut/2010/07/30/bell-rings-in-tea-party-spirit/http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://biggovernment.com/sgreenhut/2010/07/30/bell-rings-in-tea-party-spirit/ 100238715 AM Update Steven Greenhut, Big Government 40077 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:32:01 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Huffington Post
For years, America's manufacturers shifted jobs to cheap labor markets across the globe. Under the mantra of "free trade" and goaded by the desire to keep shareholder profits soaring and the companies globally competitive, manufacturers first moved jobs and production to nearby low-wage pockets and then further and further offshore. Michigan has been the star witness to the global shift in manufacturing jobs. Early in my first term, Electrolux told us there was nothing we could do to prevent them from moving their Greenville, Michigan, appliance business to Mexico. ...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/keep_manufacturing_jobs_in_us_238722.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/cracking-the-code-to-keep_b_664287.htmlhttp://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/cracking-the-code-to-keep_b_664287.html 100238722 AM Update Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Huffington Post 40088 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:21:01 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Mark McKinnon, The Daily Beast
With Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), the once all-powerful Ways and Means Committee chairman, facing 13 ethics charges, I expect a press release shortly from Democratic leadership blaming President George W. Bush for Rangel’s problems. Democrats have blamed Bush for everything else.Unlike most of my GOP brethren, I actually like President Barack Obama. I don’t recoil when I see him on television. While I don’t agree with much of what he and his administration are doing, I don’t wake up every morning hoping for him to fail. Presidential leadership requires...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/ten_more_reasons_dems_are_toast_238717.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-07-30/bush-blame-democratic-strategy-wont-win-midterms/?cid=bs:archive8http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-07-30/bush-blame-democratic-strategy-wont-win-midterms/?cid=bs:archive8 100238717 AM Update Mark McKinnon, The Daily Beast 40078 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:20:59 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Charlie Cook, National Journal
Very few people watch political polls more closely than I do. (Whether that's a good thing or suggests that I'm slightly neurotic is up for debate.) When you monitor surveys incessantly, you occasionally see results that you're unsure how to interpret. You don't know whether they signal a key turning point in public opinion or whether they're just a hiccup, a passing blip. Or perhaps the odd results are from an outlier poll, a statistical anomaly that is the political equivalent of a false positive medical test.We're currently experiencing one of those periods of...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/a_turning_point_for_democrats_238726.htmlhttp://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cr_20100731_4817.phphttp://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cr_20100731_4817.php 100238726 AM Update Charlie Cook, National Journal 40079 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:20:56 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 John McCormack, Weekly Standard
A failed presidency is a terrible thing to witness. A failed presidency with more than two years left to run is also dangerous for the country. So, even though it would be easy for The Weekly Standard to allow your administration to continue on its current path to perdition, thereby ensuring massive GOP gains this November and a likely victory in 2012, we offer, in a spirit of bipartisanship and patriotism, some advice. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/farewell_to_feingold_238725.htmlhttp://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/farewell-feingold 200238725 AM Update John McCormack, Weekly Standard 40080 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:20:49 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest
I’m not much good at timing.  I was visiting Jordan on a lecture tour when the Israelis assassinated Hamas founder Sheikh Yassin.  Amman closed down and much of my program had to be canceled; Americans weren’t welcome on campuses where student groups were mourning the sheikh and vowing revenge.  I was in Indonesia when the Israelis invaded Lebanon; I was able to go ahead with the program, but all the audiences wanted to discuss was the war and America’s responsibility for Israeli crimes.  I first came to Pakistan about the time...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/reporting_from_pakistan_238716.htmlhttp://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2010/07/30/reporting-from-pakistan/http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2010/07/30/reporting-from-pakistan/ 100238716 AM Update Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest 40081 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:31:24 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Christopher Caldwell, Financial Times
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/why_turkey_sits_outside_the_tent_238723.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/473af1a2-9c0d-11df-a7a4-00144feab49a.htmlhttp://m.ft.com/cms/s/0/473af1a2-9c0d-11df-a7a4-00144feab49a.html 100238723 AM Update Christopher Caldwell, Financial Times 40087 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:45:32 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 David Warren, Ottawa Citizen
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/07/31/the_trust_thing_106536.htmlhttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/07/31/the_trust_thing_106536.htmlhttp://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/07/30/the_trust_thing_106536.html 200238691 AM Update David Warren, Ottawa Citizen Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:30:28 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Charles Blow, New York Times
Mature commentary on the subject has descended into tribal tirades, hypersensitive defenses and rapid-fire finger-pointing. The very definition of the word seems under assault, being bent and twisted back on itself and stretched and pulled beyond recognition.Many on the left have taken an absolutist stance, that the anti-Obama sentiment reeks of racism and denial only served to confirm guilt. Many on the right feel as though they have been convicted without proof — that tossing “racism” their way is itself racist.http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/the_fight_over_racism_238718.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/opinion/31blow.html?ref=opinionhttp://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/opinion/31blow.xml?ref=opinion 100238718 AM Update Charles Blow, New York Times 40086 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:44:56 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Michael Gerson, Washington Post
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/07/30/entitlement_reform_an_uphill_battle.htmlhttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/07/30/entitlement_reform_an_uphill_battle.htmlhttp://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/07/30/entitlement_reform_an_uphill_battle.html 200238688 AM Update Michael Gerson, Washington Post Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:29:38 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Kevin Drum, Mother Jones
This is actually not as bad as I feared when Jack Shafer pointed me toward Niedermeyer's blast. Looks like a Prius? Meh. Requires premium gasoline? The whole point is that it doesn't use much gasoline in the first place (no one buys a Volt if they do a lot of long-distance driving), so meh again. Seats four people? That's a drawback, but not a big one for most people. And although headroom and legroom are indeed a bit less than the Cruze, reviewers mostly seem to think it's pretty adequate.That leaves that $41,000 price tag. Which comes down to maybe $34,000 after...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/dissing_the_volt_238699.htmlhttp://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/dissing-volthttp://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/dissing-volt 100238699 AM Update Kevin Drum, Mother Jones 40085 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:20:22 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Jonah Goldberg, National Review
That was on May 30th. A couple weeks later, Obama proclaimed from the Oval Office: We cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America's innovation and seize control of our own destiny. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/a_crisis_gone_to_waste_238732.htmlhttp://article.nationalreview.com/438908/a-crisis-gone-to-waste/jonah-goldberg 100238732 AM Update Jonah Goldberg, National Review 40082 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:29:42 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Michael Richter, AOL News
This month, I took a boat tour of the Gulf Coast to see the BP oil disaster up close along with fellow athletes from hockey, football and other sports. After listening to heart-wrenching stories from families whose livelihoods are now gone because of the disaster, we toured wetlands covered with thick oil. Brown pelicans with oil-stained feathers struggled to fly, and dolphins swam in the oily sheen.Everything about what's happened in the gulf is tragic, and it drives home how much we depend on a healthy environment, just as each of us -- athlete or not -- depends on a healthy...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/it039s_time_to_end_our_oil_addiction_238721.htmlhttp://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-gulf-oil-spill-shows-its-time-to-end-our-oil-addiction/19574930http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-gulf-oil-spill-shows-its-time-to-end-our-oil-addiction/19574930 100238721 AM Update Michael Richter, AOL News 40084 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:20:44 -0500 07/31/2010/00/00/00 Adam Higginbotham, Wired
The tactics of today's insurgent bombmakers are the product of a long-simmering melting pot of global terrorism. Photo: Tom Schierlitz; IED models: Based on actual bombs constructed by Prop House Weapons Specialists Ltd.One afternoon at the end of March, inside a cinder-block bunker on a small island in Chesapeake Bay, Scott Schoenfeld is waiting to blow something up. On a video monitor in front of him is a grainy image of a rusty steel box about 20 yards away. Inside is an explosive charge and an experimental target. A big, soft-spoken computational scientist wearing a black polo shirt,...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/military_learns_to_fight_deadliest_weapons_238607.htmlhttp://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/07/ff_roadside_bombs/all/1http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/07/ff_roadside_bombs/all/1 100238607 AM Update Adam Higginbotham, Wired 40083 http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/finally_some_justice_on_drug_sentencing_238731.html http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_15642941 http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_15642941 100238731 Editorials Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:34:16 -0500 Denver Post http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/hapless_sec_can_now_hide_its_secrets_238733.html http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/Hapless-SEC-can-now-hide-its-secrets-1004925-99582199.html http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/Hapless-SEC-can-now-hide-its-secrets-1004925-99582199.html 100238733 Editorials Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:35:32 -0500 Washington Examiner http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/kerry_benedict_arnold039s_yacht_238719.html http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/07/31/kerry_benedict_arnolds_yacht/ http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/07/31/kerry_benedict_arnolds_yacht/ 100238719 Editorials Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:34:11 -0500 Boston Globe http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/venezuela_caught_harboring_terrorists_238734.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/29/AR2010072905211.html http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/29/AR2010072905211.html 100238734 Editorials Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:34:22 -0500 Washington Post http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/mccarthy_gop_could_control_house_without_majority_238744.html http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/111959-gop-could-control-house-without-majority-says-top-republican http://mobile.thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/111959-gop-could-control-house-without-majority-says-top-republican 100238744 Politics and Election News Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:09:48 -0500 The Hill http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/dems_take_lobbyist_cash_as_obama_knocks_special_interests_238745.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-30/democrats-take-lobbyist-cash-as-obama-knocks-special-interests.html 100238745 Politics and Election News Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:12:38 -0500 Bloomberg http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/house_oks_gulf_spill_bill_238743.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40481.html http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40481.html 100238743 Politics and Election News Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:08:49 -0500 Politico http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/07/31/salazar_tours_rigs_keeps_drill_ban_238746.html http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100731/D9HA7OM00.html http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100731/D9HA7OM00.html 100238746 Politics and Election News Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:14:03 -0500 Associated Press