fresh voices from the front lines of change

Democracy

Health

Climate

Housing

Education

Rural

MORNING MESSAGE: Jesse Jackson, 13 Others, Arrested At Sensata

OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson: "There were fourteen arrests today community supporters of the Sensata workers marched on the Bain-owned facility to demand a meeting with the manager of the plant. Arrested include Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bishop Tavis Grant, Rockford Alderman Victory Bell-Rockford, local community members, and three Sensata workers … Earlier today Sensata workers filed a complaint with the NLRB over retaliation threats by the company. The company threatened to immediately close the plant if workers didn't stop protesting and organizing."

Romney's Mourdock Problem

"Roe vs. Wade is probably hanging in the balance," says President Obama after Richard Mourdock's rape comments on "The Tonight Show."

"Obama Campaign Presses Mitt Romney To Fully Disown Richard Mourdock For Rape Comments" reports HuffPost.

"Female Voters Still Deciding" reports NYT: "She voted for Barack Obama in 2008 but is now torn. Mr. Obama has not lived up to his promise, she said. 'My husband and I both have to work full time, and we’re just getting by.' But she is not thrilled with Mitt Romney either. She said he would set women back because he did not understand their needs. 'Women worked so hard to get where we are today and to take our rights away from us is — no,' she said, shaking her head."

Romney = Austerity

Romney economist claims plan to cut taxes is equivalent to Simpson-Bowles plan which raises taxes. Jared Bernstein: "In a debate we had earlier today, leading Romney economist Glenn Hubbard pushed back on my … critique of their tax plan by pointing that the Simpson-Bowles (S-B) plan proved that rate-lowering, base-broadening tax reform is possible. As I responded, OK, but that’s not what you guys are proposing … unlike S-B, Romney takes an important part of the base off the table before we start: he has assured us that the preferential treatment of capital gains and dividends is off the table … the cost to the Treasury of these exemptions is almost $100 billion in 2012 alone … the base-broadeners in [the S-B] plan raise the middle-class tax bill by $722 … that is decidedly not the argument of Romney and Ryan who claim that their plan will not lead to higher taxes for the middle class."

Romney's plans resemble failed European austerity, argues NYT's Nick Kristof: "New Jersey isn’t overseas, but since Sessions and many other Republicans have hailed it as a shining model of austerity, let’s start there. New Jersey ranked 47th in economic growth last year. When Gov. Chris Christie took office in 2010 and began to impose austerity measures, New Jersey ranked 35th in its unemployment rate; now it ranks 48th … Something similar has happened internationally. The International Monetary Fund this month downgraded its estimates for global economic growth, with only one major bright spot in the West. That would be the United States, expected to grow a bit more than 2 percent this year and next. In contrast, Europe’s economy is expected to shrink this year and have negligible growth next year."

Greek austerity shattering health care. NYT: "Things changed in July 2011, when Greece signed a supplemental loan agreement with international lenders to ward off financial collapse. Now, as stipulated in the deal, if [unemployed] people are unable to foot the bill after their benefits expire, they are on their own, paying all costs out of pocket … The change is particularly striking in cancer care, with its lengthy and expensive treatments. When cancer is diagnosed among the uninsured, 'the system simply ignores them,' Dr. Syrigos said. He said, 'They can’t access chemotherapy, surgery or even simple drugs.'"

Obama Ready To Sack DeMarco

Obama seeks removal of housing regulator Ed DeMarco. FT: "… if Mr Obama wins re-election, Mr DeMarco’s days may be numbered, with senior White House officials quietly telling housing industry activists in recent weeks that he will be replaced … most likely by replacing him via an appointment while Congress is not in session … In 2010, Senate Republicans opposed Mr Obama’s choice to replace Mr DeMarco and have since said they would be unwilling to support other candidates who support [mortgage] principal reduction [for struggling homeowners.]"

Fed to keep foot on gas. NYT: "The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it would continue its economic stimulus campaign, aimed at reducing unemployment, amid fresh evidence of a housing recovery that could help to bolster those efforts … The Fed acknowledged that consumer spending, including spending on housing, has strengthened, but it said that it remained convinced that its efforts were necessary to bolster an inconsistent and lackluster recovery. Unemployment remains stubbornly high…"

Swing State Stumping

Both candidates criss-cross country. McClatchy: "Romney spoke to 2,500 supporters, many retirees, at an event center in downtown Reno before heading to Iowa … Supporters cheered lustily as Romney said, 'People will elect me to repeal Obamacare and replace it.' … In Denver, an energized Obama spoke to an estimated 16,000, one of his largest rallies this campaign. Obama accused Romney of having an economic plan that “'sn’t any different than the policies that led to the Great Recession.' … He urged voters to endorse his jobs plan to create jobs – ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, rewarding small businesses and manufacturers that are creating jobs in the United States, and cutting oil imports in half by 2020."

Romney to deliver economic speech on Friday. NYT: "Mr. Romney had considered giving an economic speech on Thursday in Cincinnati, according to some top advisers earlier in the week. It was not immediately clear why the campaign decided on delivering the address in Iowa instead. Both states — Ohio and Iowa — are seen as critical to Mr. Romney’s efforts to win the White House. Public polls have consistently shown Mr. Obama to be leading in both, though by narrow margins. Aides in each campaign say the states are very close. The economy is also doing better in the two states than the nation over all."

Ryan delivers poverty address, touting cuts in aid for the poor. NY Mag's Jonathan Chait: "Ryan paints a picture in which we face an impending debt crisis but also have the good fortune of spending vast sums on poor people in a way that harms them, allowing us to reap large budgetary savings while giving the poor a helping hand. What an incredible stroke of good fortune! … For all his self-proclaimed wonkery, Ryan does not engage with any of the details of the policy here. All he offers is a hand-waving cover designed to justify the infliction of catastrophic harm upon the poorest and sickest among us. What’s the word for that? Oh, right — brave."

Infighting with Ron Paul supporters hurting Romney in NV. NYT: "A contingent of supporters of Representative Ron Paul of Texas, an unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate, ousted the party leadership in a showdown in the spring. Mr. Romney’s campaign responded by building a parallel political organization, Team Nevada, to match the combined forces of the Reid organization and Obama for America, which built on what [Sen. Harry] Reid had in place. Aides to Mr. Romney said they had made considerable progress … till, the aides did not dispute the advantage that Mr. Reid had created for the president."

Pin It on Pinterest

Spread The Word!

Share this post with your networks.