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MORNING MESSAGE: 10 Ways to Rebuild the Middle Class

OurFuture.org's Terrance Heath: "The middle class is the great engine of the American economy, but today that engine is sputtering. Our economic crisis is one half of a vicious cycle in which it and the unemployment crisis feed and perpetuate one another, hollowing out the middle-class in the process. … We’re on an unsustainable course and it’s time for U-turn. Offering a way forward, more than a dozen leading national organizations that research the economy, advocate for good jobs and represent workers have come together to propose 10 steps to build the middle-class. The guiding principles of the roadmap are values we all share: that work lies at the center of a robust and sustainable economy; that all work has dignity; and that through work, all of us should be able to support our families, educate our children and enjoy our retirements. After the dust settles from the election, this new guide is something every lawmaker should take seriously as we continue to rebuild the economy."

Poverty and Inequality

Monica Potts, at TAPPED, breaks down the new Census numbers on poverty and income: "As economists keep telling us, the Great Recession is officially over. The U.S. gross domestic product grew by a sad 1.8 percent last year. Here's why you probably don't know it: Just about every ounce of economic gain went to the top. …The Census Bureau released 2011 numbers from the annual population survey: The median household income was $50,100, which is 1.5 percent lower than in 2010. Overall, it has fallen 8.1 percent since 2007, the last year before the Great Recession. …Poverty didn't increase—it held steady at 15 percent—which wasn't expected because it had increased for every one of the last three years, and economists expected that trend to continue. That means the middle-income levels shifted downward. "

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the Census numbers show America needs to return to the principles of "prosperity economics": "Instead of coddling the richest households, America needs to return to the principles of “prosperity economics” that have historically enabled economic security for all and a growing middle class. But Romney and Ryan seek to double down on a set of policies that clearly tilt income growth to the top, while hollowing out the middle. And, as the Ryan budget makes clear, the only way to pay for those tax cuts for millionaires is for the government to turn its back on the middle class. We need family-sustaining jobs, more investments in our future, and fair taxation. President Obama is calling for the kinds of policies that will move us toward returning people to the work they need and continue to heal our fractured economy."

Chicago Showdown

Late-night talks fail to get deal in Chicago teachers strike [CNN]: "Chicago's teachers strike hits day four Thursday with no deal between the teacher's union and the school board, and Rev. Jesse Jackson offering to find a way to bridge the chasm between the two. But after Wednesday, a day that both sides did not meet until late in the evening, some were not optimistic. 'The sense of urgency within the room does not comply with the sense of urgency in the streets,' Jackson told reporters late Wednesday. 'They should be meeting around the clock. With each passing day, the pain is compounded.'"

OurFuture.org's Jeff Bryant asks "Who can Democrats trust about the Chicago teachers strike?": "Now that both Republicans and Democrats have resolved that education is the "civil rights issue of our time," perhaps we should recall what actually happened during that struggle when black Americans were fighting for their civil rights. During that deeply conflicted period in our nation's history, the least dependable source of information was government officials. And representations of the truth in the broadcast media were spotty at best. Instead, what served as the most accurate lenses to the reality of the times were those actors who were closest to the ground -- the ordinary civilians who experienced discrimination, spoke out against it, and bore the brunt of the backlash to preserve the status quo."

Romney's Latest Lie

OurFuture.Org's Dave Johnson breaks down the Romney campaign's latest lie: "In April, 2011 American pastor Terry Jones burned a Koran which set off days of riots in Afghanistan that killed 12 people, including four UN guards. Now Jones has released an online film mocking Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, depicting him having sex. This set off riots in Muslim countries including Libya and Egypt, where they later stormed US embassies. The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed in the attack, along with three other Americans. The Romney campaign released a statement, on September 11, saying Obama sympathized with the rioters. Then today he doubled down, saying the White House stands 'in apology for our values.' The timeline of this one is important. Before the protesters attacked the US embassies the local U.S. mission in Cairo released a statement -- not cleared by Washington -- about the Jones video that read, 'The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.' Romney says this statement was issued in response to the attacks."

Salon's Alex Seitz-Wald notes that most Republicans aren't exactly backing Romney up, after he attacked President Obama over Lybia: "Don’t look to Republican leaders to defend Mitt Romney’s attack on President Obama over protests in the Middle East, even as the candidate repeated his attack this morning. At a hastily arranged press conference, Romney stood by the statement his campaign issued last night, which has come under criticism from liberal pundits and mainstream journalists alike. The generally agnostic political team at NBC news led by Chuck Todd called it 'one of the most over-the-top and (it turns out) incorrect attacks of the general-election campaign.' …The timing of Romney’s attacks is a bit ironic, considering that just the day before the campaign’s foreign policy adviser told BuzzFeed that foreign policy was a 'distraction' and 'shiny object' Obama was trying to use to distract from his economic record. But, so far, at least, Republican heavyweights are not ready to get Romney’s back here."

Meanwhile, Daily Kos' Kali Joy Gray notes that the Romney campaign is "quietly advising" the GOP on how to "cover Mitt's ass": "So what kind of presidential advice does the Romney campaign have for Republicans on how to cover his ass on his latest foot-into-mouth insertion?: 'Did Governor Romney 'jump the gun' last night in releasing his statement? No. It is never too soon to stand up for American values and interests.' Right. Standing up for American values and interests—like falsely attacking the president while Americans are actually under attack. Like referring to our troops as an unimportant 'laundry list.' You know. Those kinds of values and interests. That must be the kind of "big stick" Sarah Palin had in mind when she also attacked the president. At least Mitt Romney is in brilliant foreign policy expertise company."

Mid-East Turmoil Spreads

Turmoil Spreads to U.S. Embassy in Yemen [NY Times]: "Turmoil in the Arab world linked to an American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad spread on Thursday to Yemen, where hundreds of protesters attacked the American Embassy, two days after assailants killed the American ambassador in Libya and crowds tried to overrun the embassy compound in Cairo. News reports also spoke of a separate protest in Tehran, where around 500 Iranians chanting 'Death to America' tried to converge on the Swiss Embassy, which handles United States interests in the absence of formal diplomatic relations with Washington. Hundreds of police officers held the crowds back from the diplomatic compound, witnesses said."

Obama: Justice will be done on Libya attacks [Politico]: "President Obama vowed retribution Wednesday against the perpetrators of attacks on a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya. 'I want to assure you that we will bring their killers to justice,' he said, at a campaign rally in Las Vegas. 'We will not be deterred,' Obama said. 'We will keep going. Because the world needs us — we are the one indispensable power in the world.' Four American State Department employees — including a U.S. ambassador — were killed Tuesday after protesters in Libya stormed an American consulate in Benghazi. Republicans and Democrats have spent the day trading partisan barbs over responsibility for the attacks, with the GOP sensing an opening to criticize Obama on his handling of foreign policy."

At The Daily Beast, Bernard Henri-Levy remembers Lybian Ambassador Christopher Stevens: "The fanatics who assassinated America’s ambassador to Libya in Benghazi on Tuesday night are not only criminals—they are imbeciles. A brilliant young diplomat as well as a courageous man of action, Christopher Stevens was one of Libya’s best friends and an important behind-the-scenes contributor to its liberation. In the common struggle to free Libya, our paths crossed several times—in Paris, Benghazi, and finally Washington. …The country he had so ardently defended and the city of Benghazi, which he had helped to save and he so loved, proved his undoing. Ten years after the death of Daniel Pearl, another American who respected Arabs and Muslims and who admired, like Christopher Stevens, the wisdom of true Islam, Stevens fell victim to the same fanaticism, the same blind and tragic barbarism. The United States has lost an ambassador. The Libyans have lost a companion and a friend. This time, the imbeciles have won."

Ballot Box Bullies

National debate over voter ID moves to Pennsylvania high court [Reuters]: "The national debate over voter identification laws comes to Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Thursday with challengers set to argue that the state law will shut out thousands of minority voters. The Pennsylvania law, which requires all voters to show either a state driver's license, government employee ID or a state non-driver ID card, has been under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union and other legal organizations, following similar battles in Texas and South Carolina. Supporters say the law, passed by a Pennsylvania's Republican legislature, will prevent voter fraud but critics say its true aim is to limit minority voters, who tend to vote Democratic. The ACLU and the Advancement Project, a multi-racial civil rights organization, are among several groups that filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction from the state's highest court less than two months before Election Day."

Demos' Joe Hines cites a new report which says that states are unprepared for voter intimidation: "Even beyond voter ID, the rightwing plans on exercising extralegal, but not necessarily illegal, measures to suppress the vote in 2012. Bullies at the Ballot Box, a new report released jointly by Demos and Common Cause, surveys the state of the laws of ten states: Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The report comes after True the Vote, which grew out of a branch of the Texas Tea Party, has ramped up its voter intimidation in advance of the presidential election. Their goal? To recruit a million thugs to monitor polls this November. Though they likely won't recruit that many volunteers, True the Vote is well on its way to swaying the election in crucial battleground states. And their funding remains opaque."

Residents Afraid to Vote at Their Polling Place [Annapolis Patch]: "Some Annapolis residents say that after two shootings near their polling place at the Eastport Community Center, they may decide to stay home on Election Day. …For one Eastport resident, who asked not to be identified, her concerns go beyond the recent violence. She said she's been harassed at the polling place while trying to vote in past years. 'I have gone there, and either on my way in or on my way out, I’ve been heckled about who I was going to vote for,' she said. 'I’ve had them where they blocked my car as I was trying to leave. It’s a very unsafe feeling, very unsafe.'"

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