Noughties' Truth

1) At least 63 Shiites in Afghanistan have been found dead as a result of coordinated bombings timed to occur on Ashura, a day honoring Shiite Islam’s holiest martyr. A Radical Sunni group from Pakistan has claimed responsibility, leading some to speculate that the attacks were intended to ad another layer of conflict to a country that has been free of civil strife during this long period of war; and that the Taliban may be involved. 

2) The Romney campaign is “on thin ice” in Iowa explains Jonathan Bernstein.  This really is looking like a two-man race (sound familiar?), as Ron Paul and other “small government conservatives” are now focusing on taking down the former speaker. Conor Friedersdorf explains “Why a Newt Gingrich Candidacy Would Doom the Tea Party.” 

3) Obama spoke about the economy today, and Campaign Obama electrified the crowd as he talked about it being ”make or break time” for the middle class. He also took a definitive stand on the GOP’s economic ideology (AKA “trickle down economics”), saying “it’s never worked.” Read my longer post below for a general summary of the speech. My gut reaction is one of hope–that President Obama governs with the ferocity and sense of purpose with which he speaks; and that, if he does that, he will be reelected so that he can steer this economy aggressively in the direction it has long needed to go. Taking notice of Obama’s allusions to Teddy Roosevelt, Libertarian Gene Healy worries about Obama overstepping the bounds of his office.

4) It is not just Obama who is railing against trickle down economics. A new report from the OECD explains that the “benefits of economic growth do not trickle down,” and finds inequality to be rising almost everywhere. America ranks as the fourth most unequal country in the OECD.

5) The Occupy Movement has entered a new phase now that the weather is starting to become truly inhibitive: “Americans Re-occupy their homes.” Follow along on twitter @OccupyOurHomes and here.