BREAKING: Three Bush-Appointed Judges Give Thumbs Up To Voter Disenfranchisement In Ohio

BREAKING: Three Bush-Appointed Judges Give Thumbs Up To Voter Disenfranchisement In Ohio:Late last week, a federal district court ordered Ohio to stop disenfranchising voters who are directed to vote at the wrong polling place due to poll worker error. Earlier today, a severely conservative panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit stayed this order, ruling that Ohio may disenfranchise these voters [...]/p

Why Arizona's "Secret" $11 Million Donor Opposing 2 Crucial Ballot Measures in California Is Really No Secret | Alternet

Why Arizona's "Secret" $11 Million Donor Opposing 2 Crucial Ballot Measures in California Is Really No Secret | Alternet
"Is there really any doubt who’s behind $11 million donation to an Arizona non-profit that’s taking an active role in opposing Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative, Proposition 30, and also backing another measure that would complicate how California unions collect dues from members for political purposes, Propositon 32?"

By Almost Every Indicator, The Housing Market Is Better Off Than It Was Four Years Ago

By Almost Every Indicator, The Housing Market Is Better Off Than It Was Four Years Ago:  President Obama is understandably reticent to tout his housing record, especially in swing states hit hard by the five-year foreclosure crisis. But with the early stages of a housing recovery underway, it’s time for [...]/p

What Does Romney's Campaign of Lies Say About Our Country?

What Does Romney's Campaign of Lies Say About Our Country?
"Last week Mitt Romney delivered possibly the most dishonest presidential campaign speech in American history. It contains lie after lie, distortion after distortion, and trick after trick. "

NY Governor Cuomo: ‘Anyone Who Thinks That There Is Not A Dramatic Change In Weather Patterns Is Denying Reality’

NY Governor Cuomo: ‘Anyone Who Thinks That There Is Not A Dramatic Change In Weather Patterns Is Denying Reality’: Gov. Cuomo (D-NY):  ”There has been a series of extreme weather incidents. That is not a political statement, that is a factual statement. Anyone who says there is not a dramatic change in weather patterns is denying reality.” Floodwaters inundate Ground Zero construction site in NYC (AP) At a press conference yesterday, New York Governor [...]/p

Romney Releases Another False Ad, Revives Claim That Obama ‘Gutted’ Welfare Reform

Romney Releases Another False Ad, Revives Claim That Obama ‘Gutted’ Welfare Reform: After releasing false radio and television ads about the auto bailout, Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign unveiled a new commercial that highlights another one of the candidate’s favorite false claims. This ad, first flagged by the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, revives Romney’s claim that President Obama has “gutted the welfare work requirement” through a waiver program [...]/p

Yes, Romney's a Liar, But This Is Getting Ridiculous | Common Dreams

Yes, Romney's a Liar, But This Is Getting Ridiculous | Common Dreams
"It is no secret that political candidates are capable of doing awful things when they are reach the desperate final days of an election campaign."

Romney doubles down on Jeep lie

Major Retailer Urges Workers To Take 'Civics Course' With Anti-Obama Content | Alternet

Major Retailer Urges Workers To Take 'Civics Course' With Anti-Obama Content | Alternet
"If you live in the Midwest and you're working on a home-improvement project, you're as likely to do your shopping at a Menards store as at a Lowe's or Home Depot. With 270 stores and 40,000 employees , Menards is the third-largest home-improvement chain in the U.S., and one of the largest privately held corporations in the country. But Menards stores sell more than just lumber and building supplies; their employees are sold a bill of goods in the form of right-wing ideology."

Mitt Romney Is Just Not That Into Federal Disaster Relief | Common Dreams

Mitt Romney Is Just Not That Into Federal Disaster Relief | Common Dreams
"Romney says he “absolutely” wants to decrease the role of FEMA in particular, and the federal government in general, when it comes to dealing with natural disasters."

Romney Ball Caps Made in China, Obama's Made in USA

Romney Ball Caps Made in China, Obama's Made in USA
"Kind of tells you everything you need to know about who's more likely to stand up for American workers, doesn't it?"

Chrysler CEO smacks down Romney's Jeep-to-China lies

Chrysler CEO smacks down Romney's Jeep-to-China lies
""U.S. production of our Jeep models has nearly tripled" since 2009."

Someone Spread False Info on Hurricane Sandy Last Night. Guess Who?

Someone Spread False Info on Hurricane Sandy Last Night. Guess Who?
"So who is this guy? Turns out, he's a GOP consultant, hedge fund analyst and a big Romney supporter:"

Failed Bush FEMA director Michael Brown says Obama, FEMA acted too quickly in hurricane response

Failed Bush FEMA director Michael Brown says Obama, FEMA acted too quickly in hurricane response
"Un-effing-believable. The entire GOP has been having a years-long allergic reaction to the very concept of "disaster relief," we've got Mitt Romney refusing to even mention whether or not he thinks FEMA is an abomination unto the budget gods, and now out here comes the head Katrina-botcher himself, back like a bad rash"

Oyster Creek on "Alert" as Sandy Threatens Nuclear Facilities | Common Dreams

Oyster Creek on "Alert" as Sandy Threatens Nuclear Facilities | Common Dreams
"According to the NRC, the 43-year-old nuclear facility remains at alert status after being upgraded from an "unusual event" at about 9pm Monday night. The second-lowest in a four-tiered warning system, the "alert" indicates that conditions are not catastrophic but signals a "potential substantial degradation in the level of safety"."

Christie Praises Obama, Doesn't 'Give a Damn' About Romney Photo Op

Christie Praises Obama, Doesn't 'Give a Damn' About Romney Photo Op
""The president was great last night," Christie continued. "He said he would get it done. At 2 a.m., I got a call from FEMA to answer a couple of final questions and then he signed the declaration this morning. So I have to give the president great credit. He's been on the phone with me three times in the last 24 hours. He's been very attentive, and anything that I've asked for, he's gotten to me. So, I thank the president publicly for that. He's done -- as far as I'm concerned -- a great job for New Jersey"."

Everybody knows Mitt Romney is lying about Jeep moving to China. So what does he do? Tell it louder.

Everybody knows Mitt Romney is lying about Jeep moving to China. So what does he do? Tell it louder.
"Everybody knows Mitt Romney is lying about his false claim that Jeep is shipping American jobs to China."

Romney Doubles Down On Auto Industry Myth: Radio Ad Claims Chrysler Is Moving Jeep Production To China

Romney Doubles Down On Auto Industry Myth: Radio Ad Claims Chrysler Is Moving Jeep Production To China: Mitt Romney’s campaign has received a lot of negative attention for running utterly untrue television ads in Ohio that claim Chrysler is moving all of its Jeep production overseas. But that’s not stopping the candidate from making a made-for-radio version of the advertisement, repeating many of the same blatant falsehoods. The highly dubious claims in [...]/p

Documents Found in Meth House Show the Inner Workings of a Dark Money Group Linked to 23 Conservative Candidates | Alternet

Documents Found in Meth House Show the Inner Workings of a Dark Money Group Linked to 23 Conservative Candidates | Alternet
"Found in a meth house in Colorado, they were somewhat of a mystery, holding files on 23 conservative candidates in state races in Montana. They were filled with candidate surveys and mailers that said they were paid for by campaigns, and fliers and bank records from outside spending groups. One folder was labeled "Montana $ Bomb."

The documents pointed to one outside group pulling the candidates' strings: a social welfare nonprofit called Western Tradition Partnership, or WTP."

Where Did Paul Ryan Find Inspiration for 'Reforming' Social Security? A Brutal Military Dictatorship, Naturally | Alternet

Where Did Paul Ryan Find Inspiration for 'Reforming' Social Security? A Brutal Military Dictatorship, Naturally | Alternet
"While the Republican Party and its wealthy plutocrat backers have been accused of waging an elitist virtual war against the American majority, both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have financial and ideological ties to rich Latin American elites who have waged real wars against average citizens in their countries."

Get Rid of FEMA? Right-Wingers Push Insane Privatization Scheme in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy | Alternet

Get Rid of FEMA? Right-Wingers Push Insane Privatization Scheme in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy | Alternet
"Hurricane Sandy is still making its impact felt around the United States. But that’s not stopping right-wingers and foes of government from hammering away at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)"

U.S. Police Arrest Someone For Marijuana Every 42 Seconds

U.S. Police Arrest Someone For Marijuana Every 42 Seconds: FBI statistics from 2011 show that the War on Drugs is going strong, with more people arrested for drug crimes than anything else. U.S. police arrest someone for a marijuana crime every 42 seconds, and 87 percent of those are for mere possession. These numbers are slightly down from the last two years, but drug [...]/p

Romney’s Misleading Ad Causes Auto Workers To Think They’re Losing Their Jobs

Romney’s Misleading Ad Causes Auto Workers To Think They’re Losing Their Jobs: Mitt Romney’s misleading new advertisement is causing auto workers to fear they’re losing their jobs. The ad falsely claims car company Chrysler is moving its Jeep production to China, when in fact the company is opening up additional production there, not shifting American jobs overseas. But some auto workers have been calling their union, worried [...]/p

As governor, Mitt Romney failed Massachusetts when disaster struck

As governor, Mitt Romney failed Massachusetts when disaster struck
"Mitt Romney is all about dismantling the federal government's role in emergency management and putting the states in charge, which sort of raises the question of how Romney responded to emergencies when he was governor of Massachusetts. Would it surprise you to hear that the answer is "not well"?"

Latino Excitement at Record Levels in US Election

Latino Excitement at Record Levels in US Election
"Just over a week before the United States votes in a highly anticipated and historically tight presidential election, a new poll released Monday finds that interest by Latino voters has strengthened significantly over the past two months, and that turnout among Hispanics could be higher than the records set in 2008."

EXCLUSIVE: Romney Campaign Training Poll Watchers To Mislead Voters In Wisconsin

EXCLUSIVE: Romney Campaign Training Poll Watchers To Mislead Voters In Wisconsin: Mitt Romney’s campaign has been training poll watchers in Wisconsin with highly misleading — and sometimes downright false — information about voters’ rights. Documents from a recent Romney poll watcher training obtained by ThinkProgress contain several misleading or untrue claims about the rights of Wisconsin voters. A source passed along the following packet of documents, [...]/p

Early Voting Scorecard: Obama Ahead in Iowa and Nevada | Alternet

Early Voting Scorecard: Obama Ahead in Iowa and Nevada | Alternet
"With more than 10 million people already casting a ballot, early voting is on pace likely to exceed the 41 million cast in 2008. Next week will be crunch time as millions of people across the country cast ballots."

Over a Dozen Nuclear Power Plants in Hurricane Sandy's Path | Common Dreams

Over a Dozen Nuclear Power Plants in Hurricane Sandy's Path | Common Dreams
"Speaking to Democracy Now! Monday morning, Arnie Gundersen said, "Oyster Creek is the same design design, but even older, than Fukushima Daiichi unit 1. It’s in a refueling outage. That means that all the nuclear fuel is not in the nuclear reactor, but it’s over in the spent fuel pool. And in that condition, there’s no backup power for the spent fuel pools. So, if Oyster Creek were to lose its offsite power, and frankly that’s really likely, there would be no way cool that nuclear fuel that’s in the fuel pool until they get the power reestablished," according to Gundersen, who has 40 years of nuclear power engineering experience."

How Mitt Romney Wants to Make America Like China | Alternet

How Mitt Romney Wants to Make America Like China | Alternet
"China’s a semi-communist authoritarian gerontocracy with a horrendous human rights record, but man, look at those low wages and lack of regulation!"

Pennsylvania Radio Station Runs Misleading Voter ID Ad

Pennsylvania Radio Station Runs Misleading Voter ID Ad: Nearly a month after a Pennsylvania court suspended the law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls this November, reports of misinformation on the voter ID law are still rolling in. The latest misleading claim comes from CBS Pittburgh radio station KDKA, which is running an ad claiming that voters will need photo [...]/p

President Obama Makes a Statement on Hurricane Sandy

President Obama discusses efforts underway to prepare for Hurricane Sandy and urges those who may be affected by the storm to take all needed precautions. October 29, 2012.

Why Hurricane Sandy Has Morphed into a 'Frankenstorm' -- And Why We Should Get Used to Catastrophic Weather | Alternet

Why Hurricane Sandy Has Morphed into a 'Frankenstorm' -- And Why We Should Get Used to Catastrophic Weather | Alternet
"Here's how manmade carbon pollution is making many of the most destructive kinds of extreme weather events -- Frankenstorms -- more frequent and more intense."

Romney's willingness to say anything makes integrity an issue

Mitt Romney allows himself to be led into another embarrassing lie by right-wing media and how his abandonment of his own policies and willingness to say anything on the campaign trail have left him open to questions about his integrity as a person

PERRspectives: After Bashing Auto Workers, Romney Asks for Their Votes

PERRspectives: After Bashing Auto Workers, Romney Asks for Their Votes
"In an effort to win over auto workers in Ohio and across the Midwest, Team Romney this week unveiled a jaw-droppingly fraudulent ad rewriting Mitt's opposition to the federal bailout that saved the entire industry. But largely overlooked in the shocked response to his bogus claims about Jeep shipping U.S. jobs to China has been the union-bashing that was at the center of Romney's primary campaign to win the Republican nomination for president. As a quick glance reveals, Mitt Romney may profess "I love American cars," but not the Americans who make them."

11 Most Disturbing Facts About Hurricane Sandy | Alternet

11 Most Disturbing Facts About Hurricane Sandy | Alternet
"If you’re on the East Coast, things outside look pretty grey as Hurricane Sandy comes barreling towards New York and other states. The trees are blowing, the rain’s starting to come down, and reports are coming in of flooding in parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Here's a round-up of 11 alarming developments."

Romney Returns to His 'Obama Made the Economy Worse' Lie

Romney Returns to His 'Obama Made the Economy Worse' Lie
"That simply isn't true. And neither is Mitt Romney's two year-old slander that President Obama "made the economy worse." Romney's closing argument to voters, like his opening statement, is a Big Lie. And his ceaseless repetition hasn't made it any made it any truer."

Congresswoman Accuses Obama Of ‘Harming’ Auto Company That Went Defunct In 1988

Congresswoman Accuses Obama Of ‘Harming’ Auto Company That Went Defunct In 1988: Since the auto rescue, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are experiencing increases in sales of 10, 13, and 14 percent, respectively. Obama’s approach, which Romney vehemently opposed, helped save as many as 1.3 million jobs and the administration’s new fuel efficiency standards and incentives included in the 2009 stimulus are driving American-made cars to be become more competitive in an international market.

Mitt Romney's Terrifying Plans for FEMA and Disaster Relief | Alternet

Mitt Romney's Terrifying Plans for FEMA and Disaster Relief | Alternet
"But this system of federal involvement to mitigate the damage from natural disasters would be threatened under a Mitt Romney presidency. Romney and his vice-presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, have promised to fundamentally transform how federal disaster aid would work. If Hurricane Sandy was bearing down under a Romney-Ryan presidency, the scale of federal help would be radically different."

Axe FEMA, Romney Says - as Hurricane Sandy Looms

Axe FEMA, Romney Says - as Hurricane Sandy Looms
"Hurricane Sandy threatens to be one of the most devastating storms ever to strike the United States. But if Mitt Romney were president, disaster relief would be up to the states."

McKibben To Romney: ‘Please Explain Again Why Slowing The Rise Of The Oceans Is Such A Silly Plan?’

McKibben To Romney: ‘Please Explain Again Why Slowing The Rise Of The Oceans Is Such A Silly Plan?’: During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney mocked Obama’s pledge to address climate change, turning it into a punch line. “President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans — [bites lip and pauses for audience laughter(!)] — and to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your [...]/p

'Storm Like No Other': Ongoing Coverage as Powerful Hurricane Sandy Makes Landfall | Common Dreams

'Storm Like No Other': Ongoing Coverage as Powerful Hurricane Sandy Makes Landfall | Common Dreams
"As Hurricane Sandy makes landfall on Monday, meteorologists predict a powerful storm that will cause power outages for millions, a storm surge creating massive inland and coastal flooding, and sustained winds that are threat for those living in urban and more rural areas across the northeast."

Why ‘Frankenstorm’ Is Just Right for Hurricane Sandy | Common Dreams

Why ‘Frankenstorm’ Is Just Right for Hurricane Sandy | Common Dreams
"Watching Sandy on her careening path toward the Eastern Seaboard scares me more than it would have 15 months ago. That’s because my home state took the brunt of Irene, last year’s “sprawling,” “surly,” “record-breaking” Atlantic storm. I know now exactly how much power a warm sea can contain and how far that pain can spread."

Romney-Ryan and the Slashing of Medicaid | Common Dreams

Romney-Ryan and the Slashing of Medicaid | Common Dreams
"If he wins, Medicaid — which now covers more than 50 million Americans, and which President Obama would expand further as part of his health reform — will face savage cuts. Estimates suggest that a Romney victory would deny health insurance to about 45 million people who would have coverage if he lost, with two-thirds of that difference due to the assault on Medicaid."

Republican Senate Candidate’s Company Collected Millions In State Subsidies While Laying Off Workers

Republican Senate Candidate’s Company Collected Millions In State Subsidies While Laying Off Workers: On her campaign website, Republican senate candidate Linda McMahon (CT) rails against “reckless” and “out of control” government spending. She calls for the institution of a Balanced Budget Amendment (despite the widespread economic damage such an amendment could cause), and specifically singles out earmarks, claiming that they displace private sector job creation. McMahon has also [...]/p

How Romney And Ryan Would Severely Impair Disaster Relief Efforts

How Romney And Ryan Would Severely Impair Disaster Relief Efforts: The federal government’s ability to respond to natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy currently bearing down on the East Coast, would be significantly hindered under a Romney-Ryan administration. At least three times, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have publicly demanded that the federal government only disburse disaster relief funding if Congress agreed to offsetting budget cuts [...]/p

Number of States in Which Rapists Can Sue For Custody and Visitation Rights -- 31 -- and Other Shocking Rape Facts | Alternet

Number of States in Which Rapists Can Sue For Custody and Visitation Rights -- 31 -- and Other Shocking Rape Facts | Alternet
"Remember facts? Remember facts about rape? Because it turns out that a whole lot of people know less than nothing about the subject. Indeed what they think they know is a whole lot of something that is wrong and dangerous to our heath, safety and well-being. Republican Representative Richard Mourdock'srecent " misspeaking" is unexceptional."

PERRspectives: Mitt Romney's Auto Neurotic Prevarication

PERRspectives: Mitt Romney's Auto Neurotic Prevarication
"Gripped by an irresistible obsession to become President of the United States, Romney will lie to voters on almost any issue, large or small. And on no point is Romney's compulsion to fabricate more pathological than on President Obama's successful rescue of the American auto industry. As his new ad designed to dupe voters in Ohio and across the industrial Midwest makes clear, the same Mitt Romney who was content to "let Detroit go bankrupt" now pretends to be its savior."

Medicare's 'death spiral' under Romney/Ryan voucher plan confirmed in new study

Medicare's 'death spiral' under Romney/Ryan voucher plan confirmed in new study
"Another study finds that the voucher system Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan envision for Medicare will cause the program's demise."

Portland, Oregon Prepares for Pre-Election Anti-Austerity Protest

Portland, Oregon Prepares for Pre-Election Anti-Austerity Protest
"On November 3rd Portland community and labor groups will declare "enough is enough" by organizing a first for the U.S. - a large demonstration against government austerity cuts."

Capitol Hill’s Rabid, Ravaging Republicans | Common Dreams

Capitol Hill’s Rabid, Ravaging Republicans | Common Dreams
"House Republicans have a conflict of interest between their families’ lungs and their corporatized minds. Resolution? Vote to weaken the Clean Air Act, drinking water safety standards, cut funding for these cancer preventing, health protecting programs while pushing for more military weapons and bloated Pentagon budgets. The Republicans went so far as to vote for polluters over children, pregnant women and people who live in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. These Republicans voted to block the EPA mercury and air toxics standards that the agency estimated would save 12,000 lives every year and prevent more than one million asthma attacks."

PERRspectives: Romney 's Closing Argument is "Obama Made Economy Worse" Lie

PERRspectives: Romney 's Closing Argument is "Obama Made Economy Worse" Lie
"Unfortunately for Romney, the facts and the overwhelming consensus of economists - including the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and John McCain's 2008 brain trust - flatly contradict Mitt's closing argument. Instead, the numbers show and the experts confirm that President Obama saved the American free-enterprise system from the abyss and averted Great Depression 2.0."

Conservatives tested which anti-Obama conspiracy films to send to voters

Conservatives tested which anti-Obama conspiracy films to send to voters
"Translation: They knew it was a rancid pile of conspiratorial, lying dung—but they still wanted to know if showing it to people would work. The conservative movement is now focus grouping its conspiracy theories to see which ones to promote to voters."

10 States Where Voter Suppression Scams Target New Voters, Minorities and The Elderly | Alternet

10 States Where Voter Suppression Scams Target New Voters, Minorities and The Elderly | Alternet
"Voting misinformation from shadowy sources. Avowed partisans pushing anti-voting propaganda. Election officials sending out mistake-ridden mailings. It’s all happening in 2012, reminding liberals that in many states not all eligible voters are welcome."

Meet 8 Romney-Backed Senate Candidates Who Would Force Victims to Have Their Rapists' Babies | Alternet

Meet 8 Romney-Backed Senate Candidates Who Would Force Victims to Have Their Rapists' Babies | Alternet
"What they’ve missed is the fact that, in today's Republican Party, Mourdock’s position is the new normal. Among the handful of Republican senatorial candidates who echo Mourdock's contention that even a rape-induced pregancy is sacred are several who, like Tim Smith in Pennsylvania, are polliing well against their Democratic opponents."

Outcome of presidential election will impact judicial review of vital federal regulations | Economic Policy Institute

Outcome of presidential election will impact judicial review of vital federal regulations | Economic Policy Institute
"Republican judges on the other hand, will be more likely to rule in favor of polluters, banks, and corporations. The presidential election will determine whose interests the federal government’s executive and judicial branches ultimately protect."

Democratic Rep. Explains Why Now Is The ‘Absolute Right Time’ To Invest In Crumbling Infrastructure

Democratic Rep. Explains Why Now Is The ‘Absolute Right Time’ To Invest In Crumbling Infrastructure: LOUISVILLE — There is no better time than now to invest in America’s crumbling infrastructure, Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth (D) told ThinkProgress in an interview this week. With the nation facing high unemployment and in need of a massive upgrade to its roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects, the government should take advantage of historically [...]/p

"You Don't Own Me" PSA

Women constitute more than half of the population. In 2008, 60% of voters were women. It is estimated that 10 million more women than men will vote in this election. Despite this, women make up only 16% of Congress. Women earn only 70 cents to each dollar men make. Women of color and undocumented women make less than white citizens. Mitt Romney and the Republican Party are determined to overturn Roe V. Wade. Romney has not supported equal pay for women (The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act). Romney has vowed to defund Planned Parenthood. Romney has vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Romney doesn't want health care to cover birth control. Romney says same sex marriage should be banned with a Constitutional Amendment. Women, let's rise up. Our vote alone can win this election. A vote for Obama is a vote for your health and your right to choose. It is a vote for equal pay and equal rights. A vote for Obama is a vote for our families. It is a vote to marry who you choose. It's a vote to start a family when you choose. A vote for Obama says that we won't stand for violence against women and that rape is rape. Our vote ensures that our daughters will grow up with the same rights that we've had. A vote for Obama sends a message: This war on women must end. We will not go backwards. This election is shockingly close. Our safety is at stake. Our silence is consent and our vote is our voice. Let's get active. Let's get out every vote we can. Let's make this election a mandate. A mandate to finally ensure women the respect, dignity and equality we all deserve! This is now. This is our call to action. Once and for all, let's take back the power that is so inherently and naturally ours!

Powell endorses Obama, Cheney/Beck fundraise for Romney

Chevron Gives $2.5 Million to Conservative Super PAC | Common Dreams

Chevron Gives $2.5 Million to Conservative Super PAC | Common Dreams
"Chevron Corp., ranked No. 3 on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. companies, made a $2.5 million contribution on Oct. 7 to the conservativeCongressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to electing Republicans to the House and Senate."

Bain Capital wants to silence 'Bainport'

The situation is reaching fever pitch at the Sensata factory in Freeport, Illinois. Not only is Mitt Romney's Bain Capital shipping 170 American jobs to China, as we've reported on The Ed Show, but they're now trying to crush the workers' free speech rights.

Will Voter Suppression Tactics Threaten Free and Fair Elections?

Will Voter Suppression Tactics Threaten Free and Fair Elections?
"The wave of new voter restrictions and scare tactics being implemented for the 2012 elections -- such as voter ID laws, early voting restrictions, threatening billboards, misleading mailers and vigilante poll watchers -- could intimidate countless numbers of Americans from exercising their right to vote."

Mitt Romney stays silent on Sensata as he lies about Jeep jobs going to China

Mitt Romney stays silent on Sensata as he lies about Jeep jobs going to China
"Let's untangle the levels of nerve here. Romney is claiming that the way to keep Chrysler from moving Jeep production to China is to elect Mitt Romney. In fact, not only is Chrysler not moving Jeep production to China, it's expanding Jeep production in Michigan and Ohio. But don't worry, if you vote for Romney, he'll fight for every one of those jobs to be kept right here in America."

"Buying Influence," a Special Report Released; ALEC Corporate Slush Fund Pays for State Lawmakers' Junkets

"Buying Influence," a Special Report Released; ALEC Corporate Slush Fund Pays for State Lawmakers' Junkets
"Corporate backers of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have funneled more than an estimated $4 million in gifts to state legislators for travel, hotel rooms, and meals at posh resorts since 2006, according to estimates based on internal ALEC records. The corporate lobby front group is already facing an Internal Revenue Service review of claims that it violated federal law by posing as a charity."

‘Anti-Business’ Obama Is Best President For Corporate Profits Since 1900

‘Anti-Business’ Obama Is Best President For Corporate Profits Since 1900: Since he came into office, Republicans have consistently attacked President Obama for supposedly being anti-business. As ThinkProgress noted last week, the data shows that this charge is nonsense. In fact, as the financial website Motley Fool noted today, President Obama is far and away the best president for corporate profits since 1900: Even if corporate [...]/p

Mitt Romney's silence on Richard Mourdock tells the whole story

Mitt Romney's silence on Richard Mourdock tells the whole story
"Nowadays, Mitt Romney claims that he supports exceptions for rape and incest. But we already know that he lied once about choice in order to win an election. And his silence about Richard Mourdock is a pretty clear sign that he's lying once again."

Weather Channel: We've Never Seen Anything Like This Before

Weather Channel: We've Never Seen Anything Like This Before
If you live in one of the states that might be affected, and can vote early, get out there vote now.

Hey GOP...We Already have a Bill of Rights!!

Besides trying to elect one of their own - Mitt Romney - to the White House, the oligarchs have another trick up their sleeve this election. And that's to make sure their state taxes never go up again. Their plan is carried out in the form of ballot measures - often under the name of Taxpayer Bill of Rights laws - that will appear in a handful of states on Election Day that are aimed at making it very difficult to raise taxes. Such measures are on the ballot in states like Florida, Michigan, and Washington. So imagine a law - or, even more bizarre, an amendment to a state's constitution, that says, "You may not take away any tax breaks that billionaires or large corporations have without it getting at least a 2/3rds vote in the legislature, but you may lay off teachers, state troopers, repeal Meals on Wheels programs, and cut off financial aid to colleges and college students with a simple majority." And then imagine that the law went a step further and said that you can't raise taxes on billionaires or corporations, and you can't close any of the tax loopholes they use every day, but you can easily raise fees on everyday working people, so they're paying more to register their cars or park on city streets or have their garbage collected.

Six Important Things To Know Before Romney’s ‘Closing Argument’ On The Economy

Six Important Things To Know Before Romney’s ‘Closing Argument’ On The Economy: Mitt Romney will deliver what’s being billed as his “closing argument” in Ames, Iowa today, focusing his speech on the economy. Here are six important things to know before Romney takes the stage. 1) ROMNEY’S BOGUS 12 MILLION JOBS: Romney consistently promises that his policies will create 12 million jobs over his first term. But [...]/p

Romney Makes Closing Argument At Firm That Benefited From Stimulus Funds

Romney Makes Closing Argument At Firm That Benefited From Stimulus Funds: On Friday, Mitt Romney will make his closing argument on the economy in what his campaign is touting as a major address. The site Romney has chosen, however, exposes the hypocrisy and fallaciousness of one of Romney’s central economic arguments: the notion that government has no role in growing the private economy and helping businesses [...]/p

10 Filthy-Rich, Tax-Dodging Hypocrites Pushing Disastrous Austerity on America | Alternet

10 Filthy-Rich, Tax-Dodging Hypocrites Pushing Disastrous Austerity on America | Alternet
"Brace yourself for one of the most aggressive corporate lobbying campaigns of all time. And one of the most hypocritical."

Lies of Plutocracy: Exploding Five Myths that Dehumanize the Poor

Lies of Plutocracy: Exploding Five Myths that Dehumanize the Poor
"If you believe that poverty is the domain of the comfortably poor, black, unemployed, unmotivated and uneducated among us, you have been sadly misled. Prepare to be astonished by numbers that tell a very different story."

Despite Romney Claim, Chrysler Isn’t Moving Any Auto Production To China

Despite Romney Claim, Chrysler Isn’t Moving Any Auto Production To China: Mitt Romney, attempting to bolster his case to Ohio voters, misinterpreted a story and passed on an outright lie at a rally in the swing state yesterday. Reacting to a Bloomberg News story about auto manufacturer Chrysler’s plans to open a plant in China, Romney said at a rally in Defiance, Ohio that the company [...]/p

New Romney lie: Scare Ohioans by falsely claiming Chrysler may move all Jeep production to China

New Romney lie: Scare Ohioans by falsely claiming Chrysler may move all Jeep production to China
"Perhaps that willingness to lie served him well as CEO of Bain, but it's an appalling trait for a presidential candidate, let alone—God forbid—a president."

Chevron Donates $2.5 Million To GOP Super PAC In Single Largest Corporate Donation Post-Citizens United

Chevron Donates $2.5 Million To GOP Super PAC In Single Largest Corporate Donation Post-Citizens United: Chevron, the second-largest oil company in the U.S. and eighth-largest in the world, contributed $2.5 million in October to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC to elect House Republicans. That makes Chevron’s super PAC donation the single largest from a corporation. The donation comes after House Republicans voted 109 times this Congress to enrich [...]/p

How the Wealthy Have Turned State Elections All Over America Into Their Own Personal Playgrounds | Alternet

How the Wealthy Have Turned State Elections All Over America Into Their Own Personal Playgrounds | Alternet
"The 2012 election has become a political extreme sport for wealthy individuals and corporate America, as they have blown off whatever’s left in campaign finance laws and have strutted on the electoral field as the rest of us watch like spectators from the cheap seats. But what’s not fully appreciated is how the plutocrats’ stampede doesn’t stop with the presidency, but is playing an outsized role in many down-ballot and state races."

More Republicans arrested for election fraud...

More allegations of election fraud against the Republican Party. A voter registration supervisor contracted by the Republican Party of Virginia was arrested on Thursday for destroying voter registration applications. Thirty-one-year-old Colin Small was caught throwing away a bag of filled-out voter registration forms in a dumpster. Police say the crime appears "limited in nature" but additional charges may be filed in the future. Already, the Republican National Committee is dealing with allegations of election fraud after it hired a firm known as Strategic Allied Consulting to register voters in key swing states. That firm was found to commit widespread fraud by destroying or tampering with voter registration forms filled out by Democratic voters. At least 11 counties in Florida have discovered tampered registration forms handled by the firm.

Romney, Family and Friends Connected to the Company Counting the Vote in Cincinnatti

Romney, Family and Friends Connected to the Company Counting the Vote in Cincinnatti
"The Democrats have it half right. The only way to ensure that election fraud will not happen is to have a massive voter turnout that makes cheating within the margin of error impossible. However, a citizen's obligation to vote does not negate a citizen's obligation to vigilantly defend the democratic franchise that lies at the center of our society."

Condi Rice Pours Cold Water On ‘Benghazi-Gate’

Condi Rice Pours Cold Water On ‘Benghazi-Gate’: Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice broke with the majority of her party last night on Fox News, as she tried to hit the brakes on the right wing’s politicization of the recent attack in Libya. Host Greta Van Susteren asked Rice directly and repeatedly about a set of emails uncovered by Reuters. In what [...]/p

Where Did the Debt Come From?

Prop 37: California's Fight for GM Labeling Should Matter to All of US | Common Dreams

Prop 37: California's Fight for GM Labeling Should Matter to All of US | Common Dreams
"California produces much of this country’s food. The Golden State’s labeling law just might set the gold standard for food safety for us all."

Very unwise for employers to tell employees how to vote | Economic Policy Institute

Very unwise for employers to tell employees how to vote | Economic Policy Institute
"Recent weeks have brought a rash of reports of something that used to be unthinkable in America: employers telling their workers who to vote for."

PERRspectives: GOP Still Mocking the "Health of the Mother"

PERRspectives: GOP Still Mocking the "Health of the Mother"
"On Thursday,John McCain rejoined Mitt Romney in support of embattled Indiana Republican Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock. That McCain would come around after accepting Mourdock's "apology" for proclaiming rape-induced pregnancies gifts from God should come as no surprise. After all, McCain like Romney is a former supporter of Roe v. Wade who turned anti-abortion champion in order to secure the Republican nomination. And as it turns out, McCain mocked the very idea of a "health of the mother" exception to the abortion ban his party demands. That's just like Paul Ryan, who dismissed it as "a loophole wide enough to drive a Mack truck through"."

CEO who took millions in stimulus tells workers to vote against Obama because big government

CEO who took millions in stimulus tells workers to vote against Obama because big government
"Another boss weighs in telling his workers to vote for Mitt Romney, and if this one takes it easier on the intimidation than many of his plutocratic brethren, he makes up for it with an extra helping of hypocrisy."

Ohio Senate Nominee Defends Mourdock After Rape Comments: ‘He’s A Class Act’

Ohio Senate Nominee Defends Mourdock After Rape Comments: ‘He’s A Class Act’: Ohio Senate nominee Josh Mandel (R) defended neighboring Indiana Senate nominee Richard Mourdock (R) for his comments that pregnancies resulting from rape are a “gift from God,” calling Mourdock a “gentleman” and a “class act.” Mandel was initially asked yesterday whether he agreed with Mourdock that “God intended” for pregnancies from rape, but the Ohio [...]/p

What’s At Stake When Billionaires Try to Buy Our Democracy | Common Dreams

What’s At Stake When Billionaires Try to Buy Our Democracy | Common Dreams
"The shameless spectacle of billionaires drowning the airwaves should not numb us to the consequences of what is at stake if the super rich succeed in buying our elections."

US to Sue Bank of America for $1bn Over 'Brazen' Mortgage Fraud | Common Dreams

US to Sue Bank of America for $1bn Over 'Brazen' Mortgage Fraud | Common Dreams
"Federal prosecutors are suing Bank of America for $1 billion over mortgage fraud."

How an Innocent 26-Year-Old Got Sold Into Guantanamo Hell for a $5,000 Bounty | Alternet

How an Innocent 26-Year-Old Got Sold Into Guantanamo Hell for a $5,000 Bounty | Alternet
"He was just a man, one of hundreds - thousands perhaps - who was in the wrong place at the wrong time after 9/11."

Republicans Desperate to Spin Romney as the Front-Runner Are Becoming 'Nate Silver Truthers' | Alternet

Republicans Desperate to Spin Romney as the Front-Runner Are Becoming 'Nate Silver Truthers' | Alternet
"But in recent days, the Romney-Ryan campaign has claimed that it's moving ahead. As Jonathan Chaitnoted, “This is a bluff. Romney is carefully attempting to project an atmosphere of momentum, in the hopes of winning positive media coverage and, thus, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Despite zero evidence that Romney has made any gains since receiving a healthy bounce from the first debate, reporters appear to be buying it, with a raft of lazy stories about Mitt Romney's supposed “momentum"."

As Foodborne Illnesses Skyrocket, GOP Slashes Funds For Food Safety

As Foodborne Illnesses Skyrocket, GOP Slashes Funds For Food Safety: Even though President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act — giving the Food and Drug Administration wider power to stop foodborne illness outbreaks before they start — the number of Americans who become sick or die because of contaminated food has increased 44 percent over the last two years, according to a [...]/p

Romney disdain for foreign policy risks Bush level disaster

How A Proposed Pennsylvania Law Would Make Workers Pay Taxes To Their Boss

How A Proposed Pennsylvania Law Would Make Workers Pay Taxes To Their Boss: According to Good Jobs First, an organization that promotes accountability in economic development, several states allow corporations to literally pocket their employees’ tax payments. Rather than having those taxes go towards public services, the companies withhold money from their workers’ paychecks and just keep it, never remitting it to the state, under the guise of [...]/p

5 Voter Misinformation Campaigns To Watch Out For

5 Voter Misinformation Campaigns To Watch Out For: Though most voter ID laws and voter purges have been thrown out or delayed by judges, voter suppression efforts are still alive and well. With two weeks to Election Day, voters in critical swing states are being inundated with false information and intimidating messages meant to discourage them from voting. While shenanigans have been reported [...]/p

Media Ignored Expert's Shocking Findings That Marijuana Helps Prevent Lung Cancer: Now It's Med-School Material | Alternet

Media Ignored Expert's Shocking Findings That Marijuana Helps Prevent Lung Cancer: Now It's Med-School Material | Alternet
"UCLA professor Donald Tashkin will share his research discoveries to medical students this week."

Not Just Mourdock -- Meet 7 Other Republicans Trying to Block Abortion for Rape Victims | Alternet

Not Just Mourdock -- Meet 7 Other Republicans Trying to Block Abortion for Rape Victims | Alternet
"The formerly fringe view is becoming mainstream within the GOP."

GOP-Controlled Election Board in Ohio Mails Out Wrong Date

GOP-Controlled Election Board in Ohio Mails Out Wrong Date
"It's really not hard to imagine human error in a case like this. It's just that there's a pattern. It's almost always Republican election officials making these critical mistakes, and they always seem to happen in strategically important states and counties."

Plutocrats Want to Own Your Vote

Plutocrats Want to Own Your Vote
"The new Gilded Age is roaring down on us – an uncaged tiger on a rampage."

Top 6 Lies Romney Has Told Women in an Election Season Full of Whoppers | Alternet

Top 6 Lies Romney Has Told Women in an Election Season Full of Whoppers | Alternet
"In the last weeks before the election, Romney has shown himself ready to get down on bended knee to woo the female vote. Which would be cute, if he didn’t have a record of denying women their basic human rights. Unbeknownst to Mitt, women, in addition to making handy office workers, are also fully capable of seeing through all the manipulations, mansplaining and malarkey that have been spread around this campaign season. "

Mourdock Refuses To Apologize For Claim That Rape Pregnancies Are A Gift From God

Mourdock Refuses To Apologize For Claim That Rape Pregnancies Are A Gift From God: U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock (R-IN) refused to apologize for suggesting that rapes that result from pregnancies are a “gift from God,” during a press conference on Wednesday morning. Mourdock made the initial controversial remarks at a debate on Tuesday evening, causing some prominent Republicans to distance themselves from the candidate. “I spoke from my [...]/p

Foreign Policy Really Is Foreign to Mitt Romney | Common Dreams

Foreign Policy Really Is Foreign to Mitt Romney | Common Dreams
"n a presidential race that is likely to be decided in manufacturing states such as Ohio and Wisconsin, where too many jobs have been offshored to China, that’s what voters want to hear in a presidential debate. And Obama was saying it."

At The Last Presidential Debate: Romney Told 24 Myths In 41 Minutes

At The Last Presidential Debate: Romney Told 24 Myths In 41 Minutes: 1) “Syria is Iran’s only ally in the Arab world. It’s their route to the sea.” Romney has his geography wrong. Syria doesn’t share a border with Iran and Iran has 1,500 miles of coastline leading to the Arabian Sea. It is also able to reach the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. 2) “And what [...]/p

Nothing Is Foreign to the Liar Willard Romney Anymore | Common Dreams

Nothing Is Foreign to the Liar Willard Romney Anymore | Common Dreams
"There is no nation in its right mind that would put its foreign policy in the hands of the Willard Romney who showed up on stage here in Boca Raton on Monday night, particularly since he had so clearly abandoned everything else he believed on the subject for the purpose of fronting himself as a moderate in order to run out the clock over the next three weeks. He knew nothing and said less."

Romney-linked Voting Machine Company Will Count Votes in Ohio and Other Crucial Swing States | Alternet

Romney-linked Voting Machine Company Will Count Votes in Ohio and Other Crucial Swing States | Alternet
"Voting machine provider Hart Intercivic will be counting the votes in various counties in the crucial swing states of Ohio and Colorado and elsewhere throughout the country come November 6—even though it has extensive corporate ties to the Mitt Romney camp, and even though a study commissioned by the state of Ohio has labeled its voting system a “failure” when it comes to protecting the integrity of election."

GOP Rep. Calls For Tax Cuts For The Wealthy, Tax Hikes For Everyone Else, And A Hit To The Economy

GOP Rep. Calls For Tax Cuts For The Wealthy, Tax Hikes For Everyone Else, And A Hit To The Economy: Tea Party Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) went on CNBC today and within the course of about two minutes managed to call for extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, while also hiking taxes on lower-income and working Americans. When asked by the host what he thought should be done about the upcoming “fiscal cliff,” [...]/p

Former Israeli Intel Chief On Iran: Romney ‘Destroying Any Chance Of A Resolution Without War’

Former Israeli Intel Chief On Iran: Romney ‘Destroying Any Chance Of A Resolution Without War’: Efraim Halevy, former chief of Israel’s spy agency the Mossad, said in two separate interviews on Sunday and Monday that President Obama’s approach toward Iran has been “courageous” and “brave.” Halevy told Al-Monitor that: “Obama does think there is still room for negotiations. It’s a very courageous thing to say in this atmosphere.” Halevy contrasted [...]/p

Why the Right to Know What's in Our Food Has Become One of the Biggest Fights of the Election | Alternet

Why the Right to Know What's in Our Food Has Become One of the Biggest Fights of the Election | Alternet
"The opposition to California's Proposition 37 (which would lable genetically modified foods) has, again, sunk to a new low, according to the measure’s supporters at California Right to Know."

Votes Don’t Lie: GOP Senate Candidate Falsely Claims He Never Supported Privatizing Medicare

Votes Don’t Lie: GOP Senate Candidate Falsely Claims He Never Supported Privatizing Medicare: U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) denied supporting a Republican proposal to transform Medicare into a voucher program during a debate with Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) on Saturday, despite voting in favor of such a measure in April of 2009. The Republican Congressman has sought to distance himself from Paul Ryan’s budget throughout the [...]/p

Armed forces overwhelmingly support Obama in donations

Armed forces overwhelmingly support Obama in donations
"Ahead of the foreign policy debate, Open Secrets shows that those with real skin in the game, members of the military and civilian employees of the military, are overwhelmingly supporting President Obama."

America's Media Just Made Vote-Rigging Easier

America's Media Just Made Vote-Rigging Easier
"The news that America's mainstream media has cancelled exit polling in 19 states, means that insider election theft this November is now even harder to track, and therefore easier to get away with - something that scarcely seemed possible."

Study: Sustainable Farming Proven to Increase Yield at Zero Cost | Common Dreams

Study: Sustainable Farming Proven to Increase Yield at Zero Cost | Common Dreams
"In potentially "the most important agricultural study this year," researchers find that sustainable farming methods can help conventional agriculture "shed much of its chemical use," according to New York Times writer and food author Mark Bittman."

Romney Stars in Ad For Candidate Who Says Medicare And Social Security Are Unconstitutional

Romney Stars in Ad For Candidate Who Says Medicare And Social Security Are Unconstitutional: For the first time this election, Mitt Romney is starring in a campaign ad on behalf of another Republican candidate. Romney’s candidate of choice is none other than Richard Mourdock, the Tea Party favorite in a tight race for a Senate seat, who says things like Medicare and Social Security are unconstitutional. Romney has stumped [...]/p

14 Most Extreme Candidates | Alternet

14 Most Extreme Candidates | Alternet
"It’s well known that in recent years, this country has seen its electoral politics polarized to an extent that has only rarely been paralleled in American history. But that polarization in many cases goes far beyond anything resembling mainstream discourse, extending to men and women who are linked to hate groups and racial, ethnic, religious, anti-gay and antigovernment extremism, or who promote extremist propaganda."

Lyin' Ryan Has No Plan to Cut the Deficit - and if He Did, Romney Would Oppose It | Alternet

Lyin' Ryan Has No Plan to Cut the Deficit - and if He Did, Romney Would Oppose It | Alternet
"GOP candidates can't get their stories straight on the deficit. Maybe because they're both full of baloney."

Ohio Secretary of State Says Restoring Early Voting Is ‘Un-American’

Ohio Secretary of State Says Restoring Early Voting Is ‘Un-American’: During his keynote speech at an election law symposium at University of Toledo on Friday, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) claimed two recent court decisions restoring early voting on the last three days before the election was “un-American.” Husted has sought to restrict early voting, even openly defying a court order to lift [...]/p

Employees of Romney Family's Secret Bank Tied to Fraud, Money Laundering and Drug Cartels

Employees of Romney Family's Secret Bank Tied to Fraud, Money Laundering and Drug Cartels
"As previously reported in by the Columbus Free Press, the Romney family, namely Mitt, Ann, G Scott and Tagg Romney, along with Mitt's "6th son" and campaign finance chair have a secretive private equity firm called Solamere Capital Partners. This firms ties to Romney's campaign and bundlers is already well documented, along with its connection to the manufacture and distribution of voting machines. What is not as well documented is a subsidiary of that private equity firm hiring employees of a failed firm tied to a Ponzi scheme that has a long history of money laundering for Latin American drug cartels and to the Iran-Contra scandal."

Does the Romney Family Now Own Your e-Vote?

Does the Romney Family Now Own Your e-Vote?
"They are especially crucial in Ohio, without which no Republican candidate has ever won the White House. In 2004, in the dead of election night, an electronic swing of more than 300,000 votes switched Ohio from the John Kerry column to George W. Bush, giving him a second term. A virtual statistical impossibility, the 6-plus% shift occurred between 12:20 and 2am election night as votes were being tallied by a GOP-controlled information technology firm on servers in a basement in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In defiance of a federal injunction, 56 of Ohio's 88 counties destroyed all election records, making a recount impossible. Ohio's governor and secretary of state in 2004 were both Republicans, as are the governors and secretaries of state in nine key swing states this year."

The Plutocracy Will Go to Extremes to Keep the 1% in Control

Top Romney Surrogate Says Pay Equity Legislation Is ‘Nothing But An Effort To Help Trial Lawyers’

Top Romney Surrogate Says Pay Equity Legislation Is ‘Nothing But An Effort To Help Trial Lawyers’: Mitt Romney’s campaign won’t say if the GOP presidential candidate would have signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, but on Sunday Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) — a top campaign surrogate — disparaged the measure as a giveaway to trail lawyers. “I think that anyone who’s working out there and making a living, [...]/p