Ezra Klein’s “Wonkbook: Absolutely everything you need to know about health-reform Supreme Court debut” provides as good an introduction to the hearings as you are likely to find.
it’s an ad, but “Seniors and the Affordable Care Act” does have some good talking points for Dem candidates directed at highest turnout constituency.
Louise Radnofsky’s “Camping Out for a Ticket In” in the Wall St. Journal takes a look at the unsavory spectacle of people hustling for a limited number (60) of available free tickets to the Supreme Court’s hearings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including hired place holders ($36 hourly) and scalping ($600). Although there is no acceptable reason why the proceedings will not be televised, “The court has said it will provide, on its website, audio recordings of the arguments a few hours after they wrap up for each session.”
Joshua Miller spotlights “Five Races in Which the Health Care Debate Will Matter” at CQ Politics.
ProPublica has an interesting widget in “A Tangled Web: Who’s Making Money From All This Campaign Spending?” by Al Shaw, Kim Barker and Justin Elliott, showing who get how much from whom and for what.
Tomasky argues for delayed White House support of gay marriage: “I would argue that it makes sense to win first and then do it. If he did it in a campaign context, many people would ascribe the move to other motives, and it would be the topic of heated debate. But if he does it in a second term, no one will be the least bit surprised.”
The Fix’s Aaron Blake reports that GOP primary turnout is up slightly.
Isolde Raftery’s “What Gender Gap? Washington State Has a History of Women Who Lead” in The New York Times sheds light on how one state over comes male domination of politics. “Nationwide, women’s groups point out the glaring gender disparity in public life, noting that there are only 6 female governors and 17 female senators. Across the country, women make up 23.6 percent of state legislatures.” She cites the late settling of the west as a factor in reducing the male advantage, along with the state’s “breed of tough, activist women.”
Despite the GOP’s recent blunders regarding reproductive rights, Vicki Needham warns at The Hill that “Slower jobs growth for women voters could cost Obama in election.” Needham notes that “women are the only group for whom employment growth lagged behind population growth from 2009 to 2011…During that time, female employment grew by 0.9 percent and lagged behind growth in the population of working-age women by 1.5 percent…That has led to jobs gains of only 600,000 — from 65.5 million to 66.1 million — for women, compared with 2.6 million for men during those two years, the survey showed.” She acknowledges, however, that Obama still has a strong edge in the polls with women voters.
Ryan as Romney’s ticketmate? Unlikely in my view. Strategic considerations will probably compel Mitt to look southward, where he has been underperforming. Maybe Rubio (FL + Latino cred), DeMint (tea party pander) or Chambliss (oozes southerness).
