At The Wall St.Journal Laura Meckler notes in “Democrats Rethink Social Security Strategy,” that “The liberals’ argument is that Social Security benefits are meager and that people in retirement need more, not less, money. Some also contend that concerns about the program’s solvency are exaggerated. And inside the Democratic Party, that argument is gaining traction. Legislation increasing benefits, and boosting payroll taxes to cover the cost, now has 58 co-sponsors in the House.”
Re legislation giving lawmakers the final say over any nuclear agreement with Iran, Burgess Everett writes at Politico, “Many Democrats are demanding that the measure be amended so it doesn’t kill the deal before it can be finalized by a June 30 deadline. So the onus is on Republicans to work with Democrats — particularly if they want to assemble a 67-vote veto-proof majority — although it’s not clear exactly what legislative changes would preserve the complex and still-evolving agreement.”
“What mainly matters is income growth immediately before the election. And I mean immediately: We’re talking about something less than a year, maybe less than half a year.” — from Paul Krugman’s NYT column on “Economics and Elections.” Krugman mulls over some possible reforms and concludes that there is really no short cut to a better-informed electorate, which requires both improved reporting and a more alert electorate.
All of the caveats about an election 19 months away notwithstanding, Deirdre Shesgreen’s report on a new Quinnipiac poll showing broad-based strength for former Governor Ted Strickland offers well-grounded hope that Dems can pick up a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio.
Here’s hoping Wisconsinites aren’t too distracted by the big March madness upset over KY and making it to the Big Dance, because they have a hugely important election tomorrow. Mitch Smith’s “Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Raises Concerns About Partisanship” at The New York Times reports that out-of-state money has been pouring in to the state to force a hard right turn on the WI high court.
In another potentially transformative election tomorrow, watch Ferguson, MO for an object demonstration of the power of increasing African American voter turnout. A political earthquake in Ferguson just might reverberate elsewhere. Lauren Victoria Burke sets the stage at The Root.
Amrita Jayakumar explains how “Technology aims to improve the voting experience” in her WaPo syndicated article. There’s a lot of room for improvement, considering that only 21 states provide on-line registration.
Davide Weigels’ Bloomberg post “Rand Paul and the GOP’s New Civil Rights Movement” reviews the skepticism about Paul’s and the GOP’s outreach to African American voters with respect to criminal justice reform. I’m thinking Paul is trying to fog over his opposition to the Civil Right Act of 1964 and his father’s racist newsletter.
Jonathan Chait has an amusing goof on conservatives’ tortured conflating of the debates about the Iran nuclear program agreement and Indiana’s LGBT discrimination dust-up. Teaser: “Both places begin with “I,” and are in the news, and have leaders who care about religion. It’s basically the same thing.”