As The Hill reports, Mitt Romney is pledging to bring the unemployment rate below six percent by the end of his first term — and of course in so pledging is once more sinking back to his default position of smearing President Obama: “I can tell you that over a period of four years, by virtue of the policies that we’d put in place, we’d get the unemployment rate down to 6 percent, and perhaps...

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Democratic political maven Lanny Davis, who says Newark Mayor Corey Booker got it right the first time when he criticized Camp Obama’s use and accuracy of the Bain Capital issue against Romney — but that Republicans blew it when they used Booker’s remarks and the way they quickly and transparently jumped to use them for the Romney campaign: It’s difficult...

Are Democrats swiftboating themselves? Why are Obama supporters so defensive about challenging Mitt Romney’s main claim to the presidency? It started four days ago with a “Meet the Press” gaffe(?), quickly recanted, by Obama supporter Newark Mayor Corey Booker labeling the attacks(?) as “nauseating.” The question marks are for skepticism about Booker’s motives. Those who remember Bill Clinton’s...

When President Obama gave the commencement address at the Air Force Academy yesterday, he mentioned by name an immigrant from Venezuela whose dream came true as he graduated from the Academy. However, except for mentioning human rights and human dignity a couple of times, the President did not directly recognize or address another group of graduating cadets. You see, eight months after the repeal of the “don’t...

Where is the Next Third Party? by A.J. Segneri I remember towards the end of 2010 I listened to radio shows and TV shows where hosts have said where is the next third party? When are we going to see another party go against the Republicans and Democrats? I do not understand these questions, because there are many third parties in our nation. From the Green Party to the Constitution Party and from the Socialist...

Guest post by Richard K. Barry Richard K. Barry, a New Yorker now living in Toronto, is the Associate Editor of The Reaction. You can also find him at Lippmann’s Ghost. Both amateurs and professionals who write about politics struggle every day with what to write next. I have to say that an article yesterday at Politico was both an exercise in the obvious and a little kowtowing to political spin from the right....

Christopher Weyant, The Hill This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

NBC Marist polls find President Barack Obama holds a slight lead over presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the key swing states of Ohio, Virginia and Florida. A earlier Quinnipiac University poll had found Romney pulling ahead in Florida and much poll trending so far shows Romney generally on the upswing and Obama in a defensive posture. Meanwhile, a new entry in political scientist Larry...

Is the European “Union” too disunited to keep NATO afloat? For Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, a European Parliamentarian from Poland and an envoy to NATO, warns that unless Europeans pool their defense capabilities and start thinking and acting in a more unified fashion, the E.U. and NATO will become increasingly irrelevant – and America will no longer defend European...

Are Arab states weak because they lack the spirit to fight against enemies other than themselves? For Iraq’s Kitabat, Nashwan al-Jurayssi writes that the ‘Arab nation’ have been knocked off balance by the West, and in order to revive itself, Arab attentions should be turned toward building a martial spirit focused not on one another, but on those who seek to contain them. Fir Iraq’s...

A North Carolina pastor has suggested that gays and lesbians should be placed in concentration camps. Details from Newsy.com: And here’s a link to Google News that gives you more stories on this subject.

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

[NOTE: Due to a system hiccup the wrong byline was on this post earlier. TMV regrets the error.] WASHINGTON — There is a healthy struggle brewing among the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops. A previously silent group, upset over conservative colleagues defining the church’s public posture and eagerly picking fights with President Obama, has had enough. The headlines this week were about...

Today, the President of the United States gave the Commencement Address at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. I almost said “my alma mater,” but I was not so fortunate as to attend that magnificent institution. Nevertheless, I consider the Academy part of my “greater alma mater,” the U.S. Air Force. While one can read the entire address here, I will excerpt the parts that I think best represent...

A 19-year-old woman is raped in her home late at night by an intruder. She calls the police. No one answers. She leaves a message. No one returns her call. No one follows up. One in three women like her “have been raped or have experienced an attempted rape,” says the New York Times. According to a survey, the rate of sexual violence in rural villages like the one where the above-mentioned rape took place...

Remember what I’ve often pointed out here and in my Cagle column about the conventional wisdom: it truly “in the moment” — the assured assertions that X, Y, and Z will happen or are very likely to happen. Now there is a conventional wisdom shift, one that will likely help shape the press and analysts narratives in the weeks to come. After months of privately and publically saying they...

If someone shoots a person wearing a hoodie, could it be partially explained because it made the person look like a menacing gangster? Apparently that continues to be the view of Fox News’ fading, mustachioed news personality Geraldo Rivera, who is at it again. Rivera seems stuck in defending- racial- profiling mode as he again calls hoodies provocative “thug gear.” Rivera’s exercise...

Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

A new Quinnipiac University Poll in Florida reflects two overall trends: Romney is starting to pull ahead or gaining on Barack Obama in many polls and independent voters are moving towards Romney. It’s early in campaign 2012 but, nonetheless, in terms of negative political news, party cohesiveness and polling Romney and the GOP seem to be on the upswing and Obama and the Democrats on the defensive. The...

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, has always been a very strong, vocal opponent of illegal immigration and amnesty. He believes that we only encourage illegal immigration by discussing amnesty for the 12-20 million illegal immigrants living in the United States today and adamantly opposes such. He believes in tightening and strengthening our border control efforts, including using his own design of a concrete border...