Month: November 2010 Page 5 of 7

Here is your R&D for November 8th:

Obama confirms US strategic shift towards India from the BBC
President Obama confirmed America’s foreign policy shift towards India over teh weekend when he announced that he would support India’s bid to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

The Case for Nancy Pelosi’s Staying Put from Time
Should Nancy Pelosi remain the head of the Democrats in the House?  This article from Time says that she should so that she can defend her record as Speaker.

Rubio Republicans from the Wall Street Journal
Will the GOP lose the Hispanic vote if it continues to talk tough on immigration?  Not according to this article, which argues that the GOP can do just fine as long as it promotes a message of economic opportunity.

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Here is your R&D for November 5th:

Obama’s India trip stirs fears in Pakistan about power balance from the Washington Post
President Obama’s three day trip to India, which starts this weekend, has antagonized Pakistan. Pakistan, India’s major opponent in the region, is not getting a visit from Obama and it worries that the Obama administration is unwilling to help resolve issues it has with India over Kashmir.

Burmese Election Holds Little Hope for Democracy from Der Spiegel
Myanmar (Burma) holds its first democratic elections in more than 20 years on Sunday, but the international community does not believe that they will be fair and that the nation’s junta will further consolidate its power.

Bridgeport mayor: Democrat for Conn. gov wins city from the Associated Press
The mess that is Connecticut’s gubernatorial race seems closer to a conclusion after the announcement this morning that Democratic candidate Dan Malloy won the city of Bridgeport, whose votes had not been fully counted, by over 13,000 votes. This margin appears to give Malloy more than a 5,000 vote advantage statewide against Republican challenger Tom Foley.

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Here is your R&D for November 4th:

Jerry Brown’s election doesn’t ensure end to gridlock from the Los Angeles Times
California voters returned Jerry Brown to the governor’s mansion on Tuesday and helped some of their state’s budget woes by passing Proposition 25, which now allows the state legislature to pass a budget by a majority (although a two-thirds majority is still required for tax measures).  However, Brown and state Democratic leaders will need to get along to steer California back to fiscal solvency.

Republican election surge hits U.S. state houses from Reuters
The 2010 midterms didn’t just reshape national politics, it affected politics at the state level as well.  The GOP has won at least 18 state legislative chambers, which brings their control nationally to 54 chambers.  These gains are important because these state legislatures will be redistricting House seats for the next national election in 2012.

Australia’s Julia Gillard struggles to sell asylum center plan to neighbors from the Christian Science Monitor
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is seeking to defuse criticisms about illegal immigration by pursuing an asylum plan with other nations in Southeast Asia.  Unfortunately, none of them have committed to the plan.

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