A new DNC video celebrates the marriage of Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and other Republicans to the theme song of The Brady Bunch.
The Anti-Science House Science Committee
“Aside from the sheer biological ludicrousness of Todd Akin’s ideas on female physiology, one unsettling subplot to the debacle is his presence on the House of Committee on Science, Space and Technology,” Wired reports.
“That’s right: A man who, to put it gently, ignores what science tells us about how babies are made, helps shape the future of science in America. It would be shocking, but for the fact that many of the committee’s GOP members have spent the last several years displaying comparable contempt for climate science… But in both cases, there exists a factual proposition that can be studied through observation and hypothesis-testing — and it’s the scientific method itself that’s ultimately under attack in the House science committee.”
Quote of the Day
“I can’t say I’m looking forward to heading to Tampa. I mean, you know it’s hot and humid down in August in Tampa. I mean, you imagine me down there? You know they’re gonna have to put me in a freezer for a couple days to make sure I’m in the right situation when I get up on that stage. So I hope they have one of those freezers where they hang meat.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer, on his keynote speech at the Republican convention.
Sanford Engaged to Former Argentinian Mistress
Obama Leads Big in Pennsylvania
A new Philadelphia Inquirer poll in Pennsylvania finds President Obama with a big lead over Mitt Romney, 51% to 42%.
Akin Collapses in Missouri
A new Mason-Dixon poll in Missouri finds Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) now significantly ahead of Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) in the U.S. Senate race, 50% to 41%.
In the presidential race, Mitt Romney leads President Obama, 50% to 43%.
Obama Hits Romney on Birther Joke
The Obama campaign hammers Mitt Romney in a short new video: “American doesn’t need a birther-in-chief.”
A Look Back at Previous Conventions
Michael Barone has a great look back at when national political conventions actually meant something.
“The national conventions are diminishing in importance, but I would be sorry to see them go extinct. I always feel a twinge of sadness when they adjourn and the maintenance people start popping the balloons and folding up the chairs. There’s something awesome about being part of an American political tradition that goes back to the 19th century.”
Huckabee Attacks Establishment Republicans
Mike Huckabee harshly criticized establishment Republicans who have tried to force Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) from the Missouri U.S. Senate race, CNN reports, and at one point compared the National Republican Senatorial Committee to “union goons” who “kneecap” their enemies.
Said Huckabee: “This is unprecedented, to see to this orchestrated attempt to humiliate and devastate a fellow Republican.”
“At one point, Huckabee mused about whether Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney affected his poll numbers in Missouri by not coming to Akin’s defense.”
Rubio May Be Bumped
The RNC is “making big changes to the lineup of speakers at the convention next week in Tampa to ensure that broadcast networks cover Ann Romney’s speech,” the Weekly Standard reports.
“Among the changes most seriously under consideration: moving Marco Rubio to Tuesday night and having Mrs. Romney speak Thursday night in the spot originally reserved for Rubio. Mrs. Romney’s speech was initially scheduled for Monday night, but the big three television networks won’t be covering the convention that night, so the Romney campaign and Republican officials have scrambled over the last several days to ensure her speech gets the widest coverage possible.”
Obama Holds Small National Lead
A new CNN/Opinion Research poll shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney by just two points among likely voters, 49% to 47%.
Josh Marshall: “If you look at the number for registered voters it’s a 9 point Obama margin. What that means is that President Obama has actually gained a bit of ground (obviously within the margin of error) on last week’s eye-popping poll showing him with a 7 point lead over Mitt Romney. But it also shows that turnout and propensity to vote are going to be the whole game going into November.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m very proud of my pro-life record, and I’ve always adopted the idea that, the position that the method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life.”
— Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), in an interview with WJHL-TV, when asked if a woman should be able to get an abortion if she’s raped.
When Did the GOP Get So White?
John Avlon: “The one-time Party of Lincoln boasted the first African-American, Asian-American, Native-American, Hispanic, and popularly-elected woman senators. Now polls show Romney-Ryan will get virtually no black votes.”
“But ’twas not always thus for the GOP. Dust off your history books and you will see Republicans once had a virtual lock on the minority vote — and minority elected officials. The legacy of Lincoln was alive and well until not so long ago. Which makes the retreat of recent decades both unfortunate and ill-timed.”
Obama Responds to Romney Birther Joke
President Obama responds to Mitt Romney’s joke about his birth certificate with a simple tweet:
Song of the day: Born in the U.S.A. OFA.BO/irL3ZV
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 24, 2012
New York Times: “Politicians sometimes think they can get away with saying something profoundly offensive or just plain stupid by acting like it was a joke. It never works, just like it didn’t work today when Mr. Romney shamelessly played the birther card in what seems like an increasingly desperate campaign against President Obama.”
Obama Holds Edge in Colorado
A new OnSight Public Affairs poll in Colorado finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney by four points, 48% to 44%.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate — they know that this was the place we were born and raised.”
— Mitt Romney, campaigning in Michigan.
Congressman Accused of Assaulting His Ex-Wife
The ex-wife of Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) accused the freshman lawmaker of assaulting her during their marriage in the 1980s in a sworn statement, BuzzFeed reports.
Heck denied the charges and said that “anyone perpetuating a story like this… demeans the pain that so many victims of domestic violence experience and the courage it takes to confront it.”
Facing the Next President
Wonk Wire: Why 2013 will be a terrible year even if we don’t go over the fiscal cliff.
