Ron Brownstein on the new Democratic coalition Mitt Romney’s troubled high school years Dick Lugar is not a moderate JPMorgan’s $2B bad bet Krugman on regulation The San Francisco harbor pilots BoltBus The new Obama campaign personal dashboard Rooftop missiles in London  

Greece can’t form a government Was Chen collateral damage? Even Osama bin Laden can’t stand internet commenters? Joe Biden moves the ball on gay marriage

The wages of austerity in the UK Brain drain in Europe Bernanke on QE3 The bubble in farm land prices the Fed’s booming balance sheet Joe Nocera turns 60, freaks out about his 401(k) Mann and Orenstein call it like it is The Paycheck Fairness Act The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy

Global meat consumption per capita The end of welfare as we know it 2009 NYT story on pink slime Canada drops the penny Beef is Beef – the industry’s response    

Obama attacks the Ryan budget New Jersey copies-and-pastes right-wing legislation ALEC writes the laws Gonzales v. Raich 2nd graders from 9/11 now ready to serve John White, the predecessor to George Zimmerman?  

Eric Holder’s due process vs. judicial process Krugman on austerity in Greece Public Transit use rose in 2011 The polarization of the US Senate Chait on Snowe

Syria tries a referendum Affirmative action in Texas David Brooks: America is Europe The Atlantic: predicting recidivism  

China vs. the US on democracy Schleicher’s paper on under building in cities Frank’s response Roger Valdez: Us, Them, Right Wrong, How Do We Win? Don’t be fooled, look for the genuine article  

Obama’s 2013 budget The transportation package The contraceptive comprimise 5 years ago, the start of the Obama campaign Critics of the safety net depend on it Republicans cave on the payroll tax cut  

Clint Eastwood sells the auto bailout Karl Rove isn’t happy Komen Foundation’s effort to de-fund Planned Parenthood Megan McArdle asks if religious charities should be exempt from parts of the ACA Russia vetoes a UN Syria resolution, protesters oppose Putin’s sham democracy Israel signals it’s ready to attack Iran Quick hits: WA has the most regressive [...]

Romney goes on the attack The policy pieces from the State of the Union Fareed Zakaria calls for industrial policy Yglesias on progressives and manufacturing Inequality in local school financing Why We Fight  

Gingrich takes the lead, is the primary schedule helping him? SOPA & PIPA go down, does Big Content have other options? What Apple’s manufacturing decisions say about free trade Yemen’s president finds an escape hatch Egypt elects a parliament Quick hits: Gay Marriage appears headed for passage in WA, Obama cuts a deal with the [...]

Santorum’s strong showing in Iowa – will it translate to NH? Economic mobility in the US is on the decline How tolling bridges changes the transportation game Quick hits: an influenza super-virus, 10 years of Gitmo

A tale of two countries: Kim Jong-il vs. Vaclav Havel The NDAA and detention of American citizens The Iraq war is over? 2011 in review

Boycott Lowe’s Occupy the ports? Or occupy homes? Canada withdraws from Kyoto Romney makes a big bet Payroll Tax fight Quick hits: Putin gets a challenger, Mexican wrestling comes to WA