Democrats Lose 2014 Edge Following Obamacare Uproar

This article discusses how within just a month, Democrats lost their lead in the polls for seats in Congress in the upcoming 2014 election. A month ago, Democrats were in the lead 50%-42% because of Republicans' role in the government shutdown. That statistic has now shifted to 49%-47% favoring the GOP. This extreme change was direct aftermath of the Obamacare uproar, and shows how President Obama is not the only one being blamed for the issues. The article talks about the voter profile of those who may have shifted to the GOP side, and how those who Obamacare are designed for are more satisfied. The real question which is brought up towards the end of the article, is whether these numbers will mean anything in a few months and if the GOP will maintain this lead.

Hospital Delays Are Killing America's War Veterans

               This article covers some recent news taken from certain hospital facilities. An investigation done by CNN has found that Veterans are dying because of delays in veterans hospitals. The problem is especially bad at Williams Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina. There are many cases where cases of cancer being undetected. Dr. Stephen Lloyd said it best, "It's very sad because people died." The article later goes on to discuss how congress has attempted to fix the problem with tax payer dollars, yet no results are evident. CNN's investigation has shown that the VA has even ignored Congress' attempts to remedy the problem.

Afghans Demand That U.S. Admit Military Errors

The loya jirga that we have read about in previous articles is set to begin meeting on Thursday, so the security agreement between the American and Afghan governments needs to be finalized very soon. The last aspect of the deal that Afghani President Hamid Karzai wants settled is a reassurance that American forces will reform their counterterrorism raids on private Afghani homes, which many Afghans find threatening and offensive. Karzai has asked for a letter from President Obama admitting that American forces have made mistakes in the past in their handling of these sorts of raids and assuring that efforts will be made to correct such errors in the future. Additionally, Karzai wants raids to be conducted only under "extraordinary circumstances" when American lives are in danger. There has been some resistance to this request in the Obama administration, but we will probably not have to wait very long to see what the final response will be.

Justices Reject Bid to Block Texas Law on Abortions

Today, the Supreme Court rejected an application from abortion providers in Texas to block a law that would make it harder for women in much of the state to access abortion services. The law requires that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. Opponents say that the law has no medical basis and is simply an effort at restricting abortion access.  Currently, the law is set to go into effect, but it is expected that it will be challenged further, perhaps appearing in the Supreme Court before too long. Abortion providers argue that if the law is allowed to stay while its constitutionality is debated, many clinics will be permanently crippled even if the law is eventually revoked. (This is the same law that Wendy Davis opposed in her 11-hour filibuster in June.)

Why 2016 is ripe for an independent presidential candidate

This article explores the possibility of having one or possibly even two independent candidates running in 2016. The author acknowledges that this is highly improbable, but advocates that if it were to happen, 2016 would be a good time. I thought that this article ties back in with our curriculum because we are often realizing the large number of different ways that our political system favors a two-party system. So after reading this, I'm wondering if it is possible for something like this to happen in the next election, or any election for that matter. We know that it is essentially futile to have three candidates running in the same general election, because one of the party's voter base will be split between the two candidates. But what if it were possible to have four candidates? Then the voter base of each party would be split. But then does the candidate who is elected actually represent the majority of people, in our country? And would that lead us more away from a two-party system, or would it make most American unhappy with our legislature because it is more polarized than before?

The Fight for a “Right”: How an Iran Deal Might Hinge on One Simple Word

This article is about Iran's nuclear power program. More specifically it is about their "right" to enrich uranium. As you will read, enriching uranium is "the process that purifies harmless uranium ore into the stuff of nuclear bombs." This makes it extremely difficult to negotiate some kind of deal because this issue is one that is near impossible to compromise on. Many leaders fear that if Iran is legally given the "right" to enrich uranium, even supposedly for peaceful purposes, it would lead to disastrous consequences both realistically and legally. So what do you think our leaders should do? Is there an answer to a situation like this. Or can it only be answered with simply more questions?

ABC Poll Suggests Obamacare Could Have Cost Obama A Second Term

This article is really similar to the other one that I posted earlier. This one focuses on how if the 2012 Presidential Election had been held today, Mitt Romney would have won, not Obama. Additionally, the article talks about how support for Obamacare has dropped since the launching of the HealthCare.gov website and how the failure to launch this website smoothly has influenced Obama's declining approval ratings and, as a result, could potentially influence next year's election as all 435 House seats and over a third of the Senate seats are up for grabs.

GOP Continues to Give Heat to Democrats about Obamacare

This article discusses how Republicans are continuing to pester Democrats to get rid of Obamacare. In the article, it's mentioned that polls have been conducted, and since the Obamacare website was launched, more and more disapproving of how Obama has handled the situation. It's a fairly interesting read, even though it seems like nothing is in the news but Obamacare all the time anyway.

Harbingers of the 2016 U.S. Election

        After the results of election day were taken in, clues for 2016 presidential candidates were visible as well as suggestions of a political drift in Virginia. This article focuses on Chris Christie's possible candidacy in 2016 and how he fairs when it comes to public opinion. On the positive side for Christie, many of the wealthy on Wall Street have a "drooling man-crush" for him; but on the other hand, he may not be viewed as right extremist as he needs to be to win the support of the South and Midwest. More numbers examined in the article are the exiting polls in Virginia after Democratic candidate Terrie McAuliffe's win as governor.

G.O.P. Weighs Limiting Clout of Right Wing

This article explores the divide in the Republican Party between staunch conservative Tea Party types, and other less extreme members. Specifically, this article comments on Cuccinelli's near loss in Virginia for the governor's seat. Some argue that because of the structure in which primaries are run in Virginia, Cuccinelli was sure to win because conventions tend to favor more extreme candidates compared to more moderate ones. 

Justices Weigh Constitutionality of New York Town’s Prayers

This article addresses prayer before town hall meetings in the state New York, but it really relates to  every city or state. The article considers how saying a prayer before a town meeting affects those with a different religion than the prayer relates to, or those who don't identify with any religion at all. The justices had difficultly when considering this dilemma, because they didn't feel comfortable with "deciding what prayers are acceptable." Another question raised, asked whether or not the decision should be made simply because a minority of the citizens don't share the same religious views as everyone else.

Races Say as Much about Future as Election Day

This is a really interesting article. It looks at how the races for election for today will affect the midterm elections next year and potential presidential candidates in 2016. Specifically, it focuses on how Chris Christie is expected to have a landslide victory in NJ this year, stealing Democratic votes from Barbara Buono, and how the tight race for Virginia Governor between Terry McAuliffe (D) and Ken Cuccinelli (R) could be determined how people vote for the Libertarian candidate, Robert Sarvis. I really thought that this would be a good article for today because it focuses on today, Election Day, something that only comes once a year, but it affects us every day of the year.

Senate Working to End Workplace Discrimination

On Monday night, the Senate moved one step further towards outlawing workplace discrimination against homosexuals. Legislation of this sort would lead employers to only judge job applicants on their professional abilities and their job credentials, not on a person's sexual orientation. However, this proposed legislation, The Employment Nondiscrimination Act, completely leaves it wide open for religiously-affiliated employers do discriminate against people in jobs that have no religious function. Also, I think it's kind of ridiculous that at the end of the article, Boehner says that workplace fairness would cost American jobs. I think that is a ridiculous claim. Aside from that though, I think this is a good article that is very related to many of the large social issues in society today.

White House says 'Obamacare' website will be fixed by end of November

With the Affordable Care Act, nicknamed "Obamacare", going into effect last month, very few people have actually been able to sign up. The website has had a lot of problems and people trying to get insured have been receiving error messages. Zients comments saying "It will take a lot of work and there are a lot of problems that will need to be addressed, but the bottom line is that it is fixable." The website is said to be fully functional by the end of November.

Next Hurdle for Republicans: Immigration

After backlash from the recent government shutdown, Republicans now face a new issue in immigration. Some think the Republicans will lose their hold in the House if they do not "embrace and champion immigration reform." Others think that while immigration may be an issue nationally, they won't lose their majority in the House because they are from "safe districts."