Assessing Modi’s Agenda

Much has been written about President Barack Obama‘s dinner with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the elected leader of the world’s largest democracy and the third-largest economy–mostly because Mr. Modi is said to be fasting for a Hindu festival. Less attention has been paid to the leaders’ potential agendas, which are likely to feature prickly trade and defense issues. There are 3 million Indian Americans in the U.S. According to the Pew Research Center, 90% of the adults in this group were not born here. Many of them are highly educated and earn more than the median U.S. household income; they also retain strong ties to India.
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At Least the U.K. Parliament Voted on Airstrikes Against Islamic State

The British Parliament in a resounding 524-43 vote Friday approved airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq although not in Syria. British Prime Minister David Cameron, who called Parliament back from recess to debate the matter, said, “The hallmarks of this campaign will be patience and persistence, not shock and awe.” It was a not-so-veiled reference to the Bush administration’s long, costly and ultimately unsuccessful war in Iraq and former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s support for that effort.
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How to Tackle Tax Reform? Start With the NFL.

The National Football League’s handling of the arrest of Ray Rice, the recently cut Baltimore Ravens running back who was caught on video assaulting the woman who is now his wife, has drawn attention to the league’s business practices and its tax-exempt status. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, criticized for his decisions surrounding Mr. Rice’s punishment, earned $44 million last year. That is almost three times as much as the $15 million average for CEOs of major U.S. corporations.
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Could Civics Education Reduce Voter Apathy?

When it comes to understanding how our government works a shockingly large number of Americans have very little knowledge. A recent Gallup poll found that fewer than 40% of Americans could identify which party controls each chamber of Congress. Another survey, by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, found about the same number of Americans were able to correctly name all three branches of government.
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Playing Politics Over the Kansas Senate Ballot?

The fight over removing a candidate’s name from the Kansas ballot for November has devolved into a partisan struggle over Senate control–underscoring why elections should be administered in a nonpartisan fashion. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the name of Democrat Chad Taylor, who withdrew from the contest this month, should be removed from the ballot. This puts in play a Senate seat that had long been considered safely Republican.
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Scottish Independence: A Lesson for American Voters?

The referendum on Scottish independence from Great Britain has been a long time coming – arguably 700 years. In 1320, a group of Scottish noblemen issued the Declaration of Arbroath, also known as the Scottish Declaration of Independence — the founding document of Scotland. In it, the noblemen vowed “never a whit to bow beneath the yoke of English dominion. It is not for glory, riches or honours that we fight; it is for liberty alone.” Among Scots it is a well-known and time-honored passage which pretty much sums up what this election means to supporters of Scottish independence.
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Is She or Isn’t She Running? Do Americans Really Care?

The media frenzy over Hillary Clinton’s trip to Iowa Sunday for a Democratic fundraiser no doubt leaves many Americans scratching their heads. We haven’t held this year’s election, which voters seem decidedly unexcited about, and yet political reporters can’t stop talking about the 2016 presidential race and the will-she-or-won’t-she question surrounding a Clinton bid. Let’s face it: She’s running. Her wink, wink, nudge, nudge references at Sen. Tom Harkin’s steak fry made that pretty clear.
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A Pair of Independents Could Decide Which Party Controls the Senate

If the race for the Senate is as close as predictions show now, a couple of independent senators could be the kingmakers who determine which party controls the chamber. For a Daily Beast piece Tuesday, I talked to Sam Wang, a Princeton neuroscientist who wrote two books on the brain and whose recent work focuses on autism. Mr. Wang runs the Princeton Election Consortium and has devised a computer program that predicts Democrats have a 70% chance of holding on to control of the Senate.
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Military Action and the Midterm Elections

A new Pew Research Center poll shows that more Republicans than Democrats support President Barack Obama’s plan for a military campaign against Islamic State militants. Some 64% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats say they approve the president’s action. But they have different concerns about the strategy – 66% of Republicans fear the U.S. won’t go far enough to stop Islamic militants and 54% of Democrats say they are concerned the U.S. will get too involved. Only 47% of Independents favor U.S. military action in Iraq and Syria, increasing air strikes and providing military support to the Syrian opposition. Young people under the age of 30 are the least supportive of any age group with only 43% of young adults favoring military action.
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For Congress, a Minimal Agenda Until Election Day

The Gallup poll published Monday found that 14% of Americans approve of what has been the least productive Congress in history. That rating is among the lowest Gallup has measured before a midterm election since 1974. Two-thirds of those who disapprove of Congress said it makes them more likely to vote in the midterms. Gallup also reported that those who are paying closest attention to national politics are the most negative about Congress. That could mean some surprises for incumbents even though only four have been defeated in primaries this year.
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