Politics and other nightmares

Interesting:

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A state legislative committee plans to discuss whether the joint campus run by Indiana and Purdue universities in Fort Wayne should become an independent school.

The General Assembly's Select Commission on Education is to review the governance of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne at its Sept. 4 meeting at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.

Hoosier public schools unclear on the concept:

Struggling Indiana public school districts are buying billboard space, airing radio ads, and even sending principals door to door in an unusual marketing campaign aimed at persuading parents not to move their children to private schools as the nation’s largest voucher program doubles in size.

Oh, dear God:

First Lady Michelle Obama served a healthy meal to kids today, attending the official “Kids’ State Dinner.” The event was held at the White House to promote the First Lady’s “Lets Move” anti-obesity initiative.

Here is the menu, which was composted of winning recipes submitted by children for the contest. (via the pool report)

Is this the modern equivalent of "If LBJ has lost Walter Cronkite, he's lost the nation"? Granted, it's probably too strong to say Newsweek has defected -- they're just printed one story by a man who worked for the McCain campaign? I mean, come on, when was this guy ever gonna vote for Obama?

All those people who whine about negative political ads seem flabbergasted when candidates actually put out messages that are, well, nice:

Indiana's gubernatorial candidates say their campaigns are about creating jobs and cutting taxes, but their first round of campaign commercials, which get them the most exposure with voters, have skipped most of that serious talk.

Libertarian dreams of becoming a viable national party have never come close to being realized. But what about a state takeover?

Yeah, that Paul Ryan, what a radical! But let us define our terms:

Most of the attention for the November elections is going to the presidency and the U.S. Senate race. Let's not forget the General Assembly. Russ Pulliam in the Indianapolis Star:

With Democrats in division and disarray, Republicans hope to boost their 60-40 Indiana House majority even further in November.

It's been clear since the announcement of the Paul Ryan pick that the cosnervative wing of the Republican Party is ecstatic about it, the libertarian wing not so much. Andrew Napolitano, one of the most passionate libertarian voices on TV, explains why he's not thrilled about having a choice between "a president who has posed more of a danger to personal freedom than any in the past 150 years and a Republican team that wants to return to Bush-style big government."

Whoops!

As a rising star in Hungary’s far-right Jobbik Party, Csanad Szegedi was notorious for his incendiary comments on Jews: He accused them of “buying up” the country, railed about the “Jewishness” of the political elite and claimed Jews were desecrating national symbols.