GUEST POST: Plan for the BCS Playoff Guidelines

post from TaylorMarsh.com on 03 June 2012 09:00:25 AM. © TaylorMarsh.com

TM NOTE: The following sports post is from my big brother Larry R. Marshall, whom I have referred to in many columns I’ve written. Besides being my political mentor when I was a kid growing up, not ideologically, but in teaching me about politics as I grew up in the tumultuous times of my own generations, he’s a rabid baseball fan, but particularly a college basketball and football expert. The post below is for all you sports junkies who, though it’s summer, are already dreaming about fall football, college edition. The formatting of the “guidelines,” “rotation option,” and “proximity option” were taken from a detailed chart of Larry’s, so any formatting mistakes or confusion, I assure you, is my error. Digest. Discuss. Debate.

Guest post by Larry R. Marshall, attorney at law in the day, college sports fanatic (and St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan) the rest of the time. He lives in Columbia, Missouri, and is a die hard Mizzou man.

There has been a lot of discussions over the years about why the major colleges don’t have a playoff like the other sports. Now they are finally discussing it and my suggestions are below. Everyone is protecting their own turf. My proposal doesn’t give preference to any conference. It doesn’t give preference to any bowl tie in, such as the Rose Bowl; and the Big Ten and Pac 10. It doesn’t give special treatment to any school, such as Notre Dame. It is based on the final BCS rankings. While the rankings may noe be perfect, they’re the best idea anyone has come up with to date.

There is some discussion of a so called plus one, which would pick 2 bowl winners for the championship game. With all the one loss teams a year ago that would be a disaster and really doesn’t provide a true playoff. Some suggest only conference champions, but a look at last year answers that, since Alabama didn’t even play in the SEC title game. Some suggest playing on home fields but that would give the home team a huge advantage.

Finally, I have an education aspect, which would benefit more than the football powerhouses. This probably won’t fly but it should be part of the discussion since everyone is always complaining of the over emphasis of college athletics.

BCS PLAYOFF GUIDELINES

1. There are no automatic qualifying schools or conferences for the BCS Playoff.

2. The top 8 schools in the final BCS rankings qualify for the playoff, with the exception that only 2 teams from any one conference qualify.

3. Stadium Options

a. Alternate years 1st yr. 2d yr. 3d yr. 4th yr.

Orange Bowl

1 v 8
4 v 5
3 v 6
2 v 7

Sugar Bowl

2 v 7
1 v 8
4 v 5
3 v 6

Fiesta Bowl

3 v 6
2 v 7
1 v 8
2 v 7

Rose Bowl

4 v 5
3 v 6
2 v 7
1 v 8

Under this format schools will be assigned regardless of location starting with the Orange Bowl and moving west.

b. Travel Considerations (2012)

Orange Bowl Alabama v Kansas State
Sugar Bowl LSU v Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl Oklahoma State v Boise State (Oregon)
Rose Bowl Stanford v Oregon (Oregon)

Under this format schools will be assigned based on proximity to the bowl with the top team given priority.

3. Two teams from the same conference may not meet in quarterfinals (optional)

a. Stanford v Boise State (not Oregon)
b. Oklahoma State v Boise State ( not Stanford)

4. Semifinals and Final Options

a. Played in the 3 Texas stadiums to allow time to prepare. Played in 3 Texas stadiums to allow for better weather protection. Played in 3 Texas stadiums due to more central location and thus fairness of travel.
b. Alternate semifinals among premium bowls ( i.e. Orange, Sugar, etc. )
c. Alternate final among premium bowls ( i.e. Orange, Sugar, etc.)

5. Scheduling

a. 4 teams play 1 more game than currently scheduled.
b. 2 teams play 2 more games than currently scheduled.

6. Classes

a. March madness causes more lost class time.
b. 2d semester starts in middle of January for most universities.
c. Only 2 teams may be affected, if effected at all.

7. Financing

a. Quarterfinals payout remains the same.
b. Semifinals and final payout

1. participants receive expenses plus $1 million.

2. Balance of revenue from semifinals and final is divided equally among top 25 in final BCS poll to be used for academic purposes only.

a. Before September 1 of each year schools must identify the specific academic program to receive their share of the payout.
b. Each school must verify funds received went to the specified program to be eligible the following year for bowl revenue.
c. Based on current payout this makes available $96 million available for academic pursuits

BCS PLAYOFF

(rotation option)

(1) LSU

Orange Bowl Jan 1)

(10) WISCONSIN

Semi-final

Reliant Stadium

Houston, TX (Jan. 8th)

(7) BOISE STATE

Sugar Bowl (Jan 1)

(4) STANFORD

Final

Cowboys Stadium

Dallas, TX (Jan 15)

(3) OKLA. ST.

Fiesta Bowl (Jan 1)

(5) OREGON

Semi-final

Alamodome

San Antonio, TX (Jan 8)

(8) K-STATE

Rose Bowl (Jan 1)

(2) ALABAMA

1. #6 Arkansas and #9 South Carolina are not participants because no more than 2 teams from any one conference may participate.

2. Oregon and Boise State switch because teams from the same conference ( #4 Stanford and #5 Oregon) may not meet in the quarter finals.

BCS PLAYOFF

(proximity option)

(1) LSU

Sugar Bowl Jan 1)

(10) WISCONSIN

Semi-final

Reliant Stadium

Houston, TX (Jan 8)

(7) BOISE STATE

Rose Bowl (Jan 1)

(4) STANFORD

Final

Cowboys Stadium

Dallas, TX (Jan 15)

(3) OKLA. ST.

Fiesta Bowl (Jan 1)

(5) OREGON

Semi-final

Alamodome

San Antonio, TX (Jan 8)

(8) K-STATE

Orange Bowl (Jan 1)

(2) ALABAMA

1. #6 Arkansas and #9 South Carolina are not participants because no more than 2 teams from any one conference may participate.

2. Oregon and Boise State switch because teams from the same conference ( #4 Stanford and #5 Oregon) may not meet in the quarter finals.

If you’d like to submit a guest post for consideration, I’m taking submissions.

Non-political posts appreciated!

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I lie, I owe, so off to jail I go.

post from field negro on 03 June 2012 09:00:16 AM. © field negro

Before I drop this next post I want to acknowledge all the beautiful people I met at the Blogging While Brown conference over the past two days. (Anslem,I see you doing big things at Jet Magazine. Congrats! Sean, congrats on your big move to the Mayor's office in the Big D as well.) You all are some serious field Negroes. Folks like Nathan from the Color Curve, Curvy CEO,Brotha Tech , Darryl from From Ashey to Classy, (loved being on the panel with you and Slim Jackson) Lamar and his beautiful family still holding it down in ATL, Soca Mom, a fellow West Indian, (and republican to boot) putting in work for her family among you Negroes in D.C., and a beautiful sister from the Chi who knows a thing or two about wines.

Props to Gina for getting this thing going five years ago, it's only going to get bigger and bigger.

Now on to some bad news: I loved how Evander Holyfield put in work in the boxing ring back in the day, that's why I want to help him with his latest ~~little~~ problem.

"Evander Holyfield was one of the great boxing stars of the 1990s and amassed more than a quarter of a billion dollars in purses during his illustrious career. Apparently, though, $250 million doesn't go as far as it used to.
Holyfield, who filed bankruptcy in Fayette County, Ga., in 2008, reportedly owes in excess of $372,000 in child support and may wind up in jail if he does not resolve the issue, according to a TMZ report.

In both 2008 and 2009, his massive 54,000 square-foot home in Fairburn, Ga., went into foreclosure. The home, which sits on 104 acres, has 109 rooms, including 17 bathrooms, three kitchens and a bowling alley. He's had numerous financial issues in the years since.

On Saturday, TMZ reported that the Georgia Department of Human Services has gone to court on behalf of Holyfield's 18-year-old daughter. It alleged he owes $372,097.40 in child support that has gone unpaid since April 2010. According to a 2009 report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Holyfield has child support payments of more than $500,000 a year. He has at least 11 children." [Source]

Champ, I know a thing or two about this child support thing, so please give me a call ASAP so that I can help you out with this problem. I do not want to see you go to jail for owing child support.

I could refer you to a wonderful financial planner as well, but unfortunately it might be a bit late for that.

Finally, it looks like a certain person from Central Florida will have to turn himself in to authorities after lying to the court about his finances.

This probably will not come up at trial, because it is not relevant to what happened on that tragic night. But credibility is always an issue with the court. Especially when the other witness to what happened is dead.

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Thaddeus McCotter Drops Bid For Reelection

post from DownWithTyranny! on 03 June 2012 09:00:14 AM. © DownWithTyranny!

On Friday night Republican ex-state Sen. Loren Bennett, who last served in 2002 (when he ran an unsuccessful campaign to be Lt Governor), announced he would run as a write-in candidate against election fraudster Thaddeus McCotter in Michigan's 11th CD (Oakland and Wayne counties). By Saturday afternoon, McCotter-- always the pathetic mamma's boy, ran off in a huff and withdrew.

U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter on Saturday said he is ended his write-in campaign for the 11th Congressional District, a move that ends his re-election bid in a week that that began with the Secretary of State's office determining he was ineligible for the Aug. 7 primary ballot with widespread invalid and tampered petition signatures.

"I have ended my write-in campaign in Michigan's 11th Congressional District," McCotter said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.

With about 87 percent of his nominating petitions tossed, McCotter, a five-time congressman, didn't meet the minimum number of 1,000 signatures to get his name on the ballot. The Michigan attorney general is investigating the suspect signatures.

"One can't clean up a mess multitasking," McCotter said in his statement. "Honoring my promise to the sovereign people of our community only allows me to finish the official duties of my present Congressional term; and aid the State Attorney General criminal investigation that I requested into identifying the person or persons who concocted the fraudulent petitions that have cost me so dearly.

Bennett, who lives in Canton is 62 and works for J & B Medical Supply in Wixom. Almost none of his old state Senate seat overlaps the 11th CD. Worse yet, teabagger and libertarian Kerry Bentivolio, is probably the front-runner a race between them. Every whackjob on the far right of the Michigan GOP is going to be panting to get him the nomination. And, speaking of whackjobs, he's already been endorsed by FedUpUSA and Liberty Candidates United, although they may be the same group. As you can see, he's a real barn-burner:

The Democrat in this race is a progressive doctor, Syed Taj. There's also a deranged LaRouchie running, Bill Roberts, who will be able to compete with Bentivolio for the kook vote. You can support Syed here on our ActBlue page. When we reached him last night, he was completely focused on his own path to victory. ?The focus of this campaign over the next 67 days," he told us, "lies in getting through the primary August 7 by knocking on doors, listening to the voters and carrying my message of 1) Providing real world training for good paying jobs. With high unemployment, Congress must change its focus to job creation now. Building on the STEM classes (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) will prepare us to become competitive globally and will help train our workforce for the technical jobs of the future. Using an innovative incentive program, along with having a well trained workforce will entice the private sector to create jobs. 2) Eliminating waste in health care. Health care costs for the average family have tripled over the past decade. It?s hard to believe, but our health care system wastes over 700 billion dollars every year. We can fix this by ending the practice of charging patients for unnecessary procedures and creating a competitive environment for prescription drugs to help lower costs for everyone and 3) Keeping our promises. Social Security and Medicare are too important to gamble with. As a physician I will bring the experience that Congress lacks to protect Social Security and Medicare from career politicians and work to strengthen them for everyone."

Read The Full Article:
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2012/06/thaddeus-mccotter-drops-bid-for.html

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On This Day In History June 3

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 03 June 2012 09:00:00 AM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow GazetteThis is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.Find the past "On This Day in History" here.Click on image to enlargeJune 3 is the 154th day of the year[...]

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Mike's Blog Round Up

post from Crooks and Liars on 03 June 2012 09:00:00 AM. © Crooks and Liars

My week here is done. And, like all my life's ventures, I leave knowing I did my best to give youall the best advice on how to deal with the coming Zombie Apocalypse. We all must play our part, after all.

Dagblog: Michigan has fallen and it can't get up.

Gin and Tacos: Chinese isn't as difficult as we make it seem.

Brilliant at Breakfast: Meg Whitman cuts 27,000 jobs. Which somehow means she's a job creator, I think.

Alicublog: Shockingly, conservatives aren't good at reviewing entertainment, either.

Round-up by William K. Wolfrum (@Wolfrum on Twitter). Send tips to mbru [at] crooksandliars [dot] com.

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How Cutting Spending and Taxes Kills Jobs

post from They gave us a republic... - Front Page on 03 June 2012 09:00:00 AM. © They gave us a republic... - Front Page

By @KYYellowDog

You want a family-budget-based analogy with which to refute the destructive we-have-to-tighten-our-belts lie from repugs and Blue Dogs? Paul Krugman hands it to you on a platter.

Down with Tyranny on Friday:

As the disappointing job growth numbers were released today, many people turned to Krugman for an explanation. And he did a great job, using the double dip in the U.K.-- which has implemented a Paul Ryan-type approach-- as the example.
"The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity." So declared John Maynard Keynes 75 years ago, and he was right. Even if you have a long-run deficit problem-- and who doesn't?-- slashing spending while the economy is deeply depressed is a self-defeating strategy, because it just deepens the depression.
So why is Britain doing exactly what it shouldn't? Unlike the governments of, say, Spain or California, the British government can borrow freely, at historically low interest rates. So why is that government sharply reducing investment and eliminating hundreds of thousands of public-sector jobs, rather than waiting until the economy is stronger?
Over the past few days, I've posed that question to a number of supporters of the government of Prime Minister David Cameron, sometimes in private, sometimes on TV. And all these conversations followed the same arc: They began with a bad metaphor and ended with the revelation of ulterior motives.
The bad metaphor-- which you've surely heard many times-- equates the debt problems of a national economy with the debt problems of an individual family. A family that has run up too much debt, the story goes, must tighten its belt. So if Britain, as a whole, has run up too much debt-- which it has, although it's mostly private rather than public debt-- shouldn't it do the same? What's wrong with this comparison?
The answer is that an economy is not like an indebted family. Our debt is mostly money we owe to each other; even more important, our income mostly comes from selling things to each other. Your spending is my income, and my spending is your income.
So what happens if everyone simultaneously slashes spending in an attempt to pay down debt? The answer is that everyone's income falls-- my income falls because you're spending less, and your income falls because I'm spending less. And, as our incomes plunge, our debt problem gets worse, not better.
This isn't a new insight. The great American economist Irving Fisher explained it all the way back in 1933, summarizing what he called "debt deflation" with the pithy slogan "the more the debtors pay, the more they owe." Recent events, above all the austerity death spiral in Europe, have dramatically illustrated the truth of Fisher's insight.
And there's a clear moral to this story: When the private sector is frantically trying to pay down debt, the public sector should do the opposite, spending when the private sector can't or won't. By all means, let's balance our budget once the economy has recovered-- but not now. The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity.
As I said, this isn't a new insight. So why have so many politicians insisted on pursuing austerity in slump? And why won't they change course even as experience confirms the lessons of theory and history?
Well, that's where it gets interesting. For when you push "austerians" on the badness of their metaphor, they almost always retreat to assertions along the lines of: "But it's essential that we shrink the size of the state."
Now, these assertions often go along with claims that the economic crisis itself demonstrates the need to shrink government. But that's manifestly not true. Look at the countries in Europe that have weathered the storm best, and near the top of the list you'll find big-government nations like Sweden and Austria.
And if you look, on the other hand, at the nations conservatives admired before the crisis, you'll find George Osborne, Britain's chancellor of the Exchequer and the architect of the country's current economic policy, describing Ireland as "a shining example of the art of the possible." Meanwhile, the Cato Institute was praising Iceland's low taxes and hoping that other industrial nations "will learn from Iceland's success."
So the austerity drive in Britain isn't really about debt and deficits at all; it's about using deficit panic as an excuse to dismantle social programs. And this is, of course, exactly the same thing that has been happening in America.
In fairness to Britain's conservatives, they aren't quite as crude as their American counterparts. They don't rail against the evils of deficits in one breath, then demand huge tax cuts for the wealthy in the next (although the Cameron government has, in fact, significantly cut the top tax rate). And, in general, they seem less determined than America's right to aid the rich and punish the poor. Still, the direction of policy is the same-- and so is the fundamental insincerity of the calls for austerity.
The big question here is whether the evident failure of austerity to produce an economic recovery will lead to a "Plan B." Maybe. But my guess is that even if such a plan is announced, it won't amount to much. For economic recovery was never the point; the drive for austerity was about using the crisis, not solving it. And it still is.

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The big money test

post from Daily Kos on 03 June 2012 08:30:04 AM. © Daily Kos

(Click for larger image)

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Randomness: Capitalism’s a Bitch

Advertising, the last frontier of fresh ideas and art in America. Capitalism has left us a whole lotta’ shite, but you have to admit…sometimes it’s funny as hell.

Another Day of Wakin’ Up With Poobah in Your Cup

If Pee Were Gas People Would Drink Waaaay More Beer

Wait! There’s More! Operators are Standing By!

Halloah Fo Tha Million Dollah Menu – MC Big Mac and the Hamburglars

Sex Sells, Yes It Does :-0

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Piehole…

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Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread

Official Movie Trailer for "Midnight in Paris"

Without question, my favorite movie of last year was "Midnight in Paris," which spoke deeply to my writer-obsessed, Francophile little heart. But as a liberal surrounded by the right-wing noise machine of 'taking back their country' to the 'good ole days' when 'life made sense,' the lesson of the dangers of nostalgia resonated as well. In the movie, Owen Wilson discovers that he has mysteriously traveled back in time to the '20s, a time he's romanticized with Ernest Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds. He meets Picasso's current lover, Adriana, and becomes instantly smitten. Adriana longs for the good old days of the Gilded Age of Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas. Degas, however, agrees that the best time was the Renaissance.

And so it goes. No matter when one live, the past looks infinitely more satisfying. Don't believe me? Look at this quote, which is largely credited to Socrates via Plato (although in fairness, the authorship is disputed):

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"

I find myself often wondering what 'good old day' the Republicans want to go back to. It's obviously not the '70s of free love. Is it the '50s of bobby sox and poodle skirts? Do they also remember Jim Crow and botched back alley abortions? That's as much a part of the '50s as Pat Boone. Do they want to go back to the '40s of the Greatest Generation? Are they also willing to accept the 86.45% top tax rate? Yes, we can look at the past with rose-colored glasses, but we're in the here and now. We need to make today better, not wax nostalgic (and incompletely) for a long dead past.

ABC's "This Week" Round table discussion on the economy, Mitt Romney's governorship, John Edwards, Michael Bloomberg and wedge issues in the election: Stephanie Cutter, President Barack Obama's re-election deputy campaign manager; Eric Fehrnstrom, adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, ABC News' George Will, Democratic strategist and ABC News contributor Donna Brazile, and Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Economy, Election 2012: Govs. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., and John Kasich, R-Ohio; Round table: Romney Senior Adviser Kevin Madden, Former McCain ?08 Senior Strategist Steve Schmidt, President of the Center for American Progress Neera Tanden, and Atlanta?s Mayor Kasim Reed (D).
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: John Heileman, New York magazine; Andrea Mitchell, NBC; Andrew Sullivan, Daily Beast; Katty Kay, BBC. Topics: Will Romney's strength on the economy trump Obama's likability? Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne. Meter questions: Will voters blame Obama PERSONALLY for his campaign's negative attacks on Romney? YES: 11 NO: 1; Will TV ads more effectively portray 2012 as a referendum of Obama rather than a choice? YES: 9 No: 3.
MSNBC's "Up with Chris Hayes" - Panel: Michelle Bernard, Michael Steele, Fmr. RNC Chairman, Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the progressive think tank Demos. Guests: John Nichols, The Nation magazine; Ari Berman, The Nation magazine; Judith Browne-Dianis, Co-Director, The Advancement Project; Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, authors of ?The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track?. Topics include: The Wisconsin recall election; Florida?s voter registration law; Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein on their new book ?The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track? and why they?ve been shut out of the Sunday news talk shows
MSNBC's "Melissa Harris-Perry" - Panel: Former Gov. Douglas Wilder (D-Virginia), former mayor of Richmond ; Ari Melber, The Nation; Karen Finney, Fmr. DNC Communications Director; Robert Traynham, Former Santorum Communications Director; Jay Smooth, Longtime Hip-Hop DJ, WBAI and Video Blogger, illdoctrine.com; Lisa Graves, Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy. Topics include: The case for President Obama?s re-election; Wisconsin?s recall election; The epidemic of violence in our cities.
CBS' "Face the Nation" - David Axelrod, adviser to the Obama campaign; Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman. Panel: Former Governor Ed Rendell, D-Penn., Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, The Washington Post's Michael Gerson (the former Bush speech writer) and The Week's Bob Shrum. David Sanger author of, Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power and Daniel Klaidman, author of, Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of The Obama Presidency.
CNN's "State of the Union" - Polarization in politics, Syria: Sens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Mark Warner, D-Va.; Economy, implication of Tuesday's recall election in Wisconsin: Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va.; Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Roundtable: Washington Post's Dan Balz, the Wall Street Journal's Stephen Moore and Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody?s Analytics.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - Syria: Fawaz Gerges. How the US dropped the ball in competitiveness: Harvard?s Michael Porter, the most-cited man in business. Mitt Romney's plans for the U.S. economy: Romney's senior economic adviser and the dean of Columbia Business School, Glenn Hubbard.
CNN's "Reliable Sources" - pre-empted for coverage of Queen's Jubilee
"Fox News Sunday" - Economy: Ed Gillespie, Romney campaign adviser; Steven Rattner, who led Obama's auto task force. Round table: Implications of Wisconsin's recall election: Juan Williams, Chip Saltsman, A.B. Stoddard, David Brody.

So what's catching your eye this morning?

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Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Frustration on both
sides of the presidential race

Ross Douthat at The New York Times:

As grim as the Obama era has been, Americans still have a distinctly negative reading on what the last period of Republican economic stewardship delivered: rising health care costs, wage stagnation, a real estate bubble and then of course the financial crash itself.
Against this backdrop, it may not be quite enough for Mitt Romney to explain how the incumbent has failed. He needs to explain why, so soon after the Bush era, the country should trust his party to put things right again.

David Lightman and Lesley Clark at McClatchy:

Mitt Romney has vowed that on Day One of his presidency, things would be dramatically different. History and the ways of Washington suggest that by Day Two, he'd find he couldn't move as fast as he promised.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee's latest guarantee was featured in a new television ad Friday, the third in a campaign pledging a new direction for the country immediately on Inauguration Day 2013, if Romney is sworn in that day to replace a defeated President Obama. It's not that easy. [...]
First, he's probably not going to have a lot of top staff in place. Cabinet secretaries and key trade and economic officials will need Senate confirmation. The campaign maintains it can take some action without all staff in place, such as designating a country as a currency manipulator.
Second, regulations and laws often can't be eradicated overnight. Repealing the 2010 health-care law, for instance, would require an act of Congress.

Andres Oppenheimer at The Stabroek News:

Asked whether Romney will ignore the immigration issue, Romney campaign spokesman Alberto Martinez told me that ?Hispanics do not vote based solely on the issue of immigration. Poll after poll indicates that jobs and the economy will be the most important issue for Hispanic voters come November.? Martinez added, ?Like all Americans, Hispanics will cast their vote for president based on their perception of who is best suited to turning the economy around and creating jobs, which is why we?re confident that Governor Romney will attract considerable support.?
[...] My opinion: If elections were decided by purely rational reasons and could be predicted with cold calculations on what issues matter the most to voters, Romney could indeed win this election. Polls show that Hispanic voters care more about the economy, jobs and education, than about immigration.
But elections are most often decided by emotional factors, and the fact is that Romney has alienated many Hispanics with a dehumanizing rhetoric against ?illegals? that to many of us comes across as Latino-bashing.
Most Latinos don?t buy Romney?s claim that he is a strong supporter of ?legal? immigration and only opposes ?illegal? immigration, because that?s a deceiving argument. Under the current system, it?s very hard for foreigners to become legal US residents, and Romney has opposed comprehensive immigration reform that would increase the number of resident visas to match the needs of the US labour market.

Alexander Bolton at The Hill runs down 10 potential gamechangers in the presidential race:

The biggest obvious risk to Obama?s re-election is a financial crisis in Europe that could drag down the U.S. economy with it.
A popular backlash in Greece, Spain and France against German-led austerity programs has cast doubt on European leaders? ability to avert a financial chain reaction that could send world stock markets plummeting and paralyze U.S. banks. [...]
The U.S. economy has already borne the effect of reduced trade with Europe and domestic banks have had time to insulate themselves from an overseas financial collapse but a panic could send domestic markets reeling and hurt consumer confidence.

Maureen Dowd at The New York Times is disappointed in President Obama:

The president who started off with such dazzle now seems incapable of stimulating either the economy or the voters. His campaign is offering Obama 2012 car magnets for a donation of $10; cat collars reading ?I Meow for Michelle? for $12; an Obama grill spatula for $40, and discounted hoodies and T-shirts. How the mighty have fallen.
Once glowing, his press is now burning. ?To a very real degree, 2008?s candidate of hope stands poised to become 2012?s candidate of fear,? John Heilemann wrote in New York magazine, noting that because Obama feels he can?t run on his record, his campaign will resort to nuking Romney. [...]
As president, Obama has never felt the need to explain or sell his signature pieces of legislation ? the stimulus and health care bills ? or stanch the flow of false information from the other side. [...] The president had lofty dreams of playing the great convener and conciliator. But at a fund-raiser in Minneapolis, he admitted he?s just another combatant in a capital full of Hatfields and McCoys. No compromises, just nihilism.

The AP:

Nothing upsets a president's re-election groove like ugly economic numbers.
A spring slowdown in hiring and a rise in the unemployment rate are weighing on President Barack Obama, while enhancing Republican challenger Mitt Romney's argument that the incumbent is in over his head.