Independent Nation gives you nine must reads for independents and centrists for Thursday, October 18.
1. “Bloomberg Starts ‘Super PAC,’ Seeking National Influence,” in The New York Times
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to use a new super PAC to take his pro-same-sex marriage, pro-gun control message national, pouring between ten to fifteen million dollars into efforts in the final weeks of the 2012 campaign cycle to get candidates of either or no party who support those policies elected.
Read more in The New York Times.
2. “Officials: Obama Ready to Veto a Bill Blocking ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Without a Tax Hike For Rich,” in The Washington Post
The 1 percent is going to have to pony up, or President Obama will veto any bill that blocks the fiscal cliff, according to administration officials. It’s a bold move from Obama, but a carefully calculated one – if he wins in November, he may have secured the upper hand in new debt-reduction talks, and if he loses, a veto could ensure higher tax rates before a newly elected Romney takes office.
Read more in The Washington Post.
3. “Demographic Dead End? Barack Obama’s Single Nation,” in The Daily Beast
Could President Obama’s appeal directly to single women in the second presidential debate wind up hurting Democrats? If Obama is reelected, Joel Kotkin writes, “it will be because of the Single Nation,” arguing that, “This reliance on single and childless voters could transform the Democratic party in the years ahead.”
Read more at The Daily Beast.
4. “Identity Politics Moment: Obama’s Very Public Planned Parenthood Embrace,” in The Daily Beast
All it took for President Obama to win Planned Parenthood’s support was mention their name. The president’s bold move in the second presidential debate to align himself squarely with the group could pay dividends with single women voters, Allison Yarrow reports, and all it took was a couple syllables.
Read more at The Daily Beast.
5. “Dennis Miller Complains About Political Polarization,” at Buzzfeed
Comedian and talk show host Dennis Miller said that the American political scene has become “too Hatfields and McCoys” at a Mitt Romney rally where he wound his way to a quasi-endorsement of the Republican candidate. What it comes down to, Miller said, is “we got the best deal on the planet Earth here.”
Watch the video at BuzzFeed.
6.”Same-Sex Marriage Support Has Grown Among Latinos, Survey Finds,” in The New York Times
Seems religious conservatism won’t be a way for Republicans to snag a toe hold in Latino communities – a new survey released Thursday found that 52 percent of Latinos overall and 54 percent of Latino Catholics support same-sex marriage. That’s a pretty big change from 56 disapproval among Latinos overall six years ago, and a pie in the face for Republican strategists and those who want to consolidate a Catholic voting bloc.
Read more at The New York Times.
7. “Why the Romney Campaign Stopped Talking About Libya,” at BuzzFeed
After Mitt Romney, in the opinion of everyone but the most persistent Republican spinmeisters, fumbled a question about the Libyan consulate attack at the presidential debate on Tuesday, he’s avoided the issue on the stump. According to campaign officials, they abandoned the issue Romney has been hammering incessantly for weeks after polls and other snap assessors of public opinion showed voters responded better to Mitt’s responses on domestic economic issues.
Read more at BuzzFeed.
8. “States Brace for Huge Legislative Turnover,” at the Pew Center
A trend toward legislators retiring from office and redistricting will combine in 2012 to result in legislatures with an inordinately high number of inexperienced members. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, we’ll see the highest two-cycle rate of turnover this year that we’ve seen in two decades. That’s a lot of fresh faces.
Read more at PewStates.org.
9. “Va. Health Chief Resigns Over New Abortion Clinic Rules,” at USA Today.
Virginia Health Commissioner Karen Remley turned in her letter of resignation on Thursday in protest of strict new abortion rules in the state. Remley wrote in her letter that the regulations “created an environment in which my ability to fulfill my duties is compromised and in good faith I can no longer serve in my role.”
Read more at USA Today.
Send stories you’d like to see in the Rundown to Matt DeLuca at matt.deluca@newsweekdailybeast.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DeLucaMattS.