Gallup:
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to be satisfied with the work the government is doing in each of 19 different areas. The parties' satisfaction levels diverge most on healthcare and foreign affairs, and diverge least on poverty, national parks, and transportation.
Kathleen Parker:
Republicans seem to be adopting the self-immolation tactics of principled martyrs.
Of course, principled or not, you’re still dead in the end.
John Harwood:
The recent history of two-term presidencies shows that things could be a lot better. By this point President Bill Clinton had already struck a landmark budget-balancing deal with Congressional Republicans.
It also could be much worse. Richard M. Nixon’s presidency began unraveling in the first six months of his second term, Dwight D. Eisenhower faced an emerging recession and Ronald Reagan battled budget woes, terrorism and health problems. George W. Bush struggled with the deteriorating Iraq war.
But all four ultimately managed significant second-term accomplishments despite partisan opposition on Capitol Hill, leading historians to caution against predictions that the second Obama administration is doomed.
“The media culture has been too pessimistic because Obama caught a couple of punches,” said Douglas Brinkley, a Rice University professor. Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, called Mr. Obama’s current problems “quite modest” compared with recent predecessors.
More politics and policy below the fold.
NY Times after the TX Leg passed the restrictive abortion bill:
The next step will be a court challenge to the new law before [Gov.] Perry’s signature has time to dry; the many proposed amendments and discussion of them were clearly intended to build a record that could eventually be reviewed by the courts.
In closing her own speech late Friday night, [Tex Sen. Wendy] Davis told the groggy lawmakers, those in the gallery and beyond, “The fight for the future of Texas is just beginning.”
And then, minutes after the vote, she spoke again, through a bullhorn, to an immense crowd of supporters in front of the Capitol building. Ms. Davis called out to the orange-clad throng to turn their anger into political change. “Let’s make sure tonight is not an ending point,” she said. “It’s a beginning point as we work to take this state back.”
AP:
A tiny Georgia city and a national gun control group are facing off in a legal battle over a city ordinance requiring gun ownership, with the constitutionality of the law and broader messages about gun rights taking center stage.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in May filed a federal lawsuit against Nelson, a city of roughly 1,300 residents about 50 miles north of Atlanta, saying a recently adopted ordinance requiring heads of household to own a gun and ammunition is unconstitutional.
Mark Pazniokas:
A trade group representing the firearms industry filed a federal lawsuit Monday using legislative procedural grounds to attack the lawfulness of the Connecticut gun-control law passed in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which is based in Newtown, accuses the General Assembly of bypassing normal legislative procedures in passing the emergency-certified bill...
“We've known for some time that groups opposed to the new gun violence prevention law would be filing suit against it,” said Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Malloy. “We believe the bill improves public safety, and we will work with the Attorney General's office to defend it.”
The retail sale of military-style semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity magazines became illegal in Connecticut the moment Malloy signed the bill April 4. Universal background checks also were immediately required for firearms purchases.
Other provisions, such as requiring permits to buy long guns and ammunition, took effect July 1. A gun-offender registry for use by law enforcement is expected to be in place by Oct. 1.
“Let's not forget that this has happened before,” Doba said. “In prior instances where Connecticut has passed common sense restrictions on firearms, there have been challenges. They have all been unsuccessful.”
Andrew Kaczynski:
These Republicans Who Want To Limit Food Stamps Represent A Lot Of Food Stamp Recipients
Louie Gohmert - Texas’ 1st Congressional District - and number of households receiving SNAP benefits in the district.
These are some of the members of Congress who have been the most vocal in support of limiting SNAP and the number of households receiving SNAP benefits in their districts.
Timothy Noah:
What’s true of Walmart is true of many other businesses: the reason Walmart gets most of the attention is that it’s the country’s biggest private employer. That makes it hard to ignore. For instance, Walmart, according to that Democratic House report, has more employees enrolled in Wisconsin’s Medicaid program—and presumably more employees on Medicaid in most other states–than any other company. There are other cheapskate companies, but none with an army of underpaid workers that can match Walmart’s.