Bachmann's migraines are a phony issue

Editor's note: Andrew Levy holds the Cooper Chair in English at Butler University. He is the author of "A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary" (Simon and Schuster, 2009).

(CNN) -- First of all: Michele Bachmann will not be getting my vote for president.

But that is a political decision, not a medical one. Reading media reports that she suffers from a severe migraine condition, I feel for her.

As one of over 30 million Americans who gets migraines regularly, I suspect I'm not alone in feeling empathy here. Bachmann has the same problem, politically speaking, that millions of other "migraineurs" experience with their co-workers, bosses, and friends. If you've never had a migraine, you tend to assume that the blinding headaches and neurological disruptions mean that the migraineur is either very brave, or very fragile.

The truth is neither of these.

As the story of Bachmann's migraines unfolds, it is easy to see, through the prism of our politics, how migraine is viewed: It is almost like a scandal.

Her opponents search for veiled ways to score political points: Tim Pawlenty reminds an audience in Iowa that "All of the candidates ... are going to have to demonstrate they can do all of the job, all of the time" -- as if he never sleeps.

Political consultants like Karl Rove urge her to "get her doctors out there quickly" and beat the news cycle. Her brother reassures reporters that "she is not intellectually incapacitated." Her campaign releases a letter from the congressional physician downplaying the condition, noting that she knows her "trigger factors" and can "control" her headaches with "as-needed" drugs like sumatriptan, the reliable, prosaic Model T of migraine drugs.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/IrnXtELBlH0/index.html

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The World Is Not Overpopulated

Alex Berezow, RealClearScienceAn opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times declared the world to be overpopulated and even compared humanity to a cancerous growth. This reasoning is not only disturbing, but is almost certainly incorrect, as well.The world, indeed, has a lot of people. By the end of 2011, there will be nearly 7 billion people living on the planet. But population growth rates will not sustain at those levels. An analysis by The Economist describes how each subsequent billion will take longer and longer to achieve, until population growth eventually plateaus at around 9 billion people by 2050. Receive...

Source: http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2011/07/20/the_world_is_not_overpopulated_106247.html

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Obama: 'Gang Of Six' Plan Is Endorsement Of 'Balanced Approach'

The president's interview with NPR comments came as negotiations continued between the Democratic president's White House and Republican leaders in Congress ? and amid conflicting reports about where those talks stand.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/07/21/138582060/obama-gang-of-six-plan-is-endorsement-of-balanced-approach?ft=1&f=1014

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Edwards ordered to repay $2.3M

Washington (CNN) -- Former Presidential candidate John Edwards will have to pay back over 2 million dollars in federal matching funds given to his 2008 campaign for president, the Federal Election Commission ruled on Thursday.

The commission voted 6 - 0 against Edwards and contends his campaign was in "excess of the Candidate's entitlement."

"At the end of the day if there were more matching funds received than campaign obligations at the point when the campaign ended you have to make a repayment, " Ellen Weintraub, FEC Commissioner said during the hearing.

This latest ruling comes on the heels of Edwards' indictment last month when a federal grand jury charged him with six counts, including conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws

That indictment was brought up Thursday by FEC Commissioner Donald McGahn who called it "the pink elephant in the room." McGahn then asked other members of the Commission how a guilty verdict might impact Edwards' finance filings and force him to amend what the campaign spent. His trial is scheduled to start in October.

"This gets a little confusing, this has not come up like this before," FEC Commissioner Donald McGahn said during the hearing.

The FEC determined that Edwards had received just over 2.1 million dollars in matching funds after the campaign was winding down and Edwards was no longer in the race. The commission decided that in total his campaign must pay back $2,278,315 in excess matching funds.

According to the FEC, "Presidential candidates receive federal government funds to pay for the valid expenses of their political campaigns in both the primary and general elections."

Edwards was represented at the hearing by his lawyers who filed this response to the audit. "John Edwards for President did not receive any matching funds in excess of its entitlement, and hence, no repayment is due," they countered.

Edwards' presidential campaign committee says it has $2.6 million in cash-on-hand as of June 30, 2011. It is unclear whether Edwards will use this money to pay back the US Government or if he will seek an appeal, his attorneys left the hearing without comment.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/euYtQFd0iBs/index.html

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Weekly Standard: That's A Lot Of Zeros

After the plan approved by House Republicans last night, president Barack Obama proposed that the debt ceiling be raised by $2.4 trillion dollars ? roughly the amount of debt after World War II. Jeffrey H. Anderson of The Weekly Standard sees political motivation behind the president's suggestion.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/20/138535633/weekly-standard-thats-a-lot-of-zeros?ft=1&f=1057

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