Fwd: Politics: Afternoon Edition: Romney picks up endorsements from Pawlenty backers

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Wednesday, August 24, 2011 HEADLINES Romney picks up endorsements from Pawlenty backers As Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney began a campaign swing across New Hampshire on Wednesday, he picked up several key endorsements here and in the first-caucus state of Iowa. » Read full article THE FIX: Tea party serves up weak Senate challengers In a few 2012 Senate races, tea- party challenges seemed almost inevitable. Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe (R), Virginia Senate candidate George Allen(R), Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar (R), and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) were all expected to face tough competition on the right. But so far, serious challenges in all three races have failed to materialize. » Read full article 2CHAMBERS: Quake forces Senate off-site for session The rare earthquake that rattled Washington wasn't the only bit of history that was made Tuesday. » Read full article FACT CHECKER: Huntsman's puzzling China proposal Doesn't the United States already have a 'strategic dialogue' with China? » Read full article Fired aide returns to Issa's office Kurt Bardella, the onetime deputy communications director to House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) who was fired in March after sharing journalists' e-mails with a New York Times reporter, is returning to the oversight panel. » Read full article QUOTE OF THE DAY Former Vice President Dick Cheney explaining why he kept a letter of resignation in his desk at all times during the Bush administration.: "I did it because I was concerned that — for a couple of reasons. One was my own health situation. The possibility that I might have a heart attack or a stroke that would be incapacitating. And, there is no mechanism for getting rid of a vice president who can't function." COMMENT OF THE DAY boblesch, on David Nakamura's "Obama plays through on golf course during earthquake, inspires critics" story: My question is - why is the press on the president's vacation? Q&A DISCUSSIONS Washington Post "Fact Checker" Glenn Kessler was online at 11 a.m. ET to discuss his recent Fact Checker columns: Q: I don't know if this would work for you, but could you look into the claim that 1/2 of Americans don't pay taxes? I'd like to know how many of those folks are elderly living on SS or the working poor living below the poverty level. Thanks! Glenn Kessler: There needs to be a very large asterisk with that statistic, because it only looks at "income taxes" and so does not include "payroll taxes" (ie, Social Security and Medicare.) Just about everyone who gets a wage pays payroll taxes. If all taxes are lumped together--income and payroll taxes--then the balance seems much more fair. Three-quarters of Americans, in fact, pay more payroll taxes than they do in income taxes. You are right that the working poor generally don't pay income tax--but they do pay payroll taxes. There is huge income disparity in the United States, which is why the very rich pay the bulk of the taxes. Here is a chart that shows how the share of the total tax burden--such as income taxes and payroll taxes-- compares with the total tax burden for each income group. When seen in contest like this, the overall tax burden is spread pretty evenly. » View full Q&A session MULTIMEDIA Video: Ron Paul gaining mainstream attention Presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) discusses why he is finally getting some attention. Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2011 The Washington Post Privacy Policy

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