By RP Staff, on Wed Dec 7, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET  As we remember today those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor 60 years ago — as well as all of those who perished battling the greatest force of evil in world history — we have a special recognition at The RP.
Jerry Wurmser, a loyal member of the RP Nation, an occasional contributor to this web site, and a personal hero of the RP, was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government for his brave service during World War II.
Reports theLexington Herald-Leader:
Jerome “Jerry” Wurmser risked his life flying fighter planes over France in World War II, helping drive out German forces that had occupied the country for four years.
In November, France thanked Wurmser by awarding him the Legion of Honor, a medal that recognizes people who have served the French nation in various ways. The decoration was established by Napoleon Bonaparte about 1801.
“I feel very honored, but there are thousands of other people out there who are a heck of a lot more deserving than me,” Wurmser said with the modesty typical of WWII veterans.
Wurmser, 88, of Lexington, flew 66 combat missions in a P-47 as a member of the Army Air Force’s 324th Fighter Group in 1944-45. The unit’s primary assignment was strafing and bombing German airfields, truck convoys, supply trains and essentially anything else that might support the Nazi war machine. Other times they supported U.S. troops on the ground, dropping bombs right ahead of them.
Click here to read the full story of Jerry’s heroism and his deserving honor.
By RP Staff, on Wed Dec 7, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET  Last night, the RP appeared as a guest on Wall Street Journal Radio, “The Daily Wrap” with Michael Cassner. The two discussed yesterday’s economic speech by the President, the dysfunction of American politics, and No Labels’ upcoming “Make Congress Work” initiative.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Dec 7, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The U.S. Postal service accelerates its march into obsolescence. [Wired Magazine]
Android Market registers its 10 billionth download. [Engadget]
StumbleUpon redesigns itself again. [Washington Post]
Imagine a world with easier access to the internet. [Chicago Tribune]
By RP Staff, on Wed Dec 7, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET  Contributing RP Greg Harris, a former Cincinnati City Councilman, has thrown his hat back into the ring, running for a spot on the Hamilton County Commission.
Reports The Daily Bellwether:
The era of the deal has ended.
Democrat Greg Harris, a former Cincinnati council member who lost his seat two years ago, is running for a spot on the Hamilton County Commission.
That means GOP Commissioner Greg Hartmann will have to campaign and actually face the voters this year — something he escaped in 2008 when the leaders of both political parties made a backroom deal to give him a free pass for his first term. When Democrats complained about the 2008 deal, Republican Chairman Alex Triantafilou called them “radicals.”
But democracy has bloomed in this year of the Arab Spring. Triantafilou, Hartmann and the GOP will have to work to hold the seat. Harris, 40, holds a Ph.D. from Miami University. He is a West Sider and used his stint on Cincinnati’s Council to push for reforms that included consolidation of city and county services to save money. Harris was interested in seeing if the city police department and county sheriff’s department could be combined to save tax dollars.
During a chat with The Daily Bellwether today , Harris said he was pumped for the contest and would file nominating petitions tomorrow: “This is a race I really wanted. The county is in a lot of trouble and there isn’t any evidence Greg Hartmann is getting us closer to resolving the issues.” Harris said he was particularly irked over Hartmann’s proposal to use millions of dollars from an indigent healthcare levy to pay off debts from the stadiums.
“That really put a fire in my belly,” Harris said of Hartmann’s proposal. “I don’t know how anybody can think that way, that it’s okay to raid healthcare for the poor to pay for Mike Brown’s stadium.” Harris also said there are issues about Hartmann’s attendance and work habits. “He’s originally from Texas, there’s a lot of issues about absenteeism with him, I work very hard, I really value constituent services. I don’t like the term politician. like public servant.” You can read quite a bit about Harris’ biography on this webpage left over from his Council campaign. There is morebackground info available here.
Click here for the full story.
By RP Staff, on Tue Dec 6, 2011 at 5:30 PM ET While it seems colleges across the country should maintain consistent grading systems from year to year, over the past several decades grade inflation has skyrocketed. [NYTimes]
Studies have shown that private colleges award higher grades on average than public schools. [NYTimes]
Some schools have recognized grade inflation at other institutions and in turn decided to formally inflate their own grading systems. For example, Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in the Spring of 2010 announced it would be raising all students’ GPAs by .333 and altering its grading methods as well. See here for articles on the implementation, as well as the pros and cons of such a move by the administration. [The Chronicle] [NYTimes]
Princeton University has received both praise and critique for restricting the number of A’s awarded to its students to combat grade inflation. This move, rather than spreading to many colleges across the country, has had little success in gaining traction and the Princeton students themselves have expressed intense dislike for the grading system in place. [NYTimes]
By RP Staff, on Tue Dec 6, 2011 at 4:30 PM ET The RP is back at it — talking with Michael Kastneron his Wall Street Journal radio program, “The Daily Wrap.”
Tonight at 7:00 PM EST, the two will discuss the economy and President Obama’s speech this afternoon.
To tune in live, click here.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Dec 6, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET Twitter presents the social media site’s top tweets of 2011. What do you think made the cut? [ABC News]
Adweek counts off the ten best commercials of 2011. [Adweek]
Check out Facebook’s 40 most shared articles this year. [Facebook]
The Fox News building reportedly has a 24/7 NYPD security detail, making it the most well-protected of the major news networks. [NY Magazine]
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Dec 6, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
BREAKING NEWS: Want to invest in Michael Kors? You now have the opportunity! [The Cut]
If you haven’t heard of the Cambridge Satchel Company, you might want to check them out! Their purses might be a girl’s new best friend! [SHEfinds]
Versace for H&M = Refunds, please! [Fashionista]
Mario Lopez can now add underwear designer to his résumé! [The Cut]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Tue Dec 6, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy call for a new EU Treaty to strengthen the financial union of the member countries. [Washington Post]
By Kristen Soltis, on Tue Dec 6, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET  Whether Obama’s reelection is considered a slam-dunk, an uncertain proposition, or an impossibility depends entirely on the data you consider a credible indicator these days.
If you ask some on the right (as well as more than a few depressed Democrats), Obama is toast. The data to support their case are straightforward: no president (since the advent of modern survey research) has beenreelected with an approval rating below 48 percent. Obama’s numbers these days are below that threshold and are just south of Jimmy Carter’s at this point in his presidency. Furthermore, the highest unemployment rate that accompanied a president’s reelection is 7.2 percent, a far cry from today’s 9 percent. Republican voters are more excited. Young voters aren’t going to show upwhen their unemployment rate is through the roof. Not to mention, the new electoral college map handsRepublicans six freebie electors if they simply hold the states McCain won in 2008. Simple conclusion: the Obama reelection effort is doomed.
Or is it?
 Consider the case made by Obama-optimists: the long-term trends are in his favor. Back in 2009, James Carville and Ruy Teixeira were writing books, declaring the somewhat inevitable demographic-driven decline of the GOP. Even today, Obama retains strength among minorities and young voters. (The latest Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin report makes the case that demographics are a strength for Obama.) Obama’s campaign is raising millions upon millions and saving it all to spend in the general election. Not a single television in America won’t be bombarded with ads reminding them of those Republican meanies in Congress and of who was in charge when we got Osama bin Laden. Republicans may put up a fight, but he’s just too strong a campaigner. Case closed.
So which is it?
Count me somewhere in the middle.
Read the rest of…
Kristen Soltis: Is Obama Destined to Win or Doomed to Fail?
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