Weekend Digest: 7 Tipping Points In The Presidential Election

For our weekend political readers:

9 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
History.com has a fun political/historical piece in honor of the July 4th holiday.

Here's a sample from “9 Things You May Not Know About The Declaration Of Independence”:

The Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed on July 4, 1776.
When news of the Declaration of Independence reached New York City, it started a riot.
One signer later recanted.

Of course, there are more and History.com provides some background on all of the 9 factoids. Read more here.

THE WEALTH GAP — IN 1776
Much has been written about the 1% and the 99% in the last year as activists from all sides have raised awareness about the wealth gap in America.

Marketplace.org takes a look at the wealth gap in 1776 at the creation of the new United States of America.

In colonial times, the top 1% accounted for about 9.3% of the nation's income versus today when this group accounts for about 20%.

What led to the shift and what did the founding fathers have to say about it? Find out more here.

7 TIPPING POINTS IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
With the health care ruling from the Supreme Court decided, do you think the outcome of the Presidential election is a foregone conclusion?

Maggie Haberman with Politico highlights 7 tipping points that remain that could have a major impact on the 2012 race for the White House. Most notably: the debates.

Ask strategists with the campaigns, or independent of them, what benchmark could have the biggest impact on voters, and almost all respond the same way: the debates.

Every cycle, people place a premium on the debates. In 2004, this was especially true: Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is widely thought to have lost the race in the third debate. Yet in 2012, the debates will be one of the few times when the race is engaged between t
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What other factors are likely to shape the final tally in November? Read on at this link.

HEALTH CARE, MEDICAID EXPANSION AND THE POLITICAL FUTURE
We highlight two Washington Post stories on the ramifications of the Supreme Court's health care decision and how it could influence future politics at the state and national level.

First, as we're seeing from GOP officials in Arkansas, there will be a big push to not opt in to the Medicaid expansion called for in the federal health care law. While Democratic Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe says he's “inclined” to opt in, his Republican counterparts in states like Louisiana and South Carolina have taken a more hardline approach.

Read more on the subject at this link. Also, how will these positions play out among GOP leaders with future national aspirations? WaPo examines this dynamic too.