New Polls = Bad News For Pols

* Less than one in four Americans want to see Members of Congress re-elected in 2012, the lowest in two decades

* Among registered voters it’s worse - 21% says Members deserve re-election, 70% say no

* This could mean a double wave - incumbents of both parties voted out

* The caveat - things could change as we’re still 15 months out AND people feel more favourable towards their own Member

* Another poll shows Republicans are more unpopular now than they were during the Clinton impeachment; and the tea party’s in the toilet; not that the Dem’s are smelling like roses, mind you

* However, the debt debate bolstered Americans’ view of Democrats and lowered their view of Republicans - tea party went down to a new low

Republicans Hold Onto Wisconsin Senate

* Two Republican state senators lost their seats in recall elections Tuesday, but Republicans maintained control of the State Senate, as four held on to their jobs - the majority was 19-14, so it’s reduced, but they still have it

* It’s seen as a victory for Gov Scott Walker and a defeat to union groups and Democrats who spent months and millions of dollars trying to take away some of the state’s political power

* Walker’s “budget repair bill” cut benefits to state workers and significantly diminished future collective bargaining rights for most public employees - the idea being to solve the state’s budget deficit, though it was never clear how the collective bargaining piece fit in once the state workers had agreed to all the benefits cuts

* It turned very nasty when there were sit ins, protests, calls for recalls of Republicans who supported the idea, demands for the removal of Democrats who fled the state to delay a vote on the collective bargaining, then a maneuver by Republicans to approve it with Dems still in Illinois, then massive misinformation about the issue, then campaign ads that have battered voters, then… you get the picture

More Rioting Breaks Out Across The Pond

* There’s been a second night of rioting in London, spreading from Tottenham in the north to other boroughs - Brixton in the south and Walthamstow in the east, Islington, Enfield

* What police are calling “copycat activity”, some of it apparently part of an orchestrated plan organized on social media has so far resulted in over 100 arrests

* This, following disturbances Saturday night in Tottenham after the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan 29 on Thursday

* Doubts have emerged over whether Duggan was killed in an exchange of gunfire - a bullet thought to have been fired by Duggan may be police issue

* The Home Secretary has returned from vacation as the rioting shows no sign of abating; 35 police officers have been injured

* Police has been strongly criticized for their handling of the rioting which started following a peaceful protest over the shooting death of Duggan

* Other factors may be high unemployment, massive social cuts by the conservative government, disgust at the police because of the news of bribery coming out in the Murdoch scandal - some of this is similar to the riots in 1985 in Brixton (see above), which we were told could never happen again…

Debt Panel Details Emerge

* The downgrade is seen to put pressure on the panel, whose members must be announced by 16 August

* S&P says it was hoping to see $4T in total deficit reduction; the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka Runaway Committee Taking Control of Everything) is to cut federal budget deficits by a total of at least $1.5T over the next decade

* These could come from cuts and revenue increases

* The “Committee to Control Your Life” will have 14 weeks to do its work

*** Lawmakers are calling for total transparency on the committee, all sessions to be open to the public and aired online -  the law doesn’t require the meetings to be public

* At least 8 lawmakers, senators and congress people, including Nancy Pelosi and David Vitter (strange colleagues) are pushing for this, including meetings be announced in advance; a spokesman for Harry Reid says the committee will make such decisions itself (so good luck with that)

* Sen David Vitter introduced a bill aimed at forcing any lawmaker on the committee to disclose campaign contributions of more than $1,000 within 48 hours of receiving them (funny how he opposes such laws generally); it’s supported by 25 political groups including Public Citizen, Common Cause and MoveOn.org PAC

Saudi Arabia Condemns Syrian Violence

* Saudi King Abdullah denounced the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown on pro democracy demonstrators — “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…demands an end to the death machine and bloodshed and calls for acts of wisdom before it is too late”

* Saudi recalled its ambassador, saying the situation is not in accord with religion, values or ethics

** Syrian activists say artillery fire resumed TODAY in the eastern city of Deir elZour, they say 42 people were killed Sunday; they say troops stormed a northern city also

* President al Assad defended his violent crackdown Sunday “national duty” to deal with “outlaws” who cut off roads and “terrorize” people

*** The US estimates Assad’s govt is responsible for the deaths of 2,000 people since the uprising began in March