1. Governor Bobby Jindal Will Be At The RedState Gathering. Will You?

2. Romney extends lead among Independents to 14 percent

3. Obama’s Middle Class Tax Hikes

4. Young Guns: Cantor’s PAC of Loose Cannons

1. Governor Bobby Jindal Will Be At The RedState Gathering. Will You?

That’s right, one of the most effective surrogates on the campaign trail in the primary for Rick Perry and now in the general for Mitt Romney, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will be at the RedState Gathering.Governor Jindal is in the news these days for opting not to expand Louisiana’s medicaid program for Obamacare. He’s also in the news as speculation grows over who Mitt Romney will pick for a running mate.Time is running out to register for the RedState Gathering. More so, there is only about a week left to get a discount on the hotel rooms.The RedState Gathering will be in Jacksonville, FL from August 2nd to August 5th. Go to www.redstategathering.com for more information and to register.Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. Romney extends lead among Independents to 14 percent

In the new ABC News/Washington Post poll, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney extends his lead among Independents to 14 points, 53-39 percent. Two months ago, a POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground poll found Romney had a ten-point lead among the critical Independent voters.The mainstream media is touting the poll as showing the race is “dead even” — a 47-47 percent Obama-Romney contest among registered voters. Yet the new poll contains many more warning signs for the Obamacrats.Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Obama’s Middle Class Tax Hikes

While Obama is prosecuting a flaccid war overseas and apologizing for our troops when they defend against Taliban attacks, he is fighting a no-holds-barred class war at home. Once again, Obama has announced that he will orchestrate the largest tax hike in American history on those earning more than $200,000. After all, taxing the rich is a great way to raise revenue; it worked so well in Maryland. Oh, wait.But fear not, he will renew the Bush tax cuts on those earning under $200,000, while repackaging them as his own tax cuts.Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Young Guns: Cantor’s PAC of Loose Cannons

One of the most perplexing organizations on the political scene this election cycle is the Young Guns Action Fund, started by two former aids to Eric Cantor. It was started last fall in an effort to support “conservative candidates for elected office who hold true to the Young Guns movement.” One would expect a PAC affiliated with the House Majority Leader to get involved in numerous general election races to help preserve and grow the Republican majority. Yet, this committee has only run independent expenditures in primaries, not in general elections.Well, you might be thinking that there is a good reason to get involved in primaries. After all, we need to ensure that the Republican nominee is a “conservative candidate.” To that end, Young Guns has made the most bizarre choices of any political committee this cycle.Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. Gail Collins: all hat and no cattle.

In the latest Muppets movie, the plot (such as it is) revolves about a villain seeking to destroy the Muppets’ theater. There’s oil beneath the structure, and the evil Tex Richman will stop at nothing to get it. Just in case the subtlety escapes you: he’s the bad guy because he’s rich, he’s mean, and he’s Texan.If you’ve seen this contribution to the cinematic art, then you’ve mostly got the point of NYT columnist Gail Collins’s latest book — and in light of her recent sojourn in Austin, it’s worth a few words on it. “As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda” could have been many things: a trenchant leftward critique of the state; an exploration of Texas’s importance in American life and politics; or a stranger-in-a-strange-land travelogue. It is somewhat all of these, and fully none of them. Collins is obviously intrigued by Texas. The question is whether she understands it. “As Texas Goes” leaves one to wonder.Please click here for the rest of the post.