Big Featured Discussions 737 items | updated Feb 9 2012

Although President Obama has been critical of Super PACs, calling them a "threat to democracy," his campaign has embraced them. A spokesman said that the Obama campaign can't play by different rules than the Republicans. But with Super PACs under criticism by the public, will Obama's change of position hurt him in the election?

Are you surprised by this move, and does it change how you view the president?

House Speaker John Boehner recently joked that the House of Representatives is designed not to work. Is this really true, or is it just an attempt to deflect attention from the GOP's obstructionist agenda?

New numbers show that unemployment has dropped to 8.3 percent and hiring is up. The timing for this couldn't be better for incumbent politicans.

Are the new numbers really a sign that things are looking up? Or is this just election year campaigning that doesn't look at the big picture?

Scientists at UCSF say sugar is toxic and addictive, like tobacco and alcohol. They claim it should be regulated with taxes and restrictions on advertising and sale.

The scientists say it's sugar, not obesity, that's the cause of increasingly common conditions like diabetes and heart disease. They have called for public policy that will guide people toward healthier options, as well as the removal of sugar from processed foods, which is a common way sugar sneaks unnoticed into one's diet.

Should sugar be regulated?

Breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure is pulling its money from Planned Parenthood under a new policy prohibiting grants to organizations under investigation. House Republicans have launched an inquiry into allegations that Planned Parenthood used federal funds for abortions.

The Komen grants were not for abortions, but breast cancer screening and related services.

How much should political pressure be allowed to influence charitable donations?

After Tuesday night's big Mitt Romney victory in Florida, Cenk Uygur asked his Power Panel on "The Young Turks": Who likes Romney?

What do you think? He's been criticized for being robotic and completely out of touch, yet Romney seems well on his way to wrapping up the GOP nomination. Who likes Mitt Romney?

"The War Room" focuses on the 2012 elections, but we want to know what issues you want to see covered? Which races need more coverage? What hasn't the media been asking that you want to know?

Watch "The War Room" with host Jennifer Granholm weeknights on Current at 9/8c.

Newt Gingrich doesn't want debate moderators silencing the crowds at his debates.

"We're going to serve notice on future debates," Gingrich told Fox News. "We're just not going to allow that to happen. That's wrong. The media doesn't control free speech. People ought to be allowed to applaud if they want to."

Regardless of whether you agree with Newt's positions or motivation, do you think audiences should be allowed to cheer at debates? Does audience reaction interfere with the responses?

Mitt Romney isn't the only GOP candidate in the 1 percent. But Newt Gingrich has been emphasizing Romney's elite status and polls have shown that support for Romney increases with income. As Salon notes, although Romney is not the only GOP candidate in the weathly elite, he exudes privilege in a way other candidates don't.

How badly will Romney's elite status hurt him in the race? Will he be able to win over voters in the 99 percent?

President Obama delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night and he packed as much into the speech as he could. From jobs to taxes to defense to energy, there was something for everyone.

But are there places you wish he had been more specific? Which issues do you think got left out of the speech?

The State of the Union address happens on Tuesday, and Current TV will be airing the speech as part of a special episode of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" beginning at 9/8c, with commentary from Keith Olbermann following Obama's remarks.

The Republican campaign is in full swing already, meanwhile President Obama is facing criticism from Democrats unhappy with his performance in the White House.

What will President Obama need to say to win you over?

In the midst of a public debate over copyright and piracy, the Federal government shut down file sharing site MegaUpload on a number of charges including copyright infringement. Anonymous jumped to the defense of MegaUpload, launching a distributed denial-of-service attack on several sites, including the Department of Justice, the FBI, the MPAA and the RIAA.

In their efforts, Anonymous has turned to new tactics, including tweeting a link that automatically launches a DDoS attack when clicked. Since engaging in such an attack is a crime, this could provide an excuse for hackers who could claim the unsuspectingly clicked a link. But it could also lead to those who don't intend to participate becoming involved.

Do tools like this go too far? Does the fact that some participants may be unwitting take away from the message?

Now that Rick Perry is out of the race and we can all rest easy knowing he won't be president, it's possible to reflect on the entertainment he's offered as he campaigned for the GOP nomination. The Houston Chronicle has rounded up its picks for the top 10 "Oops" moments, but we want to know your favorite.

What was the most memorable gaffe from Rick Perry's campaign?

Wikipedia, Reddit and other sites went dark to protest anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. Already, three co-sponsors of the bills have withdrawn support.

But what's the best way to measure the effectiveness of the blackout? Was it an effective method of demonstrating opposition to the bills?

SOPA has been shelved indefinitely, but the Senate Protect IP bill is still in play. The Internet has proved to be a powerful force speaking out against SOPA and PIPA. Wikipedia, Reddit and other sites still plan to go dark on Wednesday to protest the proposals, which legislators had tried to push through before the public outcry began.

The current.com community has been tracking updates on SOPA and PIPA. Should the Internet make an effort to keep pressure on Congress in anticipation of future moves like this? With sites like Reddit becoming activist in nature, what other causes could this activism be channeled toward?

Edit: As of Tuesday afternoon, TechCrunch is reporting that SOPA is not, in fact, shelved indefinitely but according to remarks from Rep. Lamar Smith, expected to resume in February.

Tune into "The Young Turks" tonight at 7/6c to hear Reddit general manager Erik Martin talk about SOPA/PIPA. "The Young Turks" re-airs at 10/9c.

The New York Times public editor Arthur Brisbane came under fire for his blog post entitled, "Should the Times be a truth vigilante?"

Cenk Uygur questioned the entire premise of the piece, saying the state of journalism is in trouble when the question needs to be asked whether news reporters should be in the business of fact checking claims made people newsmakers.

Brisbane later updated his piece (the update included a rebuttal from NYT executive editor Jill Abramson), saying the question was misunderstood -- then went ahead and essentially reiterated the same question, writing, "My inquiry related to whether The Times, in the text of news columns, should more aggressively rebut “facts” that are offered by newsmakers when those “facts” are in question. I consider this a difficult question, not an obvious one."

What do you think? Do The New York Times' reporters have an obligation to "more aggressively rebut 'facts' that are offered by newsmakers when those facts are in question?"

Should The New York Times call out politicians on blatantly false claims?

Photo: Getty Images

President Obama has called on businesses to bring jobs home for the sake of the economy during an "Insourcing American Jobs" forum:

 

"I'm calling on those businesses that haven't brought jobs back to take this opportunity to get the American people back to work," Obama said in prepared remarks. "That's how we'll rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded -- and a nation where those values live on."

But outsourcing continues to be attractive to companies that can hire labor more cheaply and offers the ability to shelter profits made overseas from U.S. taxes.

What steps should the U.S. take to get companies to bring jobs back to America and curb outsourcing?

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney rolled to an easy victory, as expected, in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night. And, as "Epic Politics Man" Michael Shure noted during our "Politically Direct 2012" coverage, Romney holds a large lead in South Carolina, the next primary state, and South Carolina has picked the eventual GOP winner since the primary's inception in 1980.

Is Romney the lock for the GOP nomination? What does this mean for the general election and President Obama's chances for re-election, and how could a third-party candidacy from Ron Paul effect things?

(Photo: Getty Images)

Romney was in the lead at the end of the Iowa Caucuses, but Ron Paul is still in the mix and Jon Huntsman has been generating some buzz in the lead up to the New Hampshire primary.

Who do you think will come out ahead?