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The MHP Daily: June 11, 2012

We here on the blog have been away for a few days, but the show hasn't -- be sure to check out this past weekend's segments, available in the carousel above.

We here on the blog have been away for a few days, but the show hasn't -- be sure to check out this past weekend's segments, available in the carousel above. And below, you'll find "The MHP Daily," an early-morning list of links you'll now find at the top of this blog every morning to feed the news-hungry politics junkie in all of you before we add our regular blog posts for the day. We hope that you find it useful.

Last week, The Maddow Blog's Steve Benen debunked the Republican lie that the stimulus didn't work. TPM's Brian Beutler today addresses the Republican talking point that "Obamacare" will kill jobs, citing a study that examined its Massachusetts ancestor:

To gauge the likely, actual impact of the law, the Urban Institute prepared a study on the economic impacts of Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health care reforms, which were the inspiration for “Obamacare.”Its conclusion? “Massachusetts achieved its goal of near-universal health insurance coverage under its 2006 health reform initiative, with no indication of negative job consequences relative to other states.”The two laws aren’t identical. But they share so much in common that researchers concluded, based on their findings in Massachusetts, that “national health reform will not lead to job loss or stymied economic growth.”

Could President Obama have trouble with Hispanic voters? Thankfully for him, his opponent has plenty of gaffes to exploit. (See the brand-new ad above from the SEIU and the pro-Obama super-PAC, Priorities USA.)

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce reportedly suffered a seizure before two minor hit-and-run accidents this weekend.

No matter who wins Mexico's presidential election, they'll be addressing the "war on drugs" very differently.

The Atlantic's Molly Ball asks, "Is anyone boring enough to be Mitt Romney's running mate?"

Find out why Texas Governor (and erstwhile presidential candidate) Rick Perry was booed in his home state by fellow Republicans.

Dahlia Lithwick on why the Supreme Court's media shyness is a real problem for all of us.

Five (other) "Stand Your Ground" cases you should know about, one of which is the Bo Morrison case we've profiled previously.

Mother Jones profiles Jim Messina, the "campaign rat" who's running the Obama re-election effort. They also add a hilarious quiz.

The new French First Lady is a journalist, and her decision to remain so is a controversial one.

Natasha Tretheway is America's newest poet laureate, and one of its youngest ever.