Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of October 26, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11 am.

Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images
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1. Texas vs. Election Observers (link)

The State of Texas is taking on the international community, and I am pretty proud of it.

On Tuesday, Abbott warned the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, a division of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, that elections observers could not circumvent Texas’ election laws and enter polling places. He promised to prosecute anyone in violation of state law, including observers who come within 100 feet of polling places. He added that he wasn’t sure “what [the OSCE’s] monitoring is intended to achieve.”

In response the OSCE asked Clinton’s office to “to ensure the OSCE’s election observers are not ‘restrained in their activities’ while in the State of Texas,” according to Abbott’s office.

On Thursday, Abbott reaffirmed his position that the observers would be held to the same standards as all others.

“It appears that OSCE is under the misimpression that the State Department can somehow help its representatives circumvent the Texas Election Code,” he wrote. “OSCE monitors are expected to follow that law like everyone else.”

Abbott closed the letter by saying that the observers may be better served if they were dispatched to another state if they didn’t intend to “follow the laws that govern everyone else present in the State of Texas, including the voters who elect our State’s leaders.”

“Please work with the OSCE to ensure they agree to comply with Texas law,” he wrote. “If they refuse to do so, OSCE’s representatives may be subject to legal consequences associated with any violations of state law.”

I'm glad that the Texas Attorney General is sticking to his guns on this. This group reportedly has met with Democrats about states they feel will infringe on people's rights. Texas was picked because of the Voter ID law that was passed in the state. There is no reason to have these people in Texas.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will appear on The Chad Hasty Show today at 9:05am.

2. Obama Oppressed by the Man When Trying to Vote (link)

The Obama administration has spent a lot of time attacking and suing states over Voter ID laws. Yesterday, the President saw first hand just how terrible and oppressive showing an ID can be.

President Barack Obama was asked for photo identification before he could cast his ballot Thursday in Chicago.

Obama voted at 4:20 p.m. local time, “punching his choices into a touch-screen machine after signing forms and showing his driver’s license,” according to the White House press pool report.

“Now ignore the fact that there’s no gray hair on that picture,” he told the elections official. “I’m just glad I renewed my driver’s license.”

Obama also encouraged Americans to take advantage of early voting.

“For all of you who have not yet early voted, I just want everybody to see what an incredibly efficient process this was thanks to the outstanding folks who are at this particular polling place,” Obama said.

“This was really convenient,” he added, referring to the early voting process. “I can’t tell you who I voted for. But I very much appreciate everybody here. It’s good to be home back in the neighborhood.”

Oh... wait, you're telling me it was simple and a breeze? I thought showing an ID was oppressive, racist, hateful, demeaning, and aimed at preventing people from voting? Oh well.

3. Romney Targeting Ohio (link)

The Romney campaign is going all-out in Ohio, the state that could propel him into the White House. According to The Wall Street Journal:

Signaling the state is a must-have part of his strategy to win the White House, Mr. Romney and his running mate are returning again and again—Mr. Romney crammed in three appearances Thursday. Romney forces this week are spending more on advertisements in Ohio than in any other state. And they are deploying multiple messages in a state as diverse as the nation.

"We've got to make sure we win here in Ohio, and when we do, we're going to take back the White House," Mr. Romney said at a rally in Worthington, a suburb of Columbus.

Romney aides believe Mr. Bush's 2004 victory in Ohio gives them a road map to winning the state's 18 Electoral College votes. One big factor is raw turnout and enthusiasm among the Buckeye State's rural areas and social conservatives.

The Romney team sees President Barack Obama's win in 2008 as having more to do with depressed GOP enthusiasm for Sen. John McCain than it did a surge of enthusiasm for Mr. Obama.

Romney has about 12 days to convince the people in Ohio that he is the one that can turn things around for this country. No Republican has won the White House without Ohio, but I could still see Romney winning the election without Ohio. Still, it would be nice to have the state go red. If Romney loses Ohio he would have to flip a couple of states from leaning blue to red. It could happen, but I'd prefer a landslide.

4. Texas Can Defund Planned Parenthood (link)

Yesterday the 5th Circuit Court ruled in favor of Texas against Planned Parenthood. The ruling means Texas can and will defund abortion affiliates in the state. According to KFYO News:

The 5th Circuit Court denied a request from Planned Parenthood for reconsideration from the court’s August ruling that allows Texas law to defund abortion affiliates.

Governor Perry said, “Today’s ruling affirms yet again that in Texas the Women’s Health Program has no obligation to fund Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform or promote abortion. In Texas we choose life, and we will immediately begin defunding all abortion affiliates to honor and uphold that choice.”

The 5th Court ruled back in August of this year that the State of Texas were allowed to defund health clinics which are associated with Planned Parenthood, an abortion provider.

The ruling was a reversal of a lower court’s injunction which stopped Texas from defunding the clinics.

Thoughts?

Other Top Stories:

These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11 am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.

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