In this week’s issue of The Nation, we detailed the ways in which President Obama could move the country forward without having to deal with our largely dysfunctional Congress. Along with our own ideas, we published suggestions from our readers. Robert Salzberg added a suggestion we hadn’t included. 

Robert Salzberg: 

I am quite surprised that The Nation didn’t include FHFA reforms that could be done by replacing DeMarco with someone more friendly to President Obama’s agenda.  Housing reforms could lead the way to stability for middle income families.thenation.com

Also this week, our readers shared George Zornick’s disappointment with the Senate Democrats’ failure to pass any meaningful filibuster reform. 

mjw1952: 

This should never have happened. They had the American people behind them, they are too afraid of what ifs. I can guarantee that when the republicans get back control of the Senate they will institute stricter filibuster rules.thenation.com

On twitter, one reader tried their hand at answering John Nichols’ question, “Why Do ‘Pro-Life’ Pols like Paul Ryan Protect Weapons of Mass Murder?” 

Every Fetus Needs a Glock? @thenation Why do self-proclaimed "pro-life" politicians like @PaulRyanVP protect weapons of mass murder?Vyan

One reader was heartened by Lee Fang’s “Obama’s First Term Was Shaped by Clashes With Big Business Interests” but wanted to see more. 

Paula Lindell: 

This is very encouraging and what many of the President’s original supporters have been hoping for.  Now, along these same lines, it would be wonderful to see the Administration dump the testing-industrial education "reform" lobby and return to a sensible approach to supporting our nation’s schools, educators and students.  To this end, the President needs to bring back  a knowledgeable education leader such as Linda Darling-Hamond, his 2008 campaign education adviser, as Secretary of Education, and thus bring some actual field experience to the position.thenation.com

Finally, in response to Greg Mitchell’s “Colbert Tests Bigelow on ‘Zero Dark Thirty’–in Unaired Parts of His Interview,” readers continued the debate over Zero Dark Thirty. 

Beethoven1: 

Great article Mr Mitchell. It does make one wonder why those particular questions Colbert asked were "edited" out.  You know, I grew up in this country buying into everything I was told at school how the U.S. was such a great country and did all of these great things in the world.  As an adult, I have read the unvarnished truth of what really happened in the past which contradicts much of the cherry picked fairy tales I was told in school and realize that all of us citizens of the U.S. have been subject to a significant level of brainwashing propaganda.  This movie sounds like it is part and parcel to such propaganda.   I guess the powers that be don’t trust the people of this nation to see the truth but rather favor pulling the wool over our eyes. I find it ironic that the people in the U.S.  make fun of the phony patriotism forced in  countries like North Korea and the former Soviet Union and China for that matter when the U.S. does the very same thing.  It’s more subdued here so people aren’t pointing a gun at us saying, Sing the National Anthem at sporting events or else, but that phony propaganda machine is alive and well right here in the good old USA.thenation.com