Top Items:
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Racial tensions roil Democratic race — A series of comments from Senator Hillary Clinton, her husband, and her supporters are spurring a racial backlash and adding a divisive edge to the presidential primary as the candidates head south to heavily African-American South Carolina.
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Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Bill Clinton: Obama's Candidacy Isn't The “Fairy Tale” — But His War Opposition Is — Bill Clinton just appeared on Al Sharpton's radio show, and was asked about his statements in New Hampshire that the media was pushing a “fairy tale” about Obama's candidacy.
Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Poll: McCain gets 21-point bump after victory — CNN Deputy Political Director — WASHINGTON (CNN) — John McCain's victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary appears to be paying off. — The senator from Arizona is the front-runner in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination …
Media Matters for America:
Does Chris Matthews have a problem with women? — Using overtly sexist language, he has referred to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) as a “she devil” and compared her to a “strip-teaser." He has called her “witchy” and likened her voice to “fingernails on a blackboard.”
Discussion:
TalkLeft, Sweet Jesus …, The Reaction, Group News Blog, Cliff Schecter, Orcinus, Feministing and Shakespeare's Sister
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The Raw Story:
Accused of misogyny, Matthews hits back at ‘View’ hosts — Responding to criticism of his perceived misogyny from the hosts of The View, MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews delivered a lengthy, condescending tirade reiterating his suggestion that Hillary Clinton's political career is precipitated …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Group News Blog, Cogitamus, Whiskey Fire, Cliff Schecter, South Texas Chisme and TVNewser
Jane Smiley / The Huffington Post:
Shut Up, Larry — When I read Lawrence O'Donnell's post calling John Edwards a “loser” and threatening a lifetime of infamy if he doesn't get out of the race, I immediately went to O'Donnell's bio to see his party affiliation. I was sure it would say “R” — but it didn't. It didn't say anything.
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Lawrence O'Donnell / The Huffington Post:
John Edwards is a loser. He has won exactly two elections in his life and lost 31. Only one of his wins and all of his losses were in presidential primaries and caucuses. He remains perfectly positioned to continue to lose with a Kucinich-like consistency. Nothing but egomania keeps Edwards in the race now.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, Liberal Values, QandO, Firedoglake, Redstate, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah and PSoTD
Marc Ambinder:
The Daily Five: Giuliani Loses His National Finance Chair — 1. It's not a good sign that Giuliani's senior staff have decided to work without paychecks, and there is no way to spin it otherwise. The amount of money that's involved is miniscule: about $50,000 per month.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, NewsBusters.org, The Politico, CNN, GreenMountainPolitics1, Power Line, race42008.com and Eunomia
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Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Clinton Aide: Obama Is For People Who Want “Imaginary Hip Black Friend” — An anonymous Clinton adviser made an interesting comment to The Guardian, explaining the difference between Hillary supporters and Obama supporters. — “If you have a social need, you're with Hillary,” the aide said.
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Ariel Alexovich / The Caucus:
D.L.C. Leaders Cut Edwards Out — As would be expected, the two gentlemen from the Democratic Leadership Council on a conference call today told reporters they're very confident in their party's chances of reclaiming the White House, they're happy that substantive issues are being discussed ...
Rick Hasen / Election Law:
BREAKING NEWS: SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE THIS TERM — In a just released order, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear Davis v. FEC, involving a challenge to the constitutionality of the Millionaire's Provision of BCRA. I had predicted that the Court would hear the case.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
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Eugene Volokh / The Volokh Conspiracy:
THE AD MS. MAGAZINE REFUSED TO RUN: — The message, I take it, is pretty clear — “Feminists should like the way women are treated in Israeli life,” coupled with the pretty strong implication of “... and look how favorably it compares on this score to Israel's enemies.”
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Mysterious crowd suddenly stopped Bhutto's car, officer says — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two new reports on the assassination last month of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto suggest that the killing may have been an ambitious plot rather than an isolated act of violence and that the government …
Discussion:
At-Largely
Salon:
“We're all fascists now” — Along those lines, you write, “What is fascist is the notion that in an organic national community, the individual has no right not to be healthy; and the state therefore has the obligation to force us to be healthy for our own good.”
Discussion:
Think Progress
Matt / Think Progress:
Ricks: Baghdad Only Seems ‘Peaceful’ Because 2006 Was ‘Pure Hell’ — Discussing the one-year anniversary of President Bush's call for the “surge” on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann last night, Washington Post Pentagon reporter Thomas Ricks said that, “judged on the terms …
Discussion:
Center for American …, Liberty Street, QandO, Yahoo! News, Firedoglake and Weekly Standard
Alex Koppelman / Salon:
“We're all fascists now” — Jonah Goldberg is not a popular man among liberals. The son of Lucianne Goldberg, the literary agent who played a pivotal role in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, he already had that as a strike against him when he began his career as a conservative political commentator in the late 1990s.
Discussion:
Sadly, No!, Shakespeare's Sister, toohotfortnr, Vox Popoli, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Liberal Fascism