memeorandum: And the winner is... ...McCain by a landslide! A reader writes in: (Mark Hemingway/The Corner)

12:15 AM ET, April 17, 2008

Top Items:

Hillary Clinton On Southern Working Class Whites In 1995: “Screw 'Em” — During the past week, Sen. Hillary Clinton has presented herself as a working class populist, the politician in touch with small town sentiments, compared to the elitism of her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, MoJoBlog, Pandagon, The Reaction, Hot Air, Spin Cycle, The Carpetbagger Report, Political Machine, Classical Values, Indecision 2008, NewsBusters.org, The New Republic, Swampland and AMERICAblog

The New Republic:

What Did Hillary Say? — Alan Wolfe, a professor of political science and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College, is a contributing editor at The New Republic. — Both Chris Orr and Michael Crowley have brought up Ben Barber's recollection …

Marc Ambinder:

The Score Card — Keeping the score card, there's no way Obama could fared worse. Nearly 45 minutes of relentless political scrutiny from the ABC anchors and from Hillary Clinton, followed by an issues-and-answers session in which his anger carried over and sort of neutered him.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog, JustOneMinute and Spin Cycle

ABCNEWS:

Clinton, Obama Find ‘Brotherly Love’ at Philly Debate — For Clinton, Obama Last Chance to Settle Scores Before Pennsylvania Primary — Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama opened Wednesday's presidential debate on a point of accord: neither would answer head-on whether they'd be willing to name the other as vice president.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Crooks and Liars, MyDD and Political Machine

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

The Fall-Out — I agree largely with Ambers: … It was a lifeless, exhausted, drained and dreary Obama we saw tonight. I've seen it before when he is tired, but this was his worst performance yet on national television. He seemed crushed and unable to react.

Discussion: The Fix, MSNBC and FiveThirtyEight.com

Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama Maintains Lead Heading Into Debate

Discussion: TPM Election Central, MyDD, No More Mister Nice Blog and Decision '08

Josh Drobnyk / Chicago Tribune:
CLINTON'S OFFENDED PA. VOTER - NOT

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, TPM Election Central, Top of the Ticket, Pennsylvania Ave., Don Surber, skippy the bush kangaroo, The Swamp, Marc Ambinder, Weekly Standard Blog, Publius Endures, Spin Cycle, AMERICAblog, Gateway Pundit, Oliver Willis and MSNBC

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Live-Blogging Pennsylvania — 9.51 pm. The big winner is John McCain. Then Clinton who seemed at least awake. Then Obama whose calm was nonetheless trumped by obvious exhaustion. Yes, the Clintons have shredded him. But that's what they know how to do. It's also what the GOP knows how to do.

Discussion: Firedoglake, protein wisdom, Marc Ambinder, Perfunction, Comments from Left Field, Commentary and Viking Pundit

Jonah Goldberg / The Corner:

Tactics Uber Alles — I'm no leftwing blogger, but I can only imagine how furious they must be with the debate so far. Nothing on any issues. Just a lot of box-checking on how the candidates will respond to various Republican talking points come the fall.

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Mark Hemingway / The Corner:

And the winner is... ...McCain by a landslide! A reader writes in: … That jibes with my impression of the debate. My prediction? The debate will be received so badly there will be increased pressure to kick Hillary out of the race. But since Obama was clearly the worse of the two in the debate …

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
After The Freak Show … Josh Marshall: … Dave Weigel:

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Reason Magazine and Publius Endures

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
GIBSON — I guess I'm not enough of a Gibsonologist.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:

Sorry, Charlie: You're Wrong on the Cap Gains Tax — Charlie Gibson really hammered the candidates—both candidates—over their proposals to raise the capital gains tax. Why woudl they do that, he asked, when lowering the cap gains tax during the 1990s raised revenue?

Discussion: American Prospect, The Nation and Wonk Room

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

LIVE DEBATE BLOGGIN' — 8:36 PM ... So I'm coming in a bit late here. I was on the Polk panel this evening at Long Island University, which ended at 8 PM. And rushed home to get here. So what'd I miss? — 8:44 PM ... Hillary: The Republicans are so bad that I have to become one to save the Democratic party.

Glenn Derene / Popular Mechanics:

Mac vs. PC: The Ultimate Lab Test for New Desktops & Laptops — This computer rivalry has been elevated to a cultural divide on par with Pepsi versus Coke. Taking it beyond personal taste, PM crunches the numbers—with some surprising results (and detailed benchmark scores). — Photographs by Lendon Flanagan

Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider

Mosheh Oinounou / Cameron's Corner:

A Hamas problem for Obama? — While Sen. Barack Obama sought to improve his relationship with the Jewish community today by meeting with leaders Philadelphia, comments by a Hamas political adviser this weekend could potentially hurt the Democratic presidential candidate.

Discussion: Hot Air, TownHall Blog, Commentary, Jules Crittenden, Redstate and Counterterrorism Blog

Wil S. Hylton / Men's Fashion, Men's Clothing …:

Newt Gingrich Rewrites History — Newt Gingrich Rewrites History … Ten years ago, Newt Gingrich fled the House of Representatives in a haze of ethics scandals and waning influence. Since then, he has spent much of his time rewriting history—literally—by authoring five historical novels …

Discussion: Donklephant

White House:

President Bush Welcomes His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to White House — Welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI — PRESIDENT BUSH: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: “Pax Tecum.”

Discussion: American Spectator, Political Machine and Wizbang

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Bitter-Fizzle — The latest data from Gallup analyzing the Democratic race among those with less education and income. No meaningful change. The scandal of Obama's alleged elitism seems restricted to ... elites. — If this pans out in the actual primary, then a very large number …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Commentary and Gallup