memeorandum: Analysis: House GOP hits new low, faces bleak Nov. (The Hill)

2:31 PM ET, May 14, 2008

Top Items:

This Is an Ex-Candidate — C ustomer: “Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.” — Pet-shop owner: “No, no he's not dead, he's — he's resting! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue, isn't it, aye? Beautiful plumage!”

Discussion: Liberal Values, The Carpetbagger Report, GINA COBB, American Spectator and AMERICAblog

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

UPCOUNTRY — If the exit polls (and the pre-election polls) are accurate, Hillary Clinton is set to win West Virginia by roughly a 2 to 1 margin over Barack Obama. Oregon, next Tuesday, favors Obama. But Kentucky, which votes the same day, seems likely to yield a similar margin for Sen. Clinton.

Discussion: Gawker, Washington Monthly, The Carpetbagger Report, American Street, The Other McCain, TalkLeft and PoliGazette

Byron York / The Corner:

Obama and the Flag Pin — I've always thought the flag-pin controversy was a non-issue, and I had no problem with Barack Obama, like John McCain, not wearing one. But I would like to know why Obama has now started wearing one. He has apparently worn a flag pin in his most recent appearances in West Virginia, Missouri, and Michigan.

Discussion: The New Republic and Commentary

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
After Lopsided Loss, Obama Woos Blue-Collar Voters

Discussion: Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Open Left and JammieWearingFool

Mark R. Levin / The Corner:
Behind the Flag — The flag pin issue is important to …

Discussion: The Daily Dish and Commentary

Ruben Navarrette Jr / CNN: Navarrette: No racism in the presidential election?

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
The Creative Class' Condescension Towards Clinton Democrats

Discussion: The Opinionator, TPM Election Central and Taylor Marsh

Marc Ambinder:
Local GOP's Obama Bracketing

Discussion: Eunomia

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Obama defeat amplifies race, rural problems

Discussion: The Caucus, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Carpetbagger Report, New York Times, The Mahablog, Guardian Unlimited and Comments from Left Field

The Hill:

Analysis: House GOP hits new low, faces bleak Nov. — The sky is falling on House Republicans and there is no sign of it letting up. — The GOP loss in Mississippi's special election Tuesday is the strongest sign yet that the Republican Party is in shambles.

Discussion: The Swamp, Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, The Opinionator, The Crypt's Blogs, Swing State Project, The Other McCain, Democratic Strategist, Connecting.the.Dots, AMERICAblog, Mercury Rising, Clarion-Ledger and CNN

Reid Wilson / Real Clear Politics:

GOP Stunned By Loss in Mississippi — In a major blow to national Republicans, a Mississippi congressional seat that once voted for President Bush by a twenty-five point margin elected a Democrat on Tuesday. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers beat out Republican candidate Greg Davis …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Politics Nation, Hot Air, Marc Ambinder, Eunomia, Sister Toldjah, Power Line, Reason Magazine, HorsesAss.Org, The Strata-Sphere and Crunchy Con

Mike Allen / Associated Press: Hillary's ‘almost heaven’ - Signs of a coming GOP cataclysm

Patrick O'Connor / The Crypt's Blogs:
No change at NRCC ‘yet’

Discussion: Swing State Project, The Carpetbagger Report, The Swamp and Gateway Pundit

Mark Krikorian / The Corner:
We Are Totally Frakked — If the GOP can't hold on to a House seat …

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Adam Nossiter / New York Times:
Democrat Wins House Seat in Mississippi

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
HOUSE GOPERS STOMPING MAD OVER PROSPECTS

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Crypt's Blogs

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog:

Go away you horrible human being — IT'S NOT CLOSE. YOU FREAKING LOST THE NOMINATION, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? — Good God. What is wrong with her? The Clintons and their campaign staff don't give a damn that they are now hurting our electoral chances in the fall against McCain and against the Republicans in Congress.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Shakesville, The Campaign Spot, NO QUARTER and The Strata-Sphere

Marc Ambinder:

Good Timing For Jim Webb — How 'bout that? Sen. Jim Webb's new book will be released on May 15, just as reporters like me start to speculate about his chances of becoming Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential nominee. — “A Time To Fight: Reclaiming a Just And Fair America” …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and race42008.com

Ed OKeefe / Political Radar:

Obama Gaffes on Iraq and Afghanistan — ABC News' David Wright and Sunlen Miller Report: Sporting a shiny new American flag pin at an appearance in Rush Limbaugh's hometown, Sen. Barack Obama came up with some novel reasons why the U.S. may be struggling in the war in Afghanistan.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, TownHall Blog, Commentary, Don Surber, NO QUARTER, Redstate, Sister Toldjah and PrestoPundit

Nina Bernstein / New York Times:

Italian's Detention Illustrates Dangers Foreign Visitors Face — He was a carefree Italian with a recent law degree from a Roman university. She was “a totally Virginia girl,” as she puts it, raised across the road from George Washington's home. Their romance, sparked by a 2006 meeting …

Discussion: Reason Magazine, Blue Girl, Red State, Amygdala and Balkinization

James Pitkin / Willamette Week:

Six Minutes With Barack — The Democratic Presidential frontrunner talks timber payments, Gordon Smith and of course tattoos. — Sen. Barack Obama once remarked on the long odds of a “skinny guy from the South Side with a funny name” finding success in American politics.

Discussion: The Swamp, Wonkette, TownHall Blog, Top of the Ticket and The Page

Quinnipiac University:

Obama, Clinton Both Top McCain In November Face-Off, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Most Democrats Back Obama-Clinton ‘dream Ticket’ — Either one of the two Democratic contenders, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama or New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, leads the likely Republican presidential nominee …

Discussion: TPM Election Central, Boston Globe, The Swamp, Real Clear Politics and Liberal Values

Washington Post:

Some Detainees Are Drugged For Deportation — Immigrants Sedated Without Medical Reason — The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country …

Discussion: Wonkette, TalkLeft, American Street, The Raw Story, TPMMuckraker, On Deadline, Shakesville and Blue Girl, Red State

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Tom Friedman's latest declaration of war — (updated below w/correction - Update II) — Today's a very exciting day in America. Our nation's most Serious foreign policy expert, the brilliant Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, has today declared our latest new war: … So congratulations to us.

Discussion: New York Times, Commentary and abu muqawama

CNN:

Rendell: Obama should ask Clinton to be VP — (CNN)-Governor Ed Rendell's name has recently come up as a potential running mate for Barack Obama, but the Pennslyvania Governor said Wednesday, why settle for a Clinton supporter when you can have the real deal.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder

Jason Linkins / The Huffington Post:

Rumsfeld On 2006 Election: “The Correction For That...Is An Attack” — An ongoing exploration of the documents related to the Pentagon's “message force multipliers” program has unearthed a clip of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggesting that America, having voted the Democrats …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Democrats.com, Newshoggers.com, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Politico and American Street

Jeff G. / protein wisdom:

Guilt by association by association (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the ill-fated Greenwich Village nail bomb, part 2) — More on the New Left and fascism from Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism (aside to sashal: see here): … — I guess I could pause here to note that Horowitz seems …