Top Items:
Judd Legum / Legum's New Line:
5 Facts About The New RNC Chairman — Former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele was just elected chairman of the RNC. Here are five facts about the new leader of the Republican party: — 1. Steele compared stem cell research to Nazi experiments during the Holocaust.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, MoJoBlog, The New Republic, PoliticalBase.com Blog, Think Progress, The Nation, Pam's House Blend, Marc Ambinder and D-Day
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Steele Elected RNC Chair — The Republican National Committee elected Michael Steele as its first African American chairman today in Washington, a decision that came after an excruciating series of ballots that displayed a level of drama rarely seen in national politics.
Discussion:
Wonkette, The Immoral Minority, Legum's New Line, Balloon Juice, Gawker, American Street and Macsmind
Amanda Carpenter / Townhall.com:
Clintonista Already Dishing Out Oppo Hit Pieces on Steele — Well, that didn't take long. — Hillary Clinton's former research director dished up a nasty hit-piece memo on Michael Steele hours after he was elected the GOP's first black RNC Chairman. — He cites shaky resources like Think Progress …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Steele's victory — Michael Steele makes history as the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, and as a rare winner — at least in part — of an outside game in what is usually an insider's contest. He won with 91 votes, 6 more than he needed, over South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson.
Peter Hamby / CNN:
BREAKING: Steele picked to lead RNC — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Members of the Republican National Committee elected their first-ever African-American party chief on Friday, choosing former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to chair the organization after six rounds of tumultuous balloting.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
The book on Steele — A Democratic source sends over the Maryland Democratic Party's opposition research book from Michael Steele's 2006 race for Senate, which he lost. — You can read the full, 86-page document here. — The book's thrust: He's very conservative, indeed, a …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo: CLARITY — So we've just had a third vote in the RNC chairmanship race.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Affirmative action at the RNC?
Affirmative action at the RNC?
Discussion:
Colorado Independent, Wonkette, Think Progress, The Washington Independent and New York Times
Huma Khan / Political Punch:
Bumps in the Road: Obama's HHS Secretary Nominee Faces Tax Questions Over Car and Driver — ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.
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Robert Pear / The Caucus:
Daschle Nomination Snagged by Back Tax Problem
Daschle Nomination Snagged by Back Tax Problem
Discussion:
Riehl World View
CNN:
Angry senator wants pay cap on Wall Street ‘idiots’ — WASHINGTON (CNN) — One day after President Obama ripped Wall Street executives for their “shameful” decision to hand out $18 billion in bonuses in 2008, Congress may finally have had enough. — An angry U.S. senator introduced legislation Friday …
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CNN:
Giuliani: Corporate plums help keep NYC afloat — NEW YORK (CNN) — Bonuses for Wall Street fat cats are easy political fodder in uncertain economic times, but former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Friday cutting corporate bonuses means slashing jobs in the Big Apple.
Discussion:
MSNBC, Spin Cycle, AMERICAblog News, Bloomberg, New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared and Talking Points Memo
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Giuliani Defends Wall Street Bonuses While Slamming Tax Cuts For The Poor
Giuliani Defends Wall Street Bonuses While Slamming Tax Cuts For The Poor
Satyam Khanna / Think Progress:
Sen. Conrad: 'I'd have a very hard time voting' for recovery package as it stands.» — Earlier today, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) said he is “undecided” on whether to support President Obama's recovery plan. Another “undecided” Democratic senator is Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND).
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Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
Analysis: Stimulus bill that's not all stimulating
Analysis: Stimulus bill that's not all stimulating
Discussion:
RedState
Trish Turner / Fox News:
Influential Senate Dem Questions Party Support for Stimulus Bill
Influential Senate Dem Questions Party Support for Stimulus Bill
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org, TPMDC, The Moderate Voice, Commentary, Power Line, Don Surber and Hot Air
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
What “Belongs” In the Stimulus? — I saw Senator Ben Nelson …
What “Belongs” In the Stimulus? — I saw Senator Ben Nelson …
Discussion:
Ross Douthat
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Why Limbaugh is the new Bush — I've been hunting around for polling data to explain why Democrats are so eager to make Rush Limbaugh the face of the Republican Party, and lo, Mark Blumenthal finds some. — The numbers are pretty clear. When this poll was taken last fall …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Pollster.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, Tennessee Guerilla Women and The Politico
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Adriel Bettelheim / Balance of Power:
Will Opposing the Stimulus Makes Voters See Blue?
Will Opposing the Stimulus Makes Voters See Blue?
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
Joshua Rhett Miller / Fox News:
Unlike Bush's ‘Google Bomb,’ Google Quickly Defuses Obama's — It took four years for Google to address the “Google bomb” that was lobbed at former President Bush. — But it took the Internet behemoth only a few days to defuse the same attack on President Obama.
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dems: House GOP's Stimulus Plan Would Actually Raise Taxes For Many Americans — GOP leaders — led by John Boehner and Eric Cantor — have spent days bashing the economic stimulus package being touted by President Obama and Democrats because it doesn't sufficiently cut taxes.
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The Politico:
GOP fights to keep Gregg in the Senate — Republicans in Washington and New Hampshire are mounting a full-court press to keep Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) in the Senate and out of the Obama administration, aides and senators said Friday. — But if he does take the commerce secretary job …
Ryan J. Donmoyer / Bloomberg:
Richest Americans' Income Doubled as Tax Rate Slashed — Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) — The average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a third to 17.2 percent through the first six years of the Bush administration and their average income doubled to $263.3 million, new IRS data show.
Elder of Ziyon:
Gaza cameraman burned - literally — According to Palestine Today, News photographer Abdul Rahman Al-Khatib received medium-degree burns after he caught fire during coverage of the burning of Israeli and American flags in a march organized by Hamas in Gaza City this afternoon.
Manu Raju / The Politico:
McConnell issues warning to GOP — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a blunt warning to Republicans Thursday: Their party must regain lost supporters plus blacks, Hispanics and voters on both coasts — or risk becoming a permanent minority party with a limited power base.
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