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Frank Newport / Gallup:
Obama Has Upper Hand in Stimulus Fight — Obama's 67% approval rating on the stimulus is more than twice that of Republicans — USA - Congress - Democrats - Government and Politics - Leadership - Republicans - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America
Discussion:
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Washington Post:
Republicans See Long-Term Victory in Defeat on Stimulus Plan — Three months after their Election Day drubbing, Republican leaders see glimmers of rebirth in the party's liberation from an unpopular president, its selection of its first African American chairman and, most of all …
CNN:
Obama's approval is high — but the stimulus isn't as popular — WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new national poll suggests that three out of four Americans approve of the job Barack Obama's doing as President — but the economic stimulus package he's trying to push through Congress is not nearly as popular.
Byron York / www.dcexaminer.com:
The Happy Party — (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) They took a beating in November, but now, in the stimulus fight, Republicans are smiling again. — You see it all over Capitol Hill, in the hallways, the hearing rooms, the gathering spots. Republicans, coming off a devastating, across-the-board electoral defeat, are ... happy.
Joe Sudbay / AMERICAblog News:On handling the stimulus: 67% approval vs. 31% approval
Discussion:
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Ross Douthat:
The Trouble With Centrism — The liberals are angry, and not without reason. You can imagine a world in which “centrist” Senators used their awesome deal-making powers to forge compromises that incorporate ideas from the left and right alike. A world in which moderate “gangs,” …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Megan McArdle, D-Day, Marginal Revolution, The New Republic, TalkLeft, Newshoggers.com, Hot Air and Democratic Strategist
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Arlen Specter / Washington Post:
Why I Support the Stimulus — I am supporting the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action. — The unemployment figures announced Friday, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking make it clear that failure to act …
Bloomberg:
U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailouts as Senate Votes — Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) — The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government's commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation's home mortgages.
Wall Street Journal:
Amazon Raises an E-Book Specter — Amazon.com Inc. is announcing a new version of its Kindle e-book reader on Monday. And, in a sign that the electronic book is gaining clout in the publishing world, Amazon is also expected to say it has acquired a new work by best-selling novelist Stephen King …
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Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit a Smaller Audience — When US Airways Flight 1549 glided safely onto the Hudson River last month, Newsweek did what news organizations have done for more than a century — it sent reporters and photographers to the scene. Considerable effort yielded …
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Obama's Unscreened Town Hall Audience Is Clean Break From Bush's Supporters-Only Public Events — Today, President Obama hosted a town hall meeting in Elkhart, IN — which faces the nation's fastest-rising unemployment rate — to promote his recovery and reinvestment plan.
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Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Stumps for Stimulus in a City Hit Hard by Downturn — ELKHART, Ind. — President Obama took his case for an $800 billion economic recovery package to one of the most distressed places in America on Monday as he opened a series of campaign-style events intended to press Congress to approve the plan by week's end.
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Mimi Hall / USA Today:Obama to visit job-starved Elkhart, Indiana
Discussion:
Hot Air, White House Watch, New York Times, The Moderate Voice, Indianapolis Star and Associated Press
Daily Mail:
High-ranking Foreign Office diplomat arrested over anti-Semitic gym tirade … A high-ranking diplomat at the Foreign Office has been arrested after allegations that he launched a foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade. — Middle East expert Rowan Laxton, 47, was watching TV reports of the Israeli attack …
New York Post:
IT'S A RECESSION NOT A ‘CATASTROPHE’ — PRESIDENT Obama, writing in The Washington Post, said, “By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression.” But how would we know if and when this crisis is really more “deep and dire” than others?
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John Feehery / The Politico:
A letter to Rush Limbaugh — Congratulations! You have been selected by the Obama administration, the mainstream media and 20 million of your most passionate followers to be the new head of the Republican Party. — As such, you are given all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a true political leader.
John B. Taylor / Wall Street Journal:
How Government Created the Financial Crisis — Research shows the failure to rescue Lehman did not trigger the fall panic. — Many are calling for a 9/11-type commission to investigate the financial crisis. Any such investigation should not rule out government itself as a major culprit.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
People Hate Republicans — It seems that conservative legislators are really excited about their efforts to block efforts at an economic recovery package: … The public is less entranced by this behavior: — I'm not surprised to see most Republican legislators acting this way.
Max Blumenthal / Blogs and Stories:
Porn Star for Senate — An Interview with the Porn Star Running Against Sen. David Vitter by Max Blumenthal — Blogs and Stories — Sen. David Vitter's phone number was found in the records of the notorious D.C. madam. Now he faces re-election (and massive karmic payback) against a sultry adult entertainer named Stormy.
Discussion:
The Raw Story
Eric Boehlert / Media Matters:
Does CNN's John King think construction work is done pro bono? — Apparently. Because asking questions about the stimulus bill, King, perfectly echoing GOP talking points, wonders if a construction project one mayor is proposing (a community wave pool) will actually create jobs.
Henri E. Cauvin / Washington Post:
Steele Defends Payment to Sister — RNC Chairman Says Campaign Costs Were Legitimate and Documented — Michael S. Steele, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, said yesterday that there was nothing improper in a payment of more than $37,000 to his sister's company for work …
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MSNBC
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Mickey Kaus / Kausfiles:
kf Goes In the Tank — I saw my friend and Slate contributor Tom Geoghegan speak in L.A. at a fundraiser for his Congressional run. ** He wasn't as good as I expected. He was much better. The joy of Geoghegan is that he usually has a big interesting new theory, often a (dare I say it) contrarian one.
Chicago Tribune:
Roland Burris received about $1.2 million in loans from businessman during gubernatorial bid — Illinois senator repaid only about $6,000 to businessman Joseph Stroud, state records show — Roland Burris, Illinois' newest senator, likes to talk about his years of service to the people …
Discussion:
JammieWearingFool
Mary Katharine Ham / Weekly Standard:
Activists Left Hoping for Change at Obama's Stimulus Parties — When Obama supporters gathered this weekend to build support for the first major legislation of the new president's tenure, those who had campaigned for change found themselves talking about something unexpected— politics as usual.
Discussion:
Mercury News
Jerry Seper / Washington Times:
16 illegals sue Arizona rancher — Claim violation of rights as they crossed his land — An Arizona man who has waged a 10-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal immigrants from crossing his property is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals who accuse him of conspiring to violate …
Joseph Curl / Washington Times:
‘Doom’ talk scored as ‘not presidential’ — Poses risk for ‘Yes, we can’ candidate — From crisis to catastrophe. Off a cliff. Dark, darker, darkest. Mortal danger of absolute collapse. Armageddon. — President Obama and top Democrats on Capitol Hill are deploying …
Shane Goldmacher / Sacramento Bee:
Whitman boots up campaign for governor — Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman officially submitted her bid to explore a run for governor on Monday. — The move by the billionaire businesswoman sets up what's expected to be an expensive, 17-month auction between herself …
Toby Harnden / Telegraph:
Barack Obama is a novice - and it shows — After a rocky start, the new President knows he has to seize back the political agenda, says Toby Harnden. — During last year's epic election campaign, Hillary Clinton said that in the White House “there is no time for on-the-job training”.
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Josh_Painter's blog
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