Top Items:
Olympia Snowe / New York Times:
We Didn't Have to Lose Arlen Specter — IT is disheartening and disconcerting, at the very least, that here we are today — almost exactly eight years after Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party — witnessing the departure of my good friend and fellow moderate Republican …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Power Line, The Corner, Matthew Yglesias, Capitol Briefing, Political Punch, Crooks and Liars, Boston Globe, The Note, Washington Post, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Politico, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, DownWithTyranny!, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Commentary, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, McClatchy Washington Bureau, D-Day, The Hill, progressiverepublican.info, CBS News, Taegan Goddard's …, Democratic Strategist, About.com US Liberal Politics, Think Progress, Eye on 2010, The Washington Independent, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Raw Story, New York Times, TPMDC, Balloon Juice, Los Angeles Times, Firedoglake, Newshoggers.com and Bloomberg
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Peter Hamby / CNN:
Specter defection highlights GOP divide in South Carolina — WASHINGTON (CNN) - In the wake of Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic caucus, Republicans are primed for yet another round of soul-searching and intra-party sniping about the GOP's future.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, The Huffington Post, TPMDC, MoJo Blog Posts, Guardian, Philly.com and Democratic Strategist
Lee Fang / Think Progress:VIDEO REPORT: Conservatives' 100 Days Of Opposition
Discussion:
Progress Illinois
Adam Green / Open Left:Would YOU step up to help a progressive challenger to Specter?
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, Right Wing News, The Bilerico Project and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Obama targets tea bags at town hall — At his 100th-day town hall meeting in St. Louis Wednesday, President Barack Obama took direct aim at the anti-tax “tea party” demonstrations that have cropped up over the last month and took a veiled shot at the Fox News Channel, the cable news network closely associated with the protests.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, RedState, Gateway Pundit, TVNewser and Hot Air
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Byron York / www.washingtonexaminer.com:
The black-white divide in Obama's popularity — On his 100th day in office, Barack Obama enjoys high job approval ratings, no matter what poll you consult. But if a new survey by the New York Times is accurate, the president and some of his policies are significantly less popular …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Matthew Yglesias, The Daily Dish, DISSENTING JUSTICE, The Washington Independent and Townhall.com
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
‘ACTUALLY’.... I've read quite a few columns from Byron York over the years, first during his tenure at the National Review, and more recently as the chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner. I've seen plenty of commentary I strongly disagree with, but none has offended me quite as much as his latest column.
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Investigative Reporter Byron York Exposes Black Support for Democratic President — Byron York engages in a perennial conservative media stunt — breaking down poll numbers between blacks and whites to make the point that Democrats wouldn't be so popular if it wasn't for the 14th Amendment.
David Rogers / The Politico:
Congress passes $3.5T budget plan — Split badly along party lines, Congress approved a five-year budget plan Wednesday that gives President Barack Obama a big leg up toward health care reform but could severely crimp the rest of his domestic agenda unless new savings and revenues are found.
Discussion:
Townhall.com
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Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Exclusive: Utah's Republican Governor Warns GOP Leaders, “You Can't Just Say No” — It's Time for Party to Advance Workable Alternatives Rather Than Block the Door, Gov. Says — With the party reeling from Sen. Arlen Specter's defection, a prominent moderate Republican governor is warning …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Liberal Values, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Taegan Goddard's …
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CNN:
Pelosi tells Republicans to ‘take back their party’ — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Speaker Nancy Pelosi marked President Obama's 100 days in office with some unsolicited advice to Republican voters: “take back your party.” — The California Democrat offered her own analysis of the political environment …
Discussion:
Hot Air
Media Matters Action Network:
Rep. Virginia Foxx Called Matthew Shepard Hate Crime “A Hoax” … Matthew Shepard's Death Was A Hate Crime, Not Simply A Robbery — Rep. Foxx: “The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery.
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Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Steele may lose purse strings — A battle over control of the party's purse strings has erupted at the troubled Republican National Committee, with defenders of Chairman Michael S. Steele accusing dissident RNC members of trying to “embarrass and neuter” the party's new leader.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Philly.com, AMERICAblog News, Politics Daily, The New Republic, pandagon.net and Washington Monthly
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Sydney Morning Herald:
Only 7 swine flu deaths, not 152, says WHO — A member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed claims that more than 150 people have died from swine flu, saying it has officially recorded only seven deaths around the world. — Vivienne Allan, from WHO's patient safety program …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Associated Press, New York Times, BBC, Liberal Values, The Moderate Voice, Pajamas Media and Effect Measure
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David Leonhardt / New York Times:
After the Great Recession — On April 14, President Obama gave a speech at Georgetown University, trying to explain why he was taking on so many economic issues so early in his administration. He argued that the country needed to break its bubble-and-bust cycle and cited the New Testament …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, CBS News, Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Dish, Weekly Standard, Salon, BAGnewsNotes, The American Scene, The Treatment, American Street, Wonk Room, EconLog and TPMCafe
Hugh Hewitt / Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog:
Very Good News For The GOP, And Why President Obama Had Better Worry About Not Becoming Another Arnold — Here's the latest polling on the public's reaction to the massive tax hikes imposed on California by the Dems, Arnold and a handful of tax-loving Republicans led by State Senator Abel Maldonado:
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Peter Hecht / Sacramento Bee:Field Poll: California voters oppose five of six May 19 ballot measures
Discussion:
Hot Air
Patrick / Now! Hampshire:
New Hampshire Senate Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage — The Democratic controlled New Hampshire Senate passed an amended version of the controversial measure to legalize gay marriage today. The vote was 13-11 in favor of the measure. — The House passed a similar measure last month by a 186-179 vote.
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
The Incredible Shrinking GOP: Only 20 Percent Self-Identify As Republican — Okay, this is striking. Earlier this week a Washington Post poll made a big splash because it found that only 21 percent self-identify as Republicans. The abysmally low number got pundits and reporters talking …
Discussion:
Right Wing News
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
The Hill article is true: I'm considering a run at Jane Harman's seat — There was an article in The Hill the other day about Rep. Jane Harman's plight: — Tangled in wiretap, opposed by left, Harman could face tough primary … That is all pretty much correct, but then Aaron Blake had a bit of other news in the story.
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Historian Michele Bachmann Blames FDR's “Hoot-Smalley” Tariffs For Great Depression — Make no mistake: When it comes to economics, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) knows her history — even if that history is from another planet. — On Monday night, our friends at Dump Bachmann reported …
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