Top Items:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid's Specter deal stirs senior Dems' anger — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) deal to allow Sen. Arlen Specter to retain his seniority after he switches to the Democratic Conference has not been received well by senior senators in the party. — Several Democrats are furious …
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John / Power Line:
John Cornyn: What the Specter Switch Means — Senator John Cornyn of Texas wrote these observations on the significance of Arlen Specter's defection for Power Line: … Senator Cornyn is Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
New York Times:
G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One? — WASHINGTON — A fundamental debate broke out among Republicans on Wednesday over how to rebuild the party in the wake of Senator Arlen Specter's departure: Should it purge moderate voices like Mr. Specter and embrace its conservative roots …
Brad Jackson / The New Ledger:
Is the NRSC Going to Abandon Toomey? — NRSC Vice-Chairman Orrin Hatch said today that he doesn't believe former Congressman Pat Toomey has a chance to beat newly turned Democrat Arlen Specter in next year's Senate race in Pennsylvania. Hatch even suggested that the NRSC may seek to recruit a candidate to run against Toomey.
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Specter defection highlights GOP divide in South Carolina
Specter defection highlights GOP divide in South Carolina
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Politico, The Huffington Post, Democratic Strategist, Matthew Yglesias, Guardian, MoJo Blog Posts, TPMDC and Philly.com
Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Inhofe: Specter switch foreshadows 2010 GOP landslide
Inhofe: Specter switch foreshadows 2010 GOP landslide
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Will GOP Sleep Through Wake-Up Call?
Will GOP Sleep Through Wake-Up Call?
Discussion:
Capitol Briefing, CBS News, Climate Progress, AMERICAblog News, Wall Street Journal, Taegan Goddard's …, MSNBC and The Fix
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 …
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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
Investigative Reporter Byron York Exposes Black Support for Democratic President
Discussion:
Obsidian Wings
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:
Hot Air, Nice Deb, The Swamp, RedState, NewsBusters.org, Gateway Pundit, TVNewser, Raw Story, Washington Monthly, The Powers That Be, Daily Kos, American Power and Pundit & Pundette
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Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:
Obama To Fox News And Tea Baggers: 'Let's Not Play Games'
Obama To Fox News And Tea Baggers: 'Let's Not Play Games'
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
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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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 …
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CNN:
GOP set to launch rebranding effort — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Coming soon to a battleground state near you: a new effort to revive the image of the Republican Party and to counter President Obama's characterization of Republicans as “the party of ‘no.’” — CNN has learned that the new initiative …
Calvin Woodward / Associated Press:
FACT CHECK: Obama disowns deficit he helped shape — WASHINGTON - “That wasn't me,” President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One. It actually was him — and the other Democrats controlling Congress …
Discussion:
PERRspectives
Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
N.H. Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill — CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Senate voted narrowly on Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage, paving the way for the state to potentiallybecome the fifth in the nation — and the third this month — to allow gay couples to wed.
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Peter Hecht / Sacramento Bee:
Field Poll: California voters oppose five of six May 19 ballot measures — Voters strongly oppose five special election measures being sold as a budget-reform elixir for California's burgeoning $40 billion deficit. — But voters in a new Field Poll overwhelmingly support a measure …
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New York Times:
President Obama's 100th-Day Press Briefing — Following is a transcript of President Obama's press briefing as he marks his 100th day in office, as transcribed by Federal News Service. — PRESIDENT OBAMA: Before we begin to tonight, I just want to provide everyone with a few brief updates …
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, 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 …
Alex Leo / The Huffington Post:
CNN Story On Obama's “Swagga” The Most Embarrassing Ever? (VIDEO) — We all expect a bit of fluff from cable news considering they have 24 hours a day to fill and there are only so many events to be “rocked” by, but when we hit a point at which CNN is spending Obama's 100th day in office “assessing his swagga” something is amiss.
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 …
STRATFOR:
A Chilling Effect on U.S. Counterterrorism — Over the past couple of weeks, we have been carefully watching the fallout from the Obama administration's decision to release four classified memos from former President George W. Bush's administration that authorized “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
Discussion:
Israel Matzav
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 …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, DownWithTyranny!, Indecision Forever, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo, City Pages and Matthew Yglesias