memeorandum: Governor Palin, You're No Hillary Clinton (Nate Silver/FiveThirtyEight)

7:45 PM ET, July 27, 2009

Top Items:

GOP headache: The birther issue — When lawmakers return home for recess in August, they can expect to hear tough questions from constituents on the economy, health care and government spending. — But Republicans are preparing for something else: the birthers.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, D-Day, Don Surber, PoliGazette, New York Magazine, Newshoggers.com, Salon, Riehl World View, Washington Monthly, Dr. Melissa Clouthier and Democracy in America

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:

Mike Stark on Capitol Hill: Know Your Birthers — Mike Stark has been up on the Hill all week whipping Democrats to hold fast on the public plan, and in his spare time, he decided to ask Republicans if Barack Obama was born in the United States. Not only do they not want to answer — they run.

Discussion: Think Progress, Balloon Juice, Wonkette, Raw Story and Stop The ACLU

Wen Stephenson / WBUR and NPR:

The Fury of the ‘Birthers’ — A detail of President Barack Obama's birth certificate, from The Annenberg Political Fact Check (FactCheck.org), a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. — Post your comments below — President Barack Obama turns 48 next week.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, NewsBusters.org, Political Punch, Hot Air, Prairie Weather, About.com Conservative …, The Caucus and Balloon Juice

Mike Stark / The Huffington Post:

Elected Birthers on the Hill — Thanks to FireDogLake and Campaign Silo for giving me the opportunity to do this work! — Check out this video: several Republican Congressman tell me they don't believe Barack Obama is an American. Several dodge the question.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Indecision Forever and HorsesAss.Org

The Politico:

GOP headache: The birther issue — So far, Hoekstra hasn't faced any such questions. — “When you're in a state with 15.2 percent unemployment,” he said, “most people have other things on their mind than this.” — But as if to illustrate the touchiness of the subject, Hoekstra quickly added: “Not that this isn't important.”

Discussion: TPMDC, Hot Air, QandO, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Think Progress and Ta-Nehisi Coates

Thers / Whiskey Fire:

It's OK, I'm Over You — The Politico informs us that the birthers are giving the GOP “headaches.” Like I said last week, I don't see why fringe crazies like should worry too much about fringe crazies making them look like fringe crazies, and what isn't crazy about the GOP nowadays?

Discussion: Think Progress, Talking Points Memo and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Inhofe Clarifies Claim That Birthers “Have A Point,” Blames White House

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Grasping Reality …, Ben Smith's Blog and The Washington Independent

Daniel Libit / The Politico:
Birther leader: GOP is with me

Discussion: The Washington Independent

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Gibbs: Birther conspiracy theory is ‘made-up, fictional nonsense.’

Discussion: The Plum Line

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Breaking: Inhofe Does Not Question Obama's Legitimacy As President

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Political Carnival and Daily Kos

Radley Balko / Reason:

The Henry Louis Gates “Teaching Moment” — The arrest of Harvard African-American Studies Professor Henry Louis Gates has certainly got everyone talking. Unfortunately, everyone's talking about the wrong issue. — Responding to a 911 call from a woman who observed Gates prying open …

Discussion: CNN, The Opinionator, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Slate, The Agitator, Scared Monkeys, Cold Fury, Balloon Juice, Moe Lane, Hullabaloo and And So it Goes in Shreveport

Boston Globe:

Gates caller says she didn't cite race — Woman laments media accounts — The woman whose report of a possible house break-in led to the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. said she never mentioned race during her 911 call and is “personally devastated” …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Pajamas Media, RealClearPolitics Video Log, Riehl World View, Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, alicublog, Boston Weather …, New York Post and NewsBusters.org

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

A Straw In The Wind In Favor Of Gates — Interesting - the 911 caller asserts, and the Cambridge Police confirm, that she didn't mention the race of the suspected in-breakers when she made the 911 call. Gates had made a similar claim to the effect that the caller could not have seen …

Discussion: ABCNEWS and ParaPundit

Boston Globe:
Officer said Gates was uncooperative

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Gothamist and Don Surber

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

House Dem Putting GOPers On The Spot By Introducing Measure Describing Hawaii As Obama's Birthplace — Okay, this is getting really good. Dem Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii is going to introduce a resolution on the House floor today that seems designed to put House GOPers who are flirting with birtherism in a jam.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Think Progress, Open Congress, Daily Kos, D-Day, Newshoggers.com, Hot Air and TPMDC

Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:

Bachmann blocks resolution declaring Hawaii to be Obama's birthplace. — Today, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) introduced a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood. The resolution also proclaims the state as President Obama's birthplace, a point …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Open Congress, Wonkette and The Political Carnival

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Governor Palin, You're No Hillary Clinton — Over at Pollster.com, Brendan Nyhan (whom you should be reading) espouses a fairly common sentiment: that Sarah Palin's favorability numbers, while poor, are not a whole heck of a lot worse than Hillary Clinton's were at the same point in the electoral cycle.

Discussion: The Daily Dish and Brendan Nyhan

Martina Stewart / CNN:
Republican: Palin is another Huckabee

Discussion: TBogg, Taylor Marsh, HucksArmy and GOP 12

The Note:
MoveOn Launches Anti-Palin Ad

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Washington Independent and CNN

Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:

Voinovich slams DeMint and Coburn for GOP downfall; blames ‘the southerners’ — Too many conservative senators like Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are to blame for the GOP's downfall, one of their retiring Republican colleagues complained Monday.

Discussion: Right Wing News and Club for Growth

Darrel Rowland / The Daily Briefing:
Look out, gov - the ex-gov is comin'!

Discussion: MyDD

Larry Margasak / Associated Press:

AP IMPACT: Dodd, Conrad told deals were sweetened … WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite their denials, influential Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told from the start they were getting VIP mortgage discounts from one of the nation's largest lenders, the official who handled their loans has told Congress in secret testimony.

Discussion: Politics Daily, Michelle Malkin, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Emptywheel

Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:

Amid New Scrutiny, John Yoo Rebuts Critics of Detainee Memos — Quietly but Forcefully, Author of Detainee Memos Rebuts Critics — Some public figures, if their judgment and ethics come under fire, retreat into solitude. Then there is John C. Yoo. — The former Justice Department official …

Discussion: The Washington Independent, Emptywheel, Law Blog, Reason, Neptunus Lex, The BLT, Newshoggers.com and The Volokh Conspiracy

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Washington Post endorses Abu Ghraib scapegoating for torture

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Dish, The Plum Line, The Washington Independent, Raw Story, The Opinionator and Grasping Reality …

Glenn Thrush / The Politico:

Pelosi unpopular? 'I don't care' — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the most despised political figures in the country. — And, frankly, she doesn't give a damn. — “No, I don't care,” Pelosi told POLITICO last Thursday, laughing heartily as she walked beneath the Capitol dome and plunged into a crowd of tourists.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Michelle Malkin, dot.comments and PoliGazette

Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:
UPDATED: Because Politico is really just a GOP bulletin board

Discussion: Campaign Silo

Tom Beaumont / Des Moines Register:

Grassley to vote against Sotomayor confirmation — Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said today he planned to oppose the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court when the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on her nomination Tuesday. — The vote, which Grassley announced …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Redhot and Politics Nation

Jeff Sessions / USA Today:
Opposing view: A confirmation conversion

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Swamp, The Caucus, Hotline On Call, Associated Press, The BLT, The Washington Independent, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Plum Line, Grasping Reality …, SCOTUSblog and Boston Globe

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE.... I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, though I'd hoped it wouldn't. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, during an official press briefing, was actually asked about the Birther conspiracy nuts. — I'm fairly certain it was Bill Press …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

An Incoherent Truth — Right now the fate of health care reform seems to rest in the hands of relatively conservative Democrats — mainly members of the Blue Dog Coalition, created in 1995. And you might be tempted to say that President Obama needs to give those Democrats what they want.

Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:

Bunning's not running — Cantankerous Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning has officially dropped out of next year's reelection campaign — citing his paltry fundraising efforts. — Bunning's office just put out the following statement: — I have the same conservative principles in 2009 …

Discussion: The Politico, The Note and Salon

The Daily Beast:

Finally, Action on Gay Soldiers — Blogs and Stories — The Daily Beast has learned that the Senate, prompted by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, will hold hearings on “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”—a first since 1993, despite Obama's campaign promises. — After determining she didn't have enough votes …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, Pam's House Blend, New York Magazine, Salon, Zandar Versus The Stupid and Latest Open Salon Blog

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

The hidden hand — The wave of publicity for the Birther movement hasn't yet crested, with the dentist who's the movement's leading legal light, Orly Taitz, saying she's taping the Colbert Report tomorrow, and popping up elsewhere in the mainstream media. — This isn't necessarily a bad thing …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Van Hollen: Senate may need to ‘pull the plug’ on talks — Senate leaders may need to “pull the plug” on bipartisan negotiations on healthcare reform legislation, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Monday. — Van Hollen, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Ezra Klein, TPMDC and The Mahablog

David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:

Lou Dobbs and the Birthers: Mainstreaming fringe ideas for ratings eventually will catch up with you — Howard Kurtz this weekend was only the latest media critic to pile on Lou Dobbs for his promotion of the Birthers' conspiracy theories on CNN. Like nearly everyone else …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, The Huffington Post and Jack & Jill Politics

CBS News:

Palin's “Mad as Hell” Speech — Outgoing Alaska Governor Lashes Out at Media in Resignation Address, But Will It Work in the Long Term? — (CBS) This story was written by CBS News digital journalist Scott Conroy and director of political coverage Steve Chaggaris.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Mudflats, Gateway Pundit, The Politico, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, Buck Naked Politics, Sister Toldjah, Wake up America, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN, PERRspectives, Scared Monkeys and That Minority Thing

Les Christie / CNNMoney.com:

New home sales: ‘Really good news’ — Sales of newly constructed single family homes rose 11% over May, but median price fell 3%. — NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Sales of newly constructed single-family homes spiked 11% in June to an annualized rate of 384,000 homes, according to a report released Monday.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Calculated Risk, Real Time Economics, TIME.com, The Atlantic Business Channel, Don Surber and Not Tucker Carlson

Ilya Somin / The Volokh Conspiracy:

A Modest Proposal for Bar Exam Reform: This week, many of my former students will be undergoing the painful experience of taking the Virginia bar exam. My general view on bar exams is that they should be abolished, or at least that you should not be required to pass one in order to practice law.

Discussion: Joanne Jacobs and Discourse.net