memeorandum: I Didn't Wake Up Planning to Write About Samuelson (Jonathan Cohn/The Treatment)

1:50 PM ET, August 10, 2009

Top Items:

‘Un-American’ attacks can't derail health care debate — Americans have been waiting for nearly a century for quality, affordable health care. — Health coverage for all was on the national agenda as early as 1912, thanks to Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose presidential run.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Top of the Ticket, The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Townhall.com, The Atlantic Politics Channel, JustOneMinute, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Politics Daily, Flopping Aces, Balloon Juice, Blog entry, Daily Dose, Taylor Marsh, Raw Story, Confederate Yankee, Right Wing News, Patterico's Pontifications, Think Progress, Atlas Shrugs, QandO, Michelle Malkin, Riehl World View, Founding Bloggers, Below The Beltway, YID With LID, JammieWearingFool, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Swamp, The Plum Line, Donklephant, Don Surber, TPMDC, Scared Monkeys, Moe Lane, Perfunction, Gateway Pundit, The Next Right, Pundit & Pundette, Dennis the Peasant, AmSpecBlog, Neptunus Lex, Sister Toldjah, The Caucus, Cato @ Liberty, Shot in the Dark, GayPatriot, Freedom's Lighthouse, The Campaign Spot, Arkansas News, Sam Adams Alliance, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Page, The Washington Independent, msnbc.com, Instapundit, Weasel Zippers, Newsalert and Kausfiles

Debra J. Saunders / San Francisco Chronicle:

Dissent is patriotic - not — Imagine it's four years ago and an aide to President George W. Bush posted a blog on the Whitehouse.gov Web site that bemoaned Internet criticism of the Iraq war, then continued: “These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain e-mails or through casual conversations.

Discussion: unbossed.com, Wake up America, Dean's World and American Power

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Limbaugh responds to David Brooks' “insane” comment — Last week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that town-hall attendees critical of the Democratic health care makeover were “carrying swastikas and symbols like that” to meetings. The next day, Rush Limbaugh responded at length on his radio program …

Discussion: Power Line, No More Mister Nice Blog, NewsBusters.org and Cold Fury

Peter Slevin / Washington Post:

Key Democrat Feels the Heat in Indiana District After Voting for House Health-Reform Plan — BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — “The war's on,” says Rep. Baron P. Hill, and he's not talking about a conflict overseas, but a battle over health care in his own back yard, where thousands of people are trying to tell him what to do, some not so nicely.

Discussion: DailyFinance

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Hoyer, Pelosi call protests against ObamaCare “un-American”

Discussion: Dr. Melissa Clouthier and Pat Dollard

Jonah Goldberg / The Corner:
Pelosi & Hoyer: Protestors “Un-American”

Discussion: Townhall.com, The Sundries Shack, Moe Lane and Redhot

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Unfunny Truth — It's been a melancholy summer for social conservatives. Their movement is fighting a rearguard battle in Barack Obama's Washington. A cluster of family-values politicians — some of whom bunked down in the same Christian-sponsored D.C. townhouse …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein, Sadly, No!, Cafe Talk Aggregator, pandagon.net, First Draft and TBogg

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

GLADNEY THE UNINSURED ACTIVIST.... Over the last few days, a conservative activist in St. Louis named Kenneth Gladney seems to have become something of a cause celebre in far-right circles. Depending on which version of events you choose to believe, Gladney either initiated or was involved …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ColoradoPols.com, Gawker and Newshoggers.com

Georgina Gustin / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Protestors gather outside closed union office

Discussion: Think Progress, The Moderate Voice, Gateway Pundit and The Political Carnival

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Averting the Worst — So it seems that we aren't going to have a second Great Depression after all. What saved us? The answer, basically, is Big Government. — Just to be clear: the economic situation remains terrible, indeed worse than almost anyone thought possible not long ago.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Grasping Reality …, DailyFinance, The Sideshow, D-Day, Economist's View, Connecting.the.Dots and Arkansas News

Wall Street Journal:

Taliban Now Winning — U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Warns of Rising Casualties — By YOCHI J. DREAZEN in Kabul and PETER SPIEGEL in Washington — The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy …

Discussion: Times of London, democracyarsenal.org, Jay Bookman, Politics Daily, Telegraph, The Washington Independent, Taylor Marsh, Raw Story, Informed Comment, Wonk Room and msnbc.com

James Risen / New York Times:
U.S. to Hunt Down Afghan Drug Lords Tied to Taliban

Discussion: Guardian, Times of London, UN Dispatch, The Page, MyDD, The Washington Independent and Truthdig

Andrew Breitbart / Washington Times:

I am Kenneth Gladney — OPINION/ANALYSIS: — The first round of protests against the Obama administration's chaotic and rapid-fire expansion of government came in the form of grass-roots “tea parties,” which were predictably met with scorn by the Democrat-Media Complex …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, TBogg, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Roger Ailes

Mark Steyn / The Corner:

Beat Me in St. Louis (cont) — As Jim Treacher says: If Kenneth Gladney was an Obama supporter, right now he'd be more famous than Rodney King. Gotta love this “post-racial America”: Democrat union heavies can beat up a black guy using racial epithets and leave him in a wheelchair unable to speak …

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Gateway Pundit and Pundit & Pundette

Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:

Obama's Health Care Plan Just Expands Status Quo — “The status quo is unsustainable for families, businesses and government.” — President Obama, June 13 — One of the bewildering ironies of the health-care debate is that President Obama claims to be attacking the status quo when he's actually embracing it.

Discussion: The Atlantic Business Channel, Hullabaloo, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Glittering Eye and Dennis the Peasant

Jonathan Cohn / The Treatment:
I Didn't Wake Up Planning to Write About Samuelson

Discussion: Ezra Klein

Michelle Malkin:

Rep. Tsongas tries to explain why Congress is exempt from Obamacare. Fails. — Herein lies the ultimate Achilles' Heel of Obamacare. Watch as Democrat Rep. Niki Tsongas of Massachussetts attempts to explain why Congress is exempt from the government health care takeover mandates.

Discussion: The Jawa Report

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Tsongas: I won't take ObamaCare because I have better options

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, theblogprof and Blue Crab Boulevard

Wall Street Journal:

Opposition Emerges to House's Jet Spree — WASHINGTON — Bipartisan opposition is emerging in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for additional passenger jets for senior government officials. — The resistance to buying eight Gulfstream and Boeing planes comes …

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, JustOneMinute, Ben Smith's Blog, On Deadline, Wizbang, Right Pundits, Wonkette and Pajamas Media

Scott / Power Line:

Does Linda Douglass know about this? — Last week White House flack Linda Douglass responded to a video of Barack Obama expressing support for a government takeover of the health care system (i.e., “single payer") with a vehement denial. Douglass disparaged the video of Obama as “disinformation.”

Discussion: The Foundry

Michael Barone / Real Clear Politics:
Government Health Care in Stealth Mode

Discussion: Cold Fury and Fausta's Blog

Political Punch:

Congressional Budget Expert Says Preventive Care Will Raise — Not Cut — Costs — In yet more disappointing news for Democrats pushing for health care reform, Douglas W. Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, offered a skeptical view Friday of the cost savings that could result …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Strata-Sphere, Scared Monkeys, QandO, Wake up America, Liberal Values, Betsy's Page, Flopping Aces, Pundit & Pundette, Patterico's Pontifications and Washington Post

Walter Alarkon / The Hill:
Deficit grew by $181 billion in July

Discussion: The Foundry, Hot Air, The Caucus, msnbc.com, naked capitalism and Blue Crab Boulevard

Rasmussen Reports:

On Health Care, 51% Fear Government More Than Insurance Companies — When it comes to health care decisions, 51% of the nation's voters fear the federal government more than private insurance companies. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% hold the opposite view and fear the insurance companies more.

Discussion: Megan McArdle, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, Don Surber and Wake up America

Jacob Gershman / New York Magazine:

Why Neoconservative Pundits Love Jon Stewart — Back in April, when the debate over torture was roaring, Jon Stewart invited Cliff May, a national-security hawk and former spokesman for the Republican Party, to come on The Daily Show and defend waterboarding. May was hesitant.

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blog and Gawker

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

'IT'S NOT IN THE BILL'.... The health care discussion between Howard Dean and Newt Gingrich on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” yesterday was pretty good, and it covered a fair amount of ground in a short period of time. There was one exchange, though, that stood out for me.

Discussion: ABCNews.com and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Jonathan Martin / Ben Smith's Blog:

Palin urges restraint at town halls — A few days after suggesting that Democratic health care proposals being debated in Washington may imperil the life of her son, Trig, Sarah Palin on Sunday urged reform opponents to not give the opposition fodder by disrupting town halls.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Think Progress, New York Times, Jezebel, TPMDC, Democratic Strategist and MoJo Blog Posts

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

Who Are These People? — This probably isn't the ideal way for congressmen to handle their constituents: … One has the sense that lawmakers are just stunned that ordinary citizens would have the temerity to speak up. Spending most of their time with staffers, lobbyists, and fellow legislators …

Discussion: Redhot

The Cajun Boy / Gawker:

Meet America's New Celebrity ‘It’ Couple: Levi Johnston and Kathy Griffin — Well look who showed up holding hands on the red carpet at the Teen Choice Awards tonight! America's most ubiquitous fag-hag and the Alaskan cock-gangsta himself. It's love! — Of course, this is all just a publicity stunt.

Discussion: PopWatch and New York Magazine

Michael Calderone / The Politico:

‘Birther’ coverage hits fever pitch — When Candy Crowley mentioned “birthers” on CNN one night last week, she was careful to tuck the word between “wackos” and “crazy people.” But Lou Dobbs wasn't taking any chances. “Don't say ‘birthers,’ whatever you do,” he implored Crowley. “Not on this broadcast.”

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

Where Are The Doctors? — I did not envision that we could get this far down the road toward fundamental health care reform with so little input in the public discourse from physicians. Sure, the AMA has come out in favor of the House bill that includes public option.

Financial Times:

Banks make $38bn from overdraft fees — US banks stand to collect a record $38.5bn in fees for customer overdrafts this year, with the bulk of the revenue coming from the most financially stretched consumers amid the deepest recession since the 1930s, according to research.