Top Items:
Michelle Malkin:
Little girl at Obama town hall has not-so-random political connections — As we always like to point out: There are no coincidences in Obama world. — Via the Boston Globe: Surprise! … Tons of readers point to this AR15.com post tracking Hall's political footprint, including this Facebook page and photo:
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Michelle Malkin:
The illustrated guide to Obamacare human props — Little Julia Hall is just the latest in-the-tank questioner with Obama campaign/Democrat ties to turn up “randomly” at presidential health care forums. — Here's your illustrated guide to Obamacare human props.
Discussion:
Flopping Aces, Political Punch, American Power, AmSpecBlog, Moe Lane and Pundit & Pundette
USA Today:
Obama battles health care ‘chatter’ — PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — This is not the August that President Obama had planned. — Obama, who initially demanded that the House and Senate pass health care overhauls by now, was playing defense at a town-hall-style meeting here Tuesday, his signature initiative under increasingly fierce fire.
Discussion:
Hot Air, QandO, Immigration Chronicles, Alarming News, Blue Crab Boulevard and Associated Press
Camille Paglia / Salon:
Obama's healthcare horror — Buyer's remorse? Not me. At the North American summit in Guadalajara this week, President Obama resumed the role he is best at — representing the U.S. with dignity and authority abroad. This is why I, for one, voted for Obama and continue to support him.
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John Mackey / Wall Street Journal:
The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare — Eight things we can do to improve health care without adding to the deficit. — Printer — Friendly — “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out — of other people's money. —Margaret Thatcher
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Matthews to Obama protester: Why'd you bring a loaded gun to a town hall with the president? — Good question, especially given the sign this guy was carrying. Considering the lengths to which the Secret Service normally goes to investigate threats against the president …
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Portsmouth Herald:
Police: Man arrested before Obama event had loaded gun … By Staff reports — news@seacoastonline.com — PORTSMOUTH — Police said a man arrested at the scene of President Barack Obama's visit to the city Tuesday was found to be in possession of an unlicensed loaded gun.
The Politico:
The Democrats' senior problem — Democrats have a senior citizen problem. — Frustrated older Americans are packing the town halls on health care. They are incredibly passionate about their Medicare benefits. Polls show senior citizens largely disapprove of health care reform ideas so far.
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Phil Izzo / Wall Street Journal:
Economists Call for Bernanke to Stay, Say Recession Is Over — Economists are nearly unanimous that Ben Bernanke should be reappointed to another term as Federal Reserve chairman, and they said there is a 71% chance that President Barack Obama will ask him to stay on, according to a survey.
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Scott Shane / New York Times:
2 U.S. Architects of Harsh Tactics in 9/11's Wake — WASHINGTON — Jim Mitchell and Bruce Jessen were military retirees and psychologists, on the lookout for business opportunities. They found an excellent customer in the Central Intelligence Agency, where in 2002 they became the architects …
Discussion:
Reason, Defense Tech, Truthdig, Boing Boing, Raw Story, Prairie Weather, The BLT and Gateway Pundit
theblogprof:
BUSTED!: “Obama As Hitler” Poster Was A Democrat/Union Plant At John Dingell Townhall! UPDATED with video interview! — ***scroll to bottom for an important update (after reading the post of course!) Watering the plants, as Glenn Reynolds would say. Nancy Pelosi, the dimmest bulb …
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Morning Fix: Nelson Strikes Back — Criticized by two liberal groups about his approach to President Obama's health care reform proposal, Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson is hitting back, evidence of the issue's potential political peril for the 13 Senate Democrats who represent states carried by Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in 2008.
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Mark Preston / CNN:
First on the Ticker: Nelson buys TV time on health care
First on the Ticker: Nelson buys TV time on health care
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
New York Times:
E-Mail Reveals Rove's Key Role in '06 Dismissals — WASHINGTON — Thousands of pages of internal e-mail and once-secret Congressional testimony showed Tuesday that Karl Rove and other senior aides in the Bush White House played an earlier and more active role than was previously known …
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Wall Street Journal:
The Truth About Health Insurance — Only nine states have the costly rules that Obama wants to impose nationwide. — Printer — Friendly — The White House is priming the defibrillator paddles to revive ObamaCare, and its new strategy is to talk about “health-insurance reform,” rather than “health-care reform.”
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Santorum dips toes in 2012 Iowa waters — Add former Sen. Rick Santorum to the list of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates. — POLITICO has learned Santorum will visit first-in-the-nation Iowa this fall for a series of appearances before the sort of conservative activists …
CNN:
CNN Poll: Favorable view of Palin dipping — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Americans appear to be souring on Sarah Palin, according to a new national poll. — Thirty-nine percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday have a favorable opinion …
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Amid Debate, Obama Approval Rating on Healthcare Steady — Americans disapprove of his handling of the issue, by 49% to 43% — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans rate President Barack Obama's handling of healthcare policy essentially the same as they did roughly three weeks ago, remaining slightly more likely to disapprove than approve.
Hugh Muir / Guardian:
Who cares if Stephen Hawking lives or dies? Actually, we all do — So Barack Obama is facing the fight of his life (another one) as he attempts to reform the US healthcare system. The “special interests” - doctors, healthcare companies - don't like it. The “birthers” - crazy types …
IBDeditorials.com:
How End-Users Suffer Under Socialism — Economic Systems: If you ever wonder why we so resist socialism, consider the latest news out of that collectivist island paradise known as Cuba. — Central planners announced this week that they were fresh out of money to buy toilet paper — yes …
Blake Aued / Athens Daily News:
Obamacare a ‘rotten fish,’ says Broun at town hall — CLARKESVILLE - U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, walked into a North Georgia Technical College auditorium Tuesday evening to a standing ovation, holding three thick white binders. — “Folks, this is Obamacare,” he said, holding the binders over his head.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Think Progress, The Washington Independent, Outside The Beltway and TPMDC
John Fund / Wall Street Journal:
Air Congress Hits Turbulence — The Gulfstream jet scandal is over. Next: unreturned per-diems. — Printer — Friendly — Congressional scandals form a pattern. First, there is the revelation that some members have acted in a high-handed, spendthrift or unethical manner.
Domenico Montanaro / msnbc.com:
FIRST THOUGHTS: TOWN HALLS GONE WILD — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg — *** Towns halls gone wild: After going on for several days now, who looks worse in this town-halls-gone-wild story? An Obama administration that promised a new era of American politics, but that isn't delivering on it?
David Corn / Politics Daily:
An Economic Time-Bomb Being Mishandled by the Obama Administration? — Is there a ticking time-bomb for the US economy? And is the Obama administration, Congress, and the media not paying it sufficient attention? That seems to be the message of a government report released this week that drew not as much notice as it deserves.
Mickey Kaus / Kausfiles:
“Read My Lipitor!” —What Obama Doesn't Say — On Obama's Portsmouth Town Hall: — a) I don't think the now-famous end-of-life consultations are what Palin was referring to by “death panels,” contrary to what Obama claims at the beginning of the meeting.
Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Giuliani: Health overhaul ‘single most damaging thing’ Obama can do — Enacting healthcare reform with a public option is the “single most damaging thing” President Obama could do as president, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) charged Wednesday.