Top Items:
Susan Page / USA Today:
Poll: Health care views take sympathetic tilt — WASHINGTON — The raucous protests at congressional town-hall-style meetings have succeeded in fueling opposition to proposed health care bills among some Americans, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds — particularly among the independents who tend to be at the center of political debates.
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Oh my: New Gallup poll shows town hall protests winning over independents? — Either indies have suddenly developed a taste for Nazi mobs of political terrorists or the Democrats' message war on ObamaCare opponents is a rather epic fail. — Given the left's monopoly on wisdom and virtue, I must reluctantly conclude it's the former.
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Town Hall Meetings Generate Interest, Some Sympathy — Americans overall more likely to be sympathetic to protestors' views than not — PRINCETON, NJ — More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) are closely following news accounts of town hall meetings on healthcare reform …
Fox News:
White House Says Girl With Campaign Ties Chosen at ‘Random’ to Speak at Obama Town Hall — The White House acknowledged Wednesday that many audience members were friendly, but said the president chose questions at random and didn't know his questioners. — FOXNews.com
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, Blue Crab Boulevard, Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media and Michelle Malkin
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Patterico's Pontifications:
Roxana Mayer: I'm Not a Doctor But I Play One at Town Hall Meetings — [This post follows up on a previous post in which I questioned the credentials of a woman at a Texas town hall meeting who claimed to be a doctor, but turned out to be anything but. She is a graduate student in social work — oh, and an Obama delegate.
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Steele laughs at Specter — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele burst out laughing Wednesday after watching a clip of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) insisting that the town hall protesters are “not necessarily representative of America.” — Asked to respond to the clip during …
Discussion:
The Swamp
The Huffington Post:
Grassley Endorses “Death Panel” Rumor: “You Have Every Right To Fear” — One of the three Republican senators working on a bipartisan health care bill perpetuated a particularly outrageous untruth about the legislation on Wednesday. — Appearing at a town hall in his home state of Iowa …
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Lisa Demer / Anchorage Daily News:
Murkowski: Don't tell lies about the health-care reform bill — HOT TOPIC: Some things in the legislation are already bad enough, she says at civic center. — ldemer@adn.com — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Tuesday told an Anchorage crowd that critics of health care reform …
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Says he flubbed stats — Before presenting tennis legend Billie Jean King with the Medal of Freedom Wednesday, President Obama ticked off some ... ... of her accomplishments: 12 Grand Slam titles, 101 doubles titles, 67 singles titles. — “Pretty good, Billie Jean,” he quipped.
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dianne Feinstein's Office Gripes To White House About OFA-Inspired Constituent Visits — A rare bit of friction between Dems and Obama's political operation, Organizing for America: — Aides to Senator Dianne Feinstein have complained to the White House about a deluge of visits to her offices …
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Mary Katharine Ham / Weekly Standard:
Blue on Blue: Feinstein Gripes About Organizing for America Campaign
Blue on Blue: Feinstein Gripes About Organizing for America Campaign
Discussion:
Roll Call
The Politico:
Town hall anger rages on — Out on the health care firing line, senators and members of Congress continued to get battered by constituents angry over President Barack Obama's reform plan Wednesday — with voters raising questions about everything from assisted suicide to coverage for illegal immigrants.
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Peter Hamby / CNN:
Sanford: It's ‘hard’ living alone in governor's mansion — (CNN) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford opened up about the state of his family on Wednesday — the first time he has done so since his wife, Jenny, moved out of the governor's mansion last week. — Asked during a radio interview …
Raleigh News & Observer:
Survey finds Obama birthplace still an issue in N. Carolina — Barely half of N.C. voters believe President Obama was born in the United States, according to a poll released Tuesday. — Public Policy Polling surveyed 749 North Carolina voters Aug. 4-10, and found that 54 percent believe that Obama was born in the United States.
Discussion:
Firedoglake
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Barton Gellman / Washington Post:
Cheney Uncloaks His Frustration With Bush — ‘Statute of Limitations Has Expired’ on Many Secrets, Former Vice President Says — In his first few months after leaving office, former vice president Richard B. Cheney threw himself into public combat against the “far left” agenda of the new commander in chief.
Discussion:
MoJo Blog Posts
Patricia Cohen / New York Times:
Yale Press Bans Images of Muhammad in New Book — It's not all that surprising that Yale University Press would be wary of reprinting notoriously controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a forthcoming book. After all, when the 12 caricatures were first published by a Danish newspaper …
Pam Spaulding / Pam's House Blend:
Low-life teabagger protestor tears up poster of Rosa Parks at health care town hall — Wow. Just. Wow. All I know is if this is the path these people are taking, the darkest days are ahead. Exclusive video from an incident at Senator McCaskill's town hall in eastern Missouri:
Discussion:
AngryBlackBitch, Political Byline, Show Me Progress, The Political Carnival, Crooks and Liars and Wonkette
Bill Sammon / Fox News:
Analysis: Press Largely Ignored Incendiary Rhetoric at Bush Protest — News outlets that are focusing on the incendiary rhetoric of conservatives outside President Obama's town hall meeting Tuesday ignored the incendiary rhetoric — and even violence — of liberals outside an appearance by former President George W. Bush in 2002.
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah, Dean's World, Little Green Footballs, Hot Air, Instapundit, Macsmind, Pajamas Media and Weasel Zippers
Associated Press:
White House comments on Medal of Freedom winners — By The Associated Press (AP) - 9 hours ago — Statements from the White House on the 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President Barack Obama awarded on Wednesday: — _Drawing strength from tragedy …
Discussion:
Commentary
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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 Gettleman / New York Times:
Clinton's Flash of Pique in Congo — ABUJA, Nigeria — It was hot. She was tired. And it had been a long day in Africa. — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was onstage in Kinshasa, Congo's shabby capital, in an auditorium packed with Congolese students.
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
At What Cost, Cutting Off A Leg? — An amusing press release from the governing body for American surgeons:
Discussion:
Hot Air
Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:
Michelle Malkin's attacking little kids again — Wasn't Malkin's infamous, and creepy, 2007 Baltimore drive-by* bad enough? I guess not, because now Malkin's zeroing in on a young Massachusetts school girl. Why? Because she got to ask president Obama a question at a town hall forum. Bad idea!
Eileen Sullivan / Associated Press:
Officials see rise in militia groups across US — WASHINGTON — Militia groups with gripes against the government are regrouping across the country and could grow rapidly, according to an organization that tracks such trends. — The stress of a poor economy and a liberal administration led …
Brian Barber / Tulsa World:
Falling says putting Christian creationism display in the Tulsa Zoo is top priority — Republican mayoral candidate Anna Falling said Tuesday that putting a Christian creationism display in the Tulsa Zoo is No. 1 in importance among city issues that include violent crime, budget woes and bumpy streets.