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2:50 PM ET, August 21, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Obama's Trust Problem  —  According to news reports, the Obama administration — which seemed, over the weekend, to be backing away from the “public option” for health insurance — is shocked and surprised at the furious reaction from progressives.  —  Well, I'm shocked and surprised at their shock and surprise.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Faith in Obama Drops As Reform Fears Rise  —  Health-Care Effort Is Major Factor, Poll Finds  —  Public confidence in President Obama's leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Fierce Cynicism of Naiveté  —  Ta-Nehisi Coates is losing patience with Barack Obama's patience: … He's obviously right about the “shouldn't be a political issue” business.  This is one of the most annoying ticks of political rhetoric out there.
Discussion: MoJo Blog Posts
The Note:
Wee-Wee'd Up: Health care debate slips further from White House control  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Fired up, meet wee-wee'd up.  —  For those seeking definitions, maybe it has something to do with the way that the more President Obama talks about health care reform …
Ta-Nehisi Coates:
Obama And Progressives  —  Paul Krugman unloads:
Discussion: Right Wing News and American Power
Wall Street Journal:
Pull the Plug on ObamaCare
Discussion: Don Surber and The Other McCain
Lisa Lerer / The Politico:
Hoyer: Public option may have to go  —  A day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that health reform won't get through the House without a public option, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Friday that the public option may have to go in order to get a bill passed.
Discussion: The Page
RELATED:
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Hoyer opens door to dropping public option  —  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Friday left the door open to moving a health reform package without a public insurance option prized by liberals.  —  Hoyer's remarks were in contrast to statements Thursday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) …
Discussion: Moe Lane
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:   Breaking: Hoyer says public option could go
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Newspaper corrects 'Jackass'-Keith Olbermann mix-up  —  Thank goodness The Times is the forthright, ethical institution that it is.  —  And when a mistake happens, it rushes to set the journalistic record straight with an honest repair.  —  Here is an actual correction from Page A4 of today's print edition:
Sarah Palin / Facebook:
No Health Care Reform Without Legal Reform  —  President Obama's health care “reform” plan has met with significant criticism across the country.  Many Americans want change and reform in our current health care system.  We recognize that while we have the greatest medical care in the world …
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
‘Wee-weed up:’ White House explains it  —  So what did the president mean when he said this week that everyone's getting all “wee-weed up” in Washington?  —  “It's a phrase I use,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today, hesitating at his press briefing to offer a physical demonstration of the phraseology.
RELATED:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Bush Official, in Book, Tells of Pressure on '04 Vote  —  WASHINGTON — Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, asserts in a new book that he was pressured by top advisers to President George W. Bush to raise the national threat level just before the 2004 election in what he suspected was an effort to influence the vote.
RELATED:
Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Lawyers Showed Photos of Covert CIA Officers to Guantanamo Bay Detainees  —  Justice Dept. Looking Into Whether Attorneys Broke Law at Guantanamo  —  By Peter Finn, Page A01  —  The Justice Department recently questioned military defense attorneys at Guantanamo Bay about whether photographs …
Washington Post:
Key Senators Discuss Trimming Health Bill  —  President Calls Public Option a ‘Good Idea’ but Not Essential to Reform Effort  —  Senate health-care negotiators agreed late Thursday to ignore the increasingly strident rhetoric from Republican and Democratic leaders and to keep working toward …
RELATED:
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Honest Debate Needed on End-of-Life Talk  —  Let's see if we can have a reasoned discussion about end-of-life counseling.  —  We might start by asking Sarah Palin to leave the room.  I've got nothing against her.  She's a remarkable political talent.  But there are no “death panels” …
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Who do the birthers love?  —  We decided to break down the birthers by their opinions of Barack Obama and the various leading 2012 contenders.  Here's what we found:  —Not surprisingly only 16% of them approve of Obama's job performance while 75% disapprove.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
REMEMBER, HE LOST.... Chris Cillizza let readers know this morning about what to watch on Sunday morning. … Cillizza described McCain's appearance as “Must Watch TV.”  I have no idea why.  —  First, let's note that John McCain is not a key senator right now.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Huckabee: Evangelicals more supportive of Israel than Jews  —  Mike Huckabee, a longtime Christian Zionist wrapping up a trip to Israel, tells CBN that he was struck by firmer support for Israel — as he sees it — from American Christians than from American Jews.
John Miller / Associated Press:
Idaho GOP leader who helped spur coup arrested  —  BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho Republican Party leader who helped oust the state GOP chairman in 2008 faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an altercation escalated while he photographed a home with a delinquent mortgage.
James Rosen / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Seller, beware: Feds cracking down on garage sales  —  WASHINGTON — If you're planning a garage sale or organizing a church bazaar, you'd best beware: You could be breaking a new federal law.  As part of a campaign called Resale Roundup, the federal government is cracking down on the secondhand sales …
Discussion: Moonbattery
Zogby:
Zogby Interactive Poll: Obama's Job Approval Sinks to Record Low 45%  —  UTICA, New York - President Barack Obama's job approval rating has sunk to a record low of just 45%, the latest Zogby Interactive poll shows.  Fifty-one percent of likely voters now say they disapprove of the President's job performance.
Wall Street Journal:
No Maine Miracle Cure  —  Another state ‘public option’ that failed.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Want a preview of ObamaCare in action?  Sneak a look at what has happened in Maine.  In 2003, the state to great fanfare enacted its own version of universal health care.
Jordy Yager / The Hill:
Gun rights, control groups find fight in health debate  —  A Virginia-based gun rights group has taken issue with the Democrat-led healthcare proposals, saying that the proposed plans could strip citizens of their rights to own a gun.  —  The Gun Owners of America group …
Discussion: Don Surber
Jennifer Harper / Washington Times:
Voight: Is Obama creating a civil war in America?  —  Inside the Beltway column  —  CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE  —  A Hollywood conservative has headed East.  It's “Freedom Concert” time for Jon Voight.  The Academy Award winner will join Sean Hannity in Cincinnati and Atlanta this weekend …
Discussion: Salon and GayPatriot
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Tort Reform Won't Fix Healthcare?, Ctd  —  A reader writes: … Another reader writes: … States have different laws, and punitive damages are capped in some states, but this lawyer isn't entirely correct.  The tort reform I know best is California's Malpractice Injury and Compensation Reform Act …
The Daily Politics:
Paterson Accuses Media Of Racism, Says 2010 Loss Would Be ‘Highest Honor’  —  Gov. David Paterson played the race card in a big way today, suggesting he is facing tougher questions about his performance and political viability than the governors of most other struggling states because he is black.
Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog
Rashad Hussain / WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
Ramadan Kareem  —  As the new crescent moon ushers in Ramadan, the President extends his best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world.  —  Each Ramadan, the ninth month on the lunar calendar, Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset for 29 or 30 days.
Daily Show Videos:
Betsy McCaughey Pt. 1  —  Jon asks Betsy McCaughey to find the page in the health care bill that makes end-of-life consultations mandatory.  —  Guest(s):Betsy McCaughey  —  A Taliban threat causes low voter turnout in Afghanistan's election.  Americans turn in their Ford Explorers, and banks profit from overdraft fees.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Townhall.com:
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint on current health care politics …
Kari Lydersen / Washington Post:
Residents Reject Idea of Housing Guantanamo Detainees at Michigan Prison
Anne Laurie / Balloon Juice:
Roseanne the Riveter & the New Guilted Age
Discussion: Unqualified Offerings
BBC:
US wiretapping challenge rejected
Discussion: Truthdig
 Earlier Items: 
John / The Raw Story:
Mexico legalizes drug possession
Discussion: The Impolitic and The Reaction
Michelle Malkin:
Corporate Shills for Hope and Change
Discussion: The Sundries Shack
Washington Post:
Democrat Deeds Struggling in N.Va., a Must-Win in Governor's Race
Discussion: Moe_Lane's blog
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Bloggers, Take a $300,000 Victory Lap
Discussion: TalkLeft and Delaware Way
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

 
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