Top Items:
New York Times:
Obama's Health Care Speech to Congress — Following is the prepared text of President Obama's speech to Congress on the need to overhaul health care in the United States, as released by the White House. — Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, and the American people:
Discussion:
The Politico, The Swamp, Washington Wire, Prescriptions, TalkLeft, Associated Press, Globe and Mail, MoJo Sections, Cafe Talk Aggregator, msnbc.com, MoJo Blog Posts, POWIP, The Mahablog, Top of the Ticket, The Monkey Cage, The Democratic Daily, Connecting.the.Dots, American Power, Pundit & Pundette, The Corner on National …, Gawker, 24Ahead, CNN, EconLog, Capital Gains and Games blogs, Doug Ross, Politics Nation, Reason, Economix and PoliBlog
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Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
BREAKING: The News in the Speech — Looks like there's some news in the speech after all. Quite a bit. — On the policy front, President Obama tonight endorses, clearly and unambiguously, a requirement that everybody obtain insurance—that is, an individual mandate. He has not done that before, not this explicitly.
CNN:
Obama: 'If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out' — The White House has released excerpts of President Obama's address to Congress tonight:
The Politico:
Obama: ‘Now is the time’ — Declaring “now is the time to deliver on health care,” President Barack Obama on Wednesday night will challenge supporters and critics alike to work toward a bill that will protect Americans who have insurance, provide coverage to those who don't and curb the growth of health care costs.
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Reaction to Obama's Speech — President Obama gave a very powerful speech making his case for health care reform. Watching Republicans confused as to whether they should stand and applaud various lines was telling. He had them completely off balance. — Of course, the line every pundit …
WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
THE OBAMA PLAN: STABILITY & SECURITY FOR ALL AMERICANS — “It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don't. And it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government.”
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Moderate Voice, Ezra Klein, Open Left and msnbc.com
Associated Press:
Obama heckled by GOP during speech to Congress — WASHINGTON — The nastiness of August reached from the nation's town halls into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as President Barack Obama tried to move his health care plan forward. — South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Washington Independent, The Democratic Daily, protein wisdom and Truthdig
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
A voice from the floor on illegal immigrants: ‘Lie’ — One of the most persistent conservative concerns about health care legislation is that it will provide health care to illegal immigrants — and the heated claim spilled onto the floor of President Obama's address to a joint session …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Think Progress, Open Congress, The Hinterland Gazette, driftglass, The Monkey Cage and AMERICAblog News
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
“You Lie!” [Video] — The member of Congress who yelled that the president was a liar during the speech was Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina. Here's his official website. — I can't think of anything like it in recent history. Here's the video (particularly note Pelosi's reaction.)
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
The guy who yelled “You lie!” — ... was Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), according to my colleague Patrick O'Connor. — post comment | … Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1) — He didn't have to remind us. — @8:47 There you go misrepresenting President Obama's speech.
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: GOP congressman yells “liar” at Obama; Update: Wilson apologizes — The culprit was South Carolina rep Joe Wilson, who felt moved to act when The One told what was, in fact, a lie. Although certainly not his biggest of the night: Where this jackass gets off lecturing Americans …
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, Ben Smith's Blog, TPMDC, Alas, a blog, Commentary, protein wisdom, Stop The ACLU, Pam's House Blend, Scared Monkeys and NewsBusters.org
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
Our One-Party Democracy — Watching both the health care and climate/energy debates in Congress, it is hard not to draw the following conclusion: There is only one thing worse than one-party autocracy, and that is one-party democracy, which is what we have in America today.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Corner on National …, Instapundit, American Power, No More Mister Nice Blog, Power Line, Reason, distributedrepublic …, Jules Crittenden, The Peking Duck, Cafe Talk Aggregator, Liberal Values, Cato @ Liberty, Don Surber, Babalú Blog, Fausta's Blog, Sister Toldjah, Neptunus Lex, The League of Ordinary …, Pundit & Pundette, NewsBusters.org, Environmental Capital, Weekly Standard, The Atlanticist, Climate Progress, Shot in the Dark, RADAMISTO, The Moderate Voice and Gawker
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Jonah Goldberg / The Corner on National Review Online:
Thomas Friedman is a Liberal Fascist — By: Jonah Goldberg — Mark beat me to it, but I must put in my two cents. Thomas Friedman writes: … So there you have it. If only America could drop its inefficient and antiquated system, designed in the age before globalization and modernity and …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:FRIEDMAN PONDERS ‘ONE-PARTY DEMOCRACY’.... I'd overlooked Thomas …
Discussion:
The League of Ordinary …
Zachary Roth / TPMMuckraker:
GOP Lawmaker's Graphic Sex-Bragging Caught On Tape — We've all seen those stories where a careless politician gets a little too candid when speaking into a hot mic. But this one's really in a whole different league. — [RELATED SLIDESHOW: TPM'S HISTORY OF THE SEX-SCANDALOUS FALL OF THE MODERN CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT]
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Shelby Grad / L.A. Now:
O.C. Assemblyman Duvall resigns amid recorded sexual comments — Orange County Assemblyman Michael Duvall, who was caught on an open mike making sexual comments, resigned today. — “I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, FishBowlLA, Gawker, D-Day, Pam's House Blend, TPMMuckraker and Ben Smith's Blog
Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
Go, Hillary, Go! — The boss hears from two sources that Hillary Clinton is considering stepping down as Secretary of State this fall in order to run for Governor of New York.
Discussion:
Gawker
Drudge Report:
WHIP COUNT: DEMS LACK THE VOTES — At least 44 more moderate Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record in opposition to the current health care bill in the House, a Hill source claims. Likewise, at least 57 liberal Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record saying …
Guardian:
Questions raised over raid to free journalist — Claims that British forces ‘charged in’ while release talks were under way — Military officials tonight defended the decision to launch a dramatic raid to rescue a British journalist from the Taliban, in which his Afghan assistant and a soldier …
Discussion:
The E&P Pub
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
White House talking points blast Palin — A source sends on the talking points the White House is circulating to allies in advance of President Obama's speech, most of them reiterating familiar themes of momentum and security. — But the White House has also chosen specifically to focus …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, The Washington Independent, Weekly Standard and Weasel Zippers
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Obama's Intended Audience: 100 House Democrats... Democrats — and, in particular, the 100 or so liberal Democrats who have threatened to oppose a bill that doesn't include a public option — are the main target of the president's persuasion tonight. Why? Legislative math.
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Glenn Beck:
The most dangerous Czar — Audio Available: — GLENN: Okay, now I have really good news. Do you remember when I said don't pay attention to what they want you to pay attention to because it's always what the other hand does. Remember that? What did they do last night after we got off the air?
Discussion:
The Greenroom
Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Analysis: Two precedents in jeopardy — Analysis — If supporters of federal curbs on political campaign spending by corporations were counting on Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to hesitate to strike down such restrictions, they could take no comfort …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Obama science czar: Redistributionism as the cure for American exceptionalism — With more focus getting applied to Barack Obama's czars, the first to receive scrutiny should be John Holdren, Obama's science czar. Michelle has outlined Holdren's odd views from the past …
Jared Allen / The Hill:
Ross meets Boustany — elbows fly — Hopes of a bipartisan deal on healthcare reform between two rank-and-file House members crashed and burned on Wednesday. — Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), and Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) met on Wednesday for what was supposed to be a low-key discussion on healthcare.
Discussion:
The Politico
Wall Street Journal:
It's Still the Economy, Stupid — This could be America's greatest failed presidency. — Printer — Friendly — It's been a long time since James Carville said the most famous thing he ever said: It's the economy, stupid. That famous phrase was in fact part of a sign hung in the Clinton campaign headquarters in 1992.
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