Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Baucus and the Threshold — So Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has released his “mark” on proposed legislation — which would normally be the basis for the bill that eventually emerges from his committee. And serious supporters of health care reform will soon face their long-dreaded moment of truth.
RELATED:
Ezra Klein:
What's Wrong With the Finance Bill? An Interview With Sen. Jay Rockefeller. — Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) chairs the Finance Committee's Health Care Subcommittee. His support will be crucial — maybe even decisive - in getting health-care reform out of the Finance Committee.
Discussion:
The Hill, TalkLeft, TPMDC, The Plum Line, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, TPMCafe and The Page
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Snowe: I Haven't Changed, My Party Has — It would be easy to over-interpret this statement from Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), but it would be a mistake to dismiss it. — “I've always been a Republican for the traditional principles that have been associated with the Republican party since …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
REFUSING TO TAKE ‘YES’ FOR AN ANSWER.... As months of negotiations …
REFUSING TO TAKE ‘YES’ FOR AN ANSWER.... As months of negotiations …
Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care — Republicans see a backdoor move toward ‘amnesty’ — President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, The Politico, Conservative Dallas, Don Surber, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Townhall.com, Wizbang and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Obama, Too Subtle to Lie, Misleads on Health Reform — You lie? No. Barack Obama doesn't lie. He's too subtle for that. He . . . well, you judge. — Herewith three examples within a single speech — the now-famous Obama-Wilson “you lie” address to Congress on health care — of Obama's relationship with truth.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senior Democrat turns healthcare debate into fight over illegal immigration — Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is putting Democrats in a bind by seeking to let illegal immigrants benefit from the healthcare overhaul. — Menendez, the only Hispanic senator, has considerable leverage …
Robert Mackey / The Lede:
Latest Updates on Protests in Iran — To supplement coverage of new opposition protests on Friday in Iran by our Times colleagues Alan Cowell and Robert Worth, The Lede is tracking reports of the events online. Readers who are in Iran or in touch with people there are encourage to use …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, The Daily Dish, Aljazeera, The Majlis, Christian Science Monitor and Guardian
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Bankers Face Sweeping Curbs on Pay — Fed Plans to Limit How Lenders Can Structure Compensation for Executives, Traders, Loan Officers; 5,000 Firms Affected — Policies that set the pay for tens of thousands of bank employees nationwide would require approval from the Federal Reserve …
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Washington Sketch: Michelle Obama Gets Her Farmers Market — Let's say you're preparing dinner and you realize with dismay that you don't have any certified organic Tuscan kale. What to do? — Here's how Michelle Obama handled this very predicament Thursday afternoon:
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Pundit & Pundette, JustOneMinute, JammieWearingFool, Weekly Standard, Fausta's Blog and Reason
David Brooks / New York Times:
No, It's Not About Race — You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I go running several times a week. My favorite route, because it's so flat, is from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol and back. I was there last Saturday and found myself plodding through tens of thousands of anti-government “tea party” protesters.
Wall Street Journal:
Mandatory Insurance Is Unconstitutional — Why an individual mandate could be struck down by the courts. — Printer — Friendly — Federal legislation requiring that every American have health insurance is part of all the major health-care reform plans now being considered in Washington.
Gateway Pundit:
Shock Video... Obama 2007 Revelation: Health Care Reform Requires Tax Hikes— Savings Are Just a Theory — SHOCK VIDEO— Barack Obama in April 2007 told a group of supporters: Health Care Reform Requires Tax Hikes — Savings Just a Theory. — “Initially you may need another $90-100 billion each year.”
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Duo in ACORN Videos Say Effort Was Independent — Duo in Sting Video Say Their Effort Was Independent — The proposition was outrageous, outlandish, and right up James E. O'Keefe III's alley. Hannah Giles was on the phone from the District, and she was asking him to dress like her pimp …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Prairie Weather, Don Surber, National Review Online, Reason and Pundit & Pundette
Associated Press:
Analysis: ‘Racist’ claims defuse word's power — With the word being used so often, it's harder to define its meaning — Everybody's racist, it seems. — Republican Rep. Joe Wilson? Racist, because he shouted “You lie!” at the first black president. Health care protesters, affirmative action supporters?
RELATED:
CNN:
Sources: Transit hub likely target of terror plot — (CNN) — A terror plot that came to light this week following raids in New York may have been targeting a major transportation center, sources close to the investigation told CNN on Thursday. — There was planning and preparation for an attack …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
The Politico:
Conservatives use liberal playbook — Conservatives are coming for the Democrats on their blind side — the left. — The evidence is everywhere. — At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan …
Michelle Malkin:
Olympic-sized boondoggle: What Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama are up to — In Culture of Corruption, I spotlight the intimate relationship between Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's crony lawyer Valerie Jarrett and First Lady Michelle Obama. — Jarrett's slum lord record in Chicago …
Michael Silence / Knoxville News-Sentinel:
Memo to the DNC: What were you thinking? — The add essentially takes a non-issue for a vast majority of people and reminds the world how many czars Obama has. Geez. Talk about keeping a story alive. The RNC should list the ad as an in-kind contribution.
Brian M. Rafferty / Queens Tribune:
Pagan ‘King’ Has Council GOP Nod — Dan Halloran, the Republican candidate for City Council facing primary winner Kevin Kim in the 19th District, already has a leadership role in a vast community that very few people know about - or understand. — Halloran is the “First Atheling,” or King …
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
First lady jumps into healthcare push with stories from women — First lady Michelle Obama jumped into the healthcare debate Friday, making an emotional plea to pass reform as her husband prepared for a media blitz to push legislation. — Mrs. Obama's voice was at times shaking as she reacted …
Discussion:
The Politico
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Tell Mike Ross and Blanche Lincoln to Act Like Democrats - Or We'll Find Someone Who Will — Blanche Lincoln says she opposes a public option because it's “too expensive.” She doesn't mention that it will save individuals $2000 a year in medical costs. — Mike Ross says he opposes …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Note, The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blog, The Nation and Facing South
The Note:
Miss California Wows Conservatives — ABC News' Teddy Davis and Brittany Crockett Report: — The Value Voters Summit heard from potential Republican presidential candidates and GOP congressional leaders on Friday morning. — But it was Carrie Prejean—former Miss California—who stole the show.
Discussion:
The Politico
Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
O'Reilly endorses the public option, which he previously called ‘socialism.’ — Last night on Fox News, Bill O'Reilly actually told a Heritage Foundation scholar who was fear-mongering government-backed health care that he favors a public option: … Watch it: