Top Items:
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Sources: White House Pushing Back Against Senate Public Option Opt Out Compromise — Multiple sources tell TPMDC that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up 60 members in support of a public option with an opt out clause, and are continuing to push skeptical members.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, Taylor Marsh, Talking Points Memo, AMERICAblog News and MyDD
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Mike Allen / Reuters:
FRIENDS PUSH AILES FOR PRESIDENT — Friends and associates are encouraging Fox News chief Roger Ailes to jump into the political arena for real by running for president in 2012, top sources tell POLITICO. — “Ailes knows how to frame an issue better than anybody, and that's what we need now …
Discussion:
The Nation, Outside The Beltway, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, Gawker and Wonkette
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Pelosi lacks votes for most sweeping public option — Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a “robust public option” — the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national overhaul of health care.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, Daily Kos, Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, American Spectator, CNN, Ezra Klein, Washington Post, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog News, Firedoglake, Pundits Blog, The Atlantic Politics Channel, TalkLeft, Think Progress, The Hill, MoJo Blog Posts, The Mahablog, Chip Hanlon Blog and The Caucus
Joe Klein / Swampland:
OutFoxed? — Let me be precise here: Fox News peddles a fair amount of hateful crap. Some of it borders on sedition. Much of it is flat out untrue. — But I don't understand why the White House would give such poisonous helium balloons as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity the opportunity …
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Behind the War Between White House and Fox — WASHINGTON — Late last month, the senior White House adviser David Axelrod and Roger Ailes, chairman and chief executive of Fox News, met in an empty Palm steakhouse before it opened for the day, neutral ground secured for a secret tête-à-tê te.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Corner on National …, Mediaite, NewsBusters.org, Christian Science Monitor, The Confluence, Commentary, JustOneMinute, No More Mister Nice Blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hullabaloo, Clusterstock, MoJo Blog Posts, THE WEEK News & Opinion, Scared Monkeys, Balkinization, The Politico, Gateway Pundit, New York Times, Prairie Weather, Hot Air and TPMMuckraker
The Politico:
W.H. attacks worry moderate Dems — A White House effort to undermine conservative critics is generating a backlash on Capitol Hill — and not just from Republicans. — “It's a mistake,” said Rep. Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from western Pennsylvania.
Discussion:
Commentary, Firedoglake, Congress Blog, NO QUARTER, Erick's blog, RedState, protein wisdom, The Foundry and Clusterstock
The Huffington Post:
Reid Is Only One Or Two Votes Shy On Opt-Out Public Option — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is just one or two Senate votes shy of having a filibuster-proof majority in favor of a public option for health insurance coverage with a provision allowing states to opt-out …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, TalkLeft, The Plum Line, Open Left, Daily Kos, Raw Story and TPMDC
Washington Post:
Deeds should've listened to us, senior Obama officials say — Top Democrats seek to shield Obama in case of election loss — Sensing that victory in the race for Virginia governor is slipping away, Democrats at the national level are laying the groundwork to blame a loss in a key swing state …
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Democrat blasts White House for anonymous sniping — WASHINGTON (CNN) - A well-known Democratic strategist in Virginia is blasting the White House for placing anonymous quotes in the Washington Post in a pre-emptive effort to blame Creigh Deeds for what might be a loss in the state's upcoming gubernatorial election.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Media Matters coordinates campaign against ‘lethal’ Fox — An official at a Democratic-leaning organization sends on a memo the group Media Matters is circulating today to progressive groups, calling Fox “a lethal 24/7 partisan political operation” and rallying a coalition of groups to join the White House assault on the network.
Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:
Pawlenty Says He Would Lead A Campaign To Opt Out Of The Public Option In Minnesota
Pawlenty Says He Would Lead A Campaign To Opt Out Of The Public Option In Minnesota
Matt Cover / CNSNews:
When Asked Where the Constitution Authorizes Congress to Order Americans To Buy Health Insurance, Pelosi Says: ‘Are You Serious?’ — (CNSNews.com) - When CNSNews.com asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday where the Constitution authorized Congress to order Americans to buy health insurance …
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The Note:
Pawlenty ‘Concerned’ About NY GOP Candidate; Plans Endorsement Soon — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: — With the Republican Party splintering over a House race in upstate New York, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on ABCNews.com's “Top Line” today that he has significant concerns …
Discussion:
Erick's blog, The Hill, The washington times Blogs, The World Newser, Hot Air and Ben Smith's Blog
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Washington Post:
Top employees leave financial firms ahead of pay cuts — Grass is greener where bonuses are sky-high — NEW YORK — Even before the Obama administration formally tightened executive compensation at bailed-out companies, the prospect of pay cuts had led some top employees to depart.
Discussion:
New York Times, Clusterstock, Villainous Company, QandO, Outside The Beltway, protein wisdom, Hullabaloo, Indecision Forever and Shakesville
RELATED:
CNN:
CNN Poll: GOP favorable rating lowest in a decade — WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Republican Party's favorable rating among Americans is at lowest level in at least a decade, according to a new national poll. — Thirty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's …, Raw Story, Scorecard's Blog and TPMDC
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Annie Leibovitz takes first family photo — Friends encourage Roger Ailes to seek GOP nom in 2012 — Geithner: ‘A big week’ — Endgame: Look for a trigger in final health bill — Annie Leibovitz takes first family photo — Friends encourage Roger Ailes to seek GOP nom in 2012 — Geithner …
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Kara Dunford / media.www.gwhatchet.com:
Former governor calls for party reform — Jeb Bush argues Republicans need to be more welcoming — Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, unveiled a six-point plan to help strengthen the Republican Party Wednesday night - including shedding the image of being the “old white guy party” and advocating for limited government.
Saeed Shah / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Suicide bomber strikes suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan — ISLAMABAD — A suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan was hit by a suicide bomb attack, raising fears about the security of the nuclear arsenal, while two other terrorist blasts made it another bloody day in the country's struggle against extremism.
Elaine Woo / Los Angeles Times:
Soupy Sales dies at 83; slapstick comic had hit TV show in 1960s — The comedian acquired a cult-like following among adults with a show ostensibly meant for children. His signature routine, which he elevated to an art form, was pie-throwing. — Soupy Sales is embraced backstage …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Chinese Disconnect — Senior monetary officials usually talk in code. So when Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, spoke recently about Asia, international imbalances and the financial crisis, he didn't specifically criticize China's outrageous currency policy.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg, Daniel W. Drezner, The Glittering Eye and Paul Krugman
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Former Sen. Hagel: GOP being ‘irresponsible’ on healthcare — Republican senators trying to kill healthcare reform have acted irresponsibly, one of their former colleagues asserted. — Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) chided some of his former colleagues who have suggested …