Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Chris Dodd to step aside — Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. — Dodd's retirement comes after months …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Examiner, The Moderate Voice, theblogprof, The Note, Congress Matters, DaTechguy's Blog, Another Black Conservative, Outside The Beltway, FiveThirtyEight, QandO, Ruby Slippers, OpenSecrets.org, Scared Monkeys, Des Moines Register, Sister Toldjah, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit, Flopping Aces, Open Congress, NO QUARTER, iOwnTheWorld.com, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Townhall.com and The Caucus
RELATED:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
‘DROPPING LIKE FLIES’?.... Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is retiring. So is Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). And before anyone could catch their breath, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) announced he's not seeking re-election, either. — It led ABC News to report that “Democrats are dropping like flies.”
Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Harold Ford Jr. Weighs a Challenge to Gillibrand — Encouraged by a group of influential New York Democrats, Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is weighing a bid to unseat Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in this fall's Democratic primary, according to three people who have spoken with him.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, msnbc.com, Washington Wire, Michael Calderone's Blog, George's Bottom Line, Capital Gains and Games blogs, Daily Kos, NPR Blogs, Top of the Ticket, The Hill, Hotline On Call, City Room, Clusterstock, No More Mister Nice Blog, MyDD, Wonkette, Ben Smith's Blog, Swing State Project, The Page and Real Clear Politics
The Politico:
Top Democrats head for the exits — The grim outlook for Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections just got a little worse. — Four top Democrats—including veteran Sens. Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan—all prepared to pull the plug on their campaigns in a 24-hour period that began Tuesday …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Democratic Strategist, GayPatriot, The Page, The Awl and Jezebel
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Senator Dodd Will Not Seek Re-election, Democrats Say — WASHINGTON — Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the embattled Connecticut Democrat who was facing an increasingly tough bid for a sixth term in the Senate, has decided to step aside and not seek re-election, Democrats familiar with his plans said Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Politico, Ben Smith's Blog, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Associated Press, New Haven Independent, Washington Post, Gothamist, Think Progress, Firedoglake, The Hill, Washington Monthly, Commentary, The Caucus, The Note, DownWithTyranny!, YID With LID, Outside The Beltway and msnbc.com
The Note:
Democrats are Dropping Like Flies — ABC News' David Chalian Reports: Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado, who was in for a tough reelection fight this year, canceled a scheduled fundraiser this evening and has decided not to seek reelection, according to Democratic sources familiar with the governor's plans.
Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
Hoeven planning to run for the Senate — Republicans look like they've landed their top recruit in the North Dakota Senate race: Popular Gov. John Hoeven is letting his political allies know that he's preparing to run for the seat of retiring Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)
Associated Press:
Connecticut Attorney General Will Join Race — HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he will seek to succeed fellow Democrat Christopher Dodd in the U.S. Senate. — Blumenthal tells The Associated Press that he will announce his candidacy at noon Wednesday …
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd won't seek reelection, will retire at end of term
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd won't seek reelection, will retire at end of term
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Power Line, msnbc.com, The Politico, Hot Air, The Hill, Weekly Standard, Wonk Room, Online NewsHour, Don Surber, RHRealityCheck.org, Clusterstock and The Page
Quinnipiac University:
Bysiewicz Trails Connecticut's Rell By Just 6 Points, Quinnipiac …
Bysiewicz Trails Connecticut's Rell By Just 6 Points, Quinnipiac …
Discussion:
Eye on 2010
Daniela Altimari / Hartford Courant:
Blumenthal To Run For Dodd's Senate Seat
Blumenthal To Run For Dodd's Senate Seat
Discussion:
Politics Daily, TPMDC, New York Times, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics and Public Policy Polling
Jared Allen / The Hill:
Dems agree that House will take up, tweak Senate healthcare bill — House and Senate leaders have formally agreed to bypass a bicameral conference committee to merge two healthcare bills, and have opted to instead “ping-pong” the Senate bill over to the House and back again, according to House leadership aides.
RELATED:
Breitbart.tv:
The C-SPAN Lie? See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations — “One of my jobs as President will be to guide this process...”
Discussion:
PoliJAM Blog, Mike Huckabee President 2012, Confederate Yankee and Another Black Conservative
Chris Frates / The Politico:
‘Forceful’ POTUS message: He wants a final bill that includes …
‘Forceful’ POTUS message: He wants a final bill that includes …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Arkansas News, Wonk Room and The Page
Ron Christie / Pundits Blog:
Amateur hour is over — Enough is enough. There was a time when the amateur hour that has characterized the behavior of the staff in the Obama White Hour over the past year could be chalked up to innocent inexperience. Now that behavior is nothing short of dangerous and President Barack Obama …
RELATED:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE.... Rep. Pete King (R) of New York …
STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE.... Rep. Pete King (R) of New York …
Discussion:
Think Progress
Aaron Blake / The Hill:
Worst RNC cash flow in a decade — A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade. — A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade.
Jules Crittenden:
It's Pretty Bad ... When the local lefty broadsheet goes on jihad against the Liberal Lion's annointed successor, Martha Coakley, in the midst of said Lion's legacy health-care fight, the day after a leading pollster shows her opposition to be within pistol-shot in the race.
RELATED:
Harold Meyerson / Washington Post:
Without a movement, progressives can't aid Obama's agenda — Every Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — has raised the hope that he would bring with him a new era of progressive reform. The legislative torrents of the New Deal and the Great Society …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, Washington Monthly, TalkLeft, The Mahablog and Prairie Weather
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Boy, now he's in real trouble; Obama administration revokes U.S. visa of accused Nigerian bomber — Under the category of looks-like-about-12-days-too- late, the State Department has announced it is revoking the U.S. visa for suspected Nigerian underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
Publius / Big Government:
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Military Blogger Michael Yon Detained, Handcuffed by TSA in Seattle Airport — Award winning war correspondent Michael Yon was detained and handcuffed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Yesterday by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.
Clusterstock:
CHART OF THE DAY: How The Government Payroll Replaced Goods-Producing Jobs — In the just-so story of the evolution of our economy, our old manufacturing based economy has been replaced by an innovative knowledge economy. That's not quite true. — In fact, the decline of the jobs …
CNN:
14 terror suspects mistakenly kill themselves — Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Fourteen suspected terrorists died Tuesday night when the bus they rigged with explosives blew up prematurely, police said. — The explosion occurred as the suspects were riding the bus in the province of Kunduz, said police chief Abdul Raziq Yaqobi.
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Van Hollen: Few, if any, more House Dems will retire — There won't be more than a few more retirements by House Democrats, their 2010 campaign chief vowed Wednesday. — Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) …
Chris Good / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Romney On Fox: Not Intimidated By Palin's Crowds; Obama Should Be More Like Clinton — Mitt and Ann Romney sat for an interview with Fox News that aired this morning (video after the jump). Here are some nuggets of interesting material: — When asked if he's intimidated by the big crowds …
Jeff Richardson / Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:
‘Frozen Gore’ sculpture returns in Fairbanks to fuel climate change debate — FAIRBANKS - In what might become an annual tradition, an ice sculpture of former Vice President Al Gore has taken its place in front of Thrifty Liquor along Airport Way. — The two-ton “Frozen Gore” sculpture isn't exactly a tribute.