memeorandum: Q&A: Obama on His First Year in Office (Joe Klein/Time)

3:30 PM ET, January 21, 2010

Top Items:

Justices Block Key Part of Campaign Law — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns. — By a 5-4 vote …

Discussion: Cato @ Liberty, Crooks and Liars, SCOTUSblog, The Fix, Washington Post, Ezra Klein, JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly, Another Black Conservative, PostPartisan, The Lonely Conservative, YID With LID, The Confluence, Taegan Goddard's … and Open Congress

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Justices Overturn Key Campaign Limits — WASHINGTON — Sweeping aside a century-old understanding and overruling two important precedents, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Court decision opens floodgates for corporate political spending — The Supreme Court on Thursday opened wide new avenues for big-moneyed interests to pour money into politics in a decision that could have a major influence on the 2010 midterm elections and President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, ABCNEWS, The Swamp, Guardian and BuzzFlash.org

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:

Obama blasts court decision — President Obama came out swinging today against the Supreme Court's ruling in a major campaign finance case. — In a statement issued by the White House, Obama said the decision “has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics.”

Discussion: The Hill

NPR:
High Court Rolls Back Campaign Spending Limits

Discussion: The Hill, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Top of the Ticket and Minnesota Independent

Richard L. Hasen / Slate:
The Supreme Court kills campaign finance reform.

Discussion: SCOTUSblog, The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Emptywheel, The Politico and JammieWearingFool

Fox News:
Supreme Court Removes Limits on Corporate, Labor Donations to Campaigns

Discussion: Townhall.com, Law Blog, Left Coast Rebel and LewRockwell.com Blog

Michelle Malkin:
Supreme Court decimates McCain-Feingold campaign finance law …

Discussion: Hot Air

Tony Romm / The Hill:
Schumer: Voters lose in Supreme Court's campaign finance ruling

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Moonbattery and Raw Story

Rachel Slajda / TPMDC:

Pelosi: There Aren't Enough Votes To Pass The Senate Bill — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just told reporters that she does not believe she has enough votes in the House to pass the Senate health care reform bill as-is — at least not yet. — “I don't see the votes for it at this time,” Pelosi said.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Plum Line, Ezra Klein, Daily Kos, The New Republic, Left Coast Rebel, QandO, AmSpecBlog, Mother Jones and The Washington Independent

Washington Post:

Pelosi says House cannot pass Senate's health-care bill without changes — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the Senate will have to amend its version of a health-care reform bill before her chamber can pass it. — “I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House …

Discussion: The Hill, TalkLeft, Raw Story, Newsweek Blogs, Mother Jones, Ezra Klein, New York Magazine, Verum Serum, RedState, Associated Press and AMERICAblog News

Paul Krugman:

He Wasn't The One We've Been Waiting For — Health care reform — which is crucial for millions of Americans — hangs in the balance. Progressives are desperately in need of leadership; more specifically, House Democrats need to be told to pass the Senate bill, which isn't what they wanted but is vastly better than nothing.

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Breaking: Pelosi announces that she can't pass Senate ObamaCare bill — The dream of cramming down the Senate version of ObamaCare died as Scott Brown arrived in Washington DC to prepare to enter the Senate as the first Republican from Massachusetts in 38 years, which was both coincidental and providential.

Discussion: Nice Deb, Maggie's Farm, Associated Press and Wizbang

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Raul Grijalva Flirting With History's Greatest Monster Status — There are a variety of impediments to the House simply taking the available Senate health care text and passing it. There's Bart Stupak's anti-abortion block. There's fainthearted moderate types. And then, apparently, there's angry liberal Raul Grijalva:

Discussion: Firedoglake and The New Republic

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo: Pelosi Pulls The Plug

Mark Silva / The Swamp: Health-care: ‘Cool Hand Luke problem?’

New York Times:
The Massachusetts Election

Discussion: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Politico, Commentary and Prairie Weather

The Politico:
Pelosi: 'I don't see the votes' — As top Democrats cast doubt …

Discussion: Commentary

Associated Press: Pelosi: 'I don't see the votes' for Sen. health bill

Alec MacGillis / Washington Post:
Brown's victory in Mass. senate race hardly a repudiation of health reform

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, National Review and Wall Street Journal

msnbc.com:

Edwards admits fathering child with mistress — Former presidential candidate promises to support his 2-year-old daughter — John Edwards' attorneys say he's been providing financial support for 2-year-old Quinn for about a year, and just signed a child support agreement with Rielle Hunter.

Discussion: Politics Daily, JustOneMinute, The Fix, Gothamist, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TPM LiveWire, Gateway Pundit, Washington Post and Indecision Forever

Michelle Malkin:
The soap opera of John Edwards; Update: Silky Pony rehabs image in Haiti

Discussion: The Caucus, Washington Wire, Washington Post, CBS News, RedState and Politics Daily

ABCNEWS:
John Edwards Admits He Fathered Rielle Hunter's Child

Discussion: Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, The Politico, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Swamp, AmSpecBlog and PostPartisan

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Edwards doing ‘things he wanted’

Discussion: AmSpecBlog

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2010: Missouri Senate — 2010 Missouri Senate: Blunt (R) 49%, Carnahan (D) 43% — Republican Roy Blunt now holds a six-point lead over Democrat Robin Carnahan in Missouri's race for the U.S. Senate. — A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Blunt ahead of Carnahan 49% to 43%.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Hot Air and Gateway Pundit

Rasmussen Reports:

Senate 2010: More Shocks on the Way — A Commentary By Larry J. Sabato — With Tuesday night's upset by Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts, the GOP gained more than just a 41st vote to disrupt the Obama agenda. As attention turns to the midterm elections in November, the Republican Party has strong momentum.

Discussion: The Swamp, The Moderate Voice, Betsy's Page and Don Surber

Rasmussen Reports: Election 2010: Pennsylvania Senate

New York Times:

Obama to Propose Limits on Risks Taken by Banks — WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday will publicly propose giving bank regulators the power to limit the size of the nation's largest banks and the scope of their risk-taking activities, an administration official said late Wednesday.

Discussion: Salon, Marginal Revolution, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic Business Channel, naked capitalism, Mother Jones, Wonk Room, The Hill, Matthew Yglesias, Felix Salmon, TalkLeft, Capital Gains and Games blogs, The Baseline Scenario, Think Progress, EconLog and Politics Daily

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly: OBAMA PUSHES NEW LIMITS ON BANKS.... Now, there's a good soundbite …

Sewell Chan / New York Times:
Obama Moves to Limit ‘Reckless Risks’ of Big Banks

Discussion: DealBook, Daily Kos, Felix Salmon and The Washington Independent

Wall Street Journal:
Proposal Set to Curb Bank Giants

Discussion: The Baseline Scenario, Felix Salmon, Associated Press, Booman Tribune, Runnin' Scared, The New Republic, Washington Post, The Note, The Politico, Economix, New York Times, The Hill and Mother Jones

Scott / Power Line:

Courting Disaster with Christiane Amanpour — Marc Thiessen is the author of Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack , about which he wrote for us here. As White House speechwriter for George Bush, Thiessen was locked in a secure room …

Discussion: RedState

Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:

Specter tells Bachmann to “act like a lady” — The deeply odd couple of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) appeared together on a Philly radio station yesterday — and things got ugly in short order. — The exchange, broadcast on 1210 AM's Dom Giordano Show …

Discussion: Townhall.com

D Malloy / Early Returns: Specter spars with Bachmann on radio

Glenn Garvin / Changing Channels:

MSNBC to Massachusetts: Drop dead! — Watching coverage of the Massachusetts senatorial election Tuesday night, I wondered if MSNBC was getting ready to cut off its cable signal to the state. Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, positively enraged that Massachusetts dared to elect a Republican …

Discussion: The Politico, The Swamp, Olbermann Watch and Mediaite

The Politico:
Dems fret: ‘Every state is in play’

Discussion: The Fix, The Raw Story, Boston Globe, American Conservative …, Commentary, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal and Wake up America

CNN:

Cindy McCain poses for same-sex marriage campaign — (CNN) - Cindy McCain, the wife of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, has posed for a Web site promoting same-sex marriage. — McCain, who's married to Arizona Sen. John McCain, appears in a photograph on the site with a piece …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Advocate and Ben Smith's Blog

Joan Lowy / Associated Press:
McCain's wife, daughter back gay marriage movement

Discussion: The Note, Politics Daily, News Desk, The Bilerico Project, The Huffington Post, Telegraph, New York Magazine and SFGate

Jon Walker / Firedoglake:

IN-9: Baron Hill Trailing Mike Sodrel in Fifth Straight Match Up, 41% to 49% — FDL/SurveyUSA, 1/16-1/18, 600 likely voters, margin of sampling error ± 4.1% … 2010 will be the fifth straight time Democratic Congressman Baron Hill has gone head-to-head with Republican former Congressman Mike Sodrel …

Aaron Blake / The Hill: A 28-point swing in Baron Hill's district

The Hugh Hewitt Show:

Christopher Hitchens reacting to Massachusetts, and non-believer relief to Haiti — HH: But we begin as we do when we are lucky on Wednesdays with columnist for Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens. Mr. Hitchens, do you remember an election as surprising as last night's? — CH: I'm sure I could if I tried.

Discussion: Think Progress, alicublog and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog