memeorandum: Cantor: Dems ‘fanning flames’ (The Politico)

4:40 PM ET, March 25, 2010

Top Items:

Cantor Says Campaign Office Was Shot At, Accuses Dems of Exploiting Threats — Republican Rep. Eric Cantor said Thursday that his Richmond campaign office has been shot at and that he's received “threatening e-mails” — but at the same time accused top Democrats of trying to exploit …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Confederate Yankee, Weekly Standard, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Sadly, No!, The Right Scoop, NewsBusters.org, JammieWearingFool, The Jawa Report, thedanashow.wordpress.com, Gateway Pundit, Maggie's Notebook, Little Green Footballs and Breitbart.tv

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

GOP lawmaker now reports threat over healthcare stance — U.S. Capitol Police are investigating a threatening voicemail left in the office of Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), her chief of staff said Thursday. — Schmidt's office was left a voicemail late Wednesday night in what appears …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Gateway Pundit, CNN, The Moderate Voice and TPMMuckraker

The Politico:
Cantor: Dems ‘fanning flames’

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blog

Chad Pergram / The Speakers Lobby:
EXCLUSIVE: Shot Fired at House Minority Whip Cantor's Richmond Office

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Think Progress and News Hounds

Associated Press:
Cantor says shot fired at campaign office building

Discussion: Washington Monthly, TPM LiveWire, The Atlantic Online and TPMDC

Alan Colmes' Liberaland:
Congressman Eric Cantor's Office Shot At

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Cantor Slams Dems For Politicizing, “Fanning Flames” Of Violence

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Riehl World View, The Daily Dish, RedState and Daily Kos

Ben Pershing / Washington Post:
Eric Cantor accuses Democrats of ‘fanning flames’ on member threats

Discussion: Salon, The Atlantic Online, The Washington Independent and The Reaction

Rasmussen Reports:

55% Favor Repeal of Health Care Bill — Just before the House of Representatives passed sweeping health care legislation last Sunday, 41% of voters nationwide favored the legislation while 54% were opposed. Now that President Obama has signed the legislation into law, most voters want to see it repealed.

Discussion: Townhall.com, UNCOVERAGE.net, GayPatriot, CBS News, Ruby Slippers, Commentary, Scared Monkeys, Right Wing Nut House, Hot Air, TPMDC, Weekly Standard, Riehl World View and Wake up America

Quinnipiac University:

Obama Gets Small Bounce From Health Care Win, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Net Disapproval Of Health Reform Drops 9 Points — Despite passage of his signature health reform bill, President Barack Obama still gets a split 45 - 46 percent approval from American voters …

Discussion: TPMDC, FiveThirtyEight, Hot Air, The Caucus, Politics Daily, Hotline On Call, National Review Online and The Other McCain

Wall Street Journal:

ObamaCare Day One — Companies are already warning about higher health-care costs. — Democrats dragged themselves over the health-care finish line in part by repeating that voters would like the plan once it passed. Let's see what they think when they learn their insurance costs will jump right away.

Discussion: The Corner on National … and Commentary

John / Power Line:
Repeal It! — I've written elsewhere that we should wait …

Discussion: Jules Crittenden and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

New York Times:

Senate Passes Set of Changes to Health Care Overhaul — WASHINGTON — After running through an obstacle course of Republican amendments and procedural objections, the Senate on Thursday afternoon approved of a package of changes to the Democrats' sweeping health care overhaul …

Ezra Klein:

Senate passes reconciliation fixes 56-43 — Of the Democrats, Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson, and Mark Pryor voted against the package. Now, because it's slightly changed from the version the House considered, it will held back there for final passage. The House vote is expected to be fairly smooth …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Facing South and Outside The Beltway

Jeffrey Young / The Hill:
Senate sends healthcare ‘fixes’ bill back to House

Discussion: The Politico, TPMDC and Washington Monthly

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

President Obama to repeal-minded Republicans: ‘Go for it’ — President Barack Obama on Thursday flipped into campaign mode and dared Republicans to repeal the healthcare law. — With his signature agenda item signed into law, Obama switched from selling the bill to aggressively promoting …

Discussion: The Swamp

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama's healthcare: Iowa then and now

Discussion: The Politico

Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
‘Go for it,’ Obama tells GOP on health repeal

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and Weekly Standard

Jonathan Dienst / NBC New York:

“White Powder” Package Sent to Congressman Weiner's Office — Letter references “health care” vote — Law enforcement officials say a package with white powder was sent to Congressman Weiner's Queens office today. — A preliminary review shows the letter in part complained …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Awl and The Political Carnival

David Frum / FrumForum:

AEI Says Goodbye — I have been a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute since 2003. At lunch today, AEI President Arthur Brooks and I came to a termination of that relationship. — Below is the text of my letter of resignation. … Follow David Frum on twitter: @davidfrum

Discussion: Laura Rozen's Blog, The Atlantic Online, Michael Calderone's Blog, Mediaite, The Plum Line and The Page

Mary Williams Walsh / New York Times:

Social Security Payout to Exceed Revenue This Year — The bursting of the real estate bubble and the ensuing recession have hurt jobs, home prices and now Social Security. — This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold …

Discussion: Hot Air, The Atlantic Online, Hit & Run, Politics Daily, Outside The Beltway, Questions and Observations, The Moderate Voice, Big Government, OpEdNews, DailyFinance, Washington Post, Betsy's Page, The Corner on National …, Cato @ Liberty, The Huffington Post, RaceWire and Gawker

Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online: In Funds We Trust — Every time I write anything about Social Security …

Janelle Rucker / The Roanoke Times:

Perriello's brother attacked after Tea Party posts wrong address for health care protest — A number of federal legislators are under tighter security because of threats they've received since Sunday. — 981-3159 — Opposition to massive health care reform has been building since …

Discussion: The Swamp, TPM LiveWire, D.C. Now, Think Progress and The Hill

Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Real problems of violence against members of Congress or self …

Discussion: Congress Blog, Power Line, The Politico, Gothamist, RedState, Outside The Beltway, thedanashow.wordpress.com, CNN and Questions and Observations

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
DCCC accuses NRCC of encouraging violence

Discussion: The Plum Line, Hullabaloo, Riehl World View and TPM LiveWire

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

W.H., labor to vote-switchers: We won't forget — Senior White House and organized labor officials are warning the handful of House Democrats who supported health care legislation last year only to oppose the final measure on Sunday that they shouldn't expect assistance for their reelection campaigns this fall.

Discussion: CNN, The Awl and AMERICAblog News

Joe Klein / Time:
Obama Health Care Bill: Political Victory for President

Discussion: The Daily Dish and The Note

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Coward Russ Carnahan Pushes Bogus Tea Party Lie to Media- Claims Prayer Service With Coffin Was a Violent Threat (Updated) — Remember as you read this: There is nothing the democratic-media complex will not do to lie about the tea party patriots or to prop up these horrid leftists …

Discussion: KMOV-TV, bnd.com, The Atlantic Online, Weekly Standard, Little Green Footballs, American Power, Michelle Malkin, St. Louis Tea Party, Breitbart.tv, The Moderate Voice, RedState, thedanashow.wordpress.com, USA Today, Riehl World View and TPMDC

Jake Sherman / The Politico:
Coffin placed on Carnahan's lawn

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Riehl World View, Gawker, 24thState, Mediaite, Swampland, CBS News, Sister Toldjah, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Lonely Conservative and Confederate Yankee

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

GOP senators warn Obama of using recess appointment for labor board — All Senate Republicans wrote President Barack Obama on Thursday, demanding he not use a recess appointment to fill spots on a labor board. — Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), joined …

Discussion: CNN, The Politico and The New Republic

US Senator Orrin Hatch:
HATCH, MCCAIN SECURE SUPPORT OF 41 GOP SENATORS AGAINST RECESS …

Discussion: Washington Wire and The BLT

Aaron Gould Sheinin / Gold Dome Live:

Breaking: Perdue will sue feds over health care on his own — By Jim Tharpe/jtharpe@ajc.com and Aaron Gould Sheinin/asheinin@ajc.com — Gov. Sonny Perdue said Thursday he will appoint a “special attorney general” to challenge federal health care legislation signed into law this week by President Obama.

Discussion: The Washington Independent, The Hill and Riehl World View

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly: A FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT.... When it comes to health care reform …

Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:

Vatican Declined to Defrock U.S. Priest Who Abused Boys — Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter …

Discussion: RHRealityCheck.org, The Daily Dish, Crooks and Liars, Taylor Marsh, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Gothamist, Canadian Press, UPI, News Desk, Guardian, The Awl, Politics Daily, Pam's House Blend, Los Angeles Times, Prairie Weather, The Moderate Voice, Advocate and ProPublica: Blog

The Huffington Post:

Byrd Rule To Send Health Care Back To House, Rules Parliamentarian — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Senate Republicans succeeded early Thursday morning in finding two flaws in the House-passed health care reconciliation package. Neither is of any substance, but the Senate parliamentarian …

Discussion: New York Times, ColoradoPols.com, Washington Post, CNN, TPMDC, Open Congress, Open Left, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Mahablog, AMERICAblog News and Washington Monthly

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Tea partiers air doubts about Armey — It seemed a strange fit to begin with — a former House Republican leader turned $750,000-a-year Washington lobbyist who resurfaced as perhaps the single most identifiable leader of a populist, anti-Washington movement.

Discussion: The Corner on National …