Top Items:
Jonathan Martin / Ben Smith's Blog:
Tony Perkins urges conservatives to stop giving money to RNC — Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and an influential social conservative, is urging his members to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee, POLITICO has learned. — “I've hinted at this before …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Note, The Page, Riehl World View, TPM LiveWire and The Washington Independent
RELATED:
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Palin to RNC: Take me off fundraiser — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has asked the Republican National Committee to remove her name from a fundraiser the committee is planning piggybacking off of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, POLITICO has learned.
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Brody Mullins / Washington Wire:
Former GOP Officials Launch Political Group
Former GOP Officials Launch Political Group
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Andy Barr / The Politico:
RNC: Dems do it too, sort of
RNC: Dems do it too, sort of
Discussion:
Democratic National Committee, The Daily Caller, Grasping Reality … and Washington Monthly
Melinda Newman / Hitfix:
Like LL Cool J, Toby Keith was unaware of his inclusion in Sarah Palin's show — Like LL Cool J, Toby Keith is slated to appear on “Real American Stories,” a Fox News show hosted by Sarah Palin. Unlike LL Cool J, Keith is still slated to be on the program, but his inclusion was news to him.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Political Carnival, Show Tracker, Ben Smith's Blog, TPM LiveWire, The Daily Caller and TVNewser
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Yahoo! News:
Palin, Fox News, LL Cool J tangle over phantom interview — Here's a chapter in the culture wars that no one saw coming: Sarah Palin and Fox News facing off against '80s rap star and actor LL Cool J. — Palin makes her hosting debut Thursday night on Fox, as captain of an interview special in Greta Von Susteren's 10 p.m. slot.
Chris Ariens / TVNewser:
Fox News to Cut Old LL Cool J Interview from New Sarah Palin Show — Actor, rapper LL Cool J was listed as one of the guests on the premiere of Sarah Palin's Fox News series “Real American Stories.” But late last night, LL, aka James Todd Smith, Tweeted that Fox News is “misrepresenting” his appearance.
ArtsBeat:
Furor Grows Over Celebrity Appearances on Palin Show — Hours after LL Cool J complained that Fox News was recycling an old interview with him for a new program hosted by Sarah Palin, representatives for the country musician Toby Keith, who was also listed as a guest for the show, made a similar charge against the cable channel.
The Corner on National Review Online:
Stall, Baby, Stall — By: NRO Staff — Many Americans fear that President Obama's new energy proposal is once again “all talk and no real action,” this time in an effort to shore up fading support for the Democrats' job-killing cap-and-trade (a.k.a. cap-and-tax) proposals.
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative
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The Politico:
Obama tries triangulation lite — Just days after Republicans fumed that passage of the health care bill tolled the death knell for bipartisanship, there was a very different message coming from some GOP quarters Wednesday: praise for President Barack Obama's decision to lift the ban on some offshore oil drilling.
John M. Broder / New York Times:
Obama Oil Drilling Plan Draws Critics
Obama Oil Drilling Plan Draws Critics
Discussion:
Switchboard, The Huffington Post, Room for Debate, Indecision Forever, The Caucus, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, Wonkette, The Plum Line, The Hill, Crooks and Liars, The Washington Independent, The Moderate Voice, Wall Street Journal, SENATUS, Vanity Fair, skippy the bush kangaroo, Grist, Washington Monthly and The Lonely Conservative
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Boehner rebukes Obama offshore drilling plan
Boehner rebukes Obama offshore drilling plan
Discussion:
FT Energy Source, TPM LiveWire, Michelle Malkin, The Hill, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, Swampland, Grist, Washington Monthly, The Washington Independent, Mother Jones, Guardian, Wonkette, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Open Congress, The Moderate Voice, EnviroKnow, Taylor Marsh, Jules Crittenden, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, New York Times, Gawker, Scared Monkeys, Political Punch and AMERICAblog News
New York Times:
Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretapping Program Illegal — WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration's effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed …
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The BRAD BLOG, Latest Open Salon Blog, TalkLeft and Truthdig
RELATED:
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Dem congressman: If Guam gets too overpopulated, it might tip over — Via Weasel Zippers, a clip that's destined to be viral by tomorrow morning. Even so, go easy on him. Yes, he was an Iraq defeatist, and granted, he demagogued Joe Wilson's outburst in the scummiest way imaginable …
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Christina Wilkie / The Hill:
Rep. Hank Johnson: Guam could ‘tip over and capsize’
Rep. Hank Johnson: Guam could ‘tip over and capsize’
Discussion:
Clayton Cramer's BLOG
Veronique de Rugy / The Corner on National …:
How Is the Stimulus Money Allocated? — By: Veronique de Rugy — Unemployment isn't a factor, but politics is. Your stimulus dollars at work. — Using recipient report data from Recovery.gov, as well as economic and political data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau …
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Greg Mankiw / Greg Mankiw's Blog:
Taxes per Person — Some pundits, reflecting on the looming U.S. budget deficits, claim that Americans are vastly undertaxed compared with other major nations. I was wondering, to what extent is that true? — The most common metric for answering this question is taxes as a percentage of GDP.
RELATED:
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Mankiw's Tortured Tax Logic
Michael Calderone / The Politico:
How to fix CNN — “What we understood from the get-go was that by focusing on opinion, analysis and using topic-area expertise to draw conclusions, we could easily differentiate ourselves from CNN, that was so wedded to just regurgitating the facts,” Goldin said.
Discussion:
Power Line
John / Verum Serum:
Memo to Paul Krugman and Rep. Van Hollen: My Search Was Not in Vain (Updated) — In last Thursday's column, Paul Krugman admitted to having fun watching “right-wingers go wild.” One of the things that apparently delighted him was this map which Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page:
Andrew Sabl / The Reality-Based Community:
The Affordable Care act is not a “mandate.” It's government paying for your private insurance when your employer doesn't. — My post on why the ACA will become popular was too long and confusing. Shorter me: — The phrase “individual mandate,” though it explained to wonks …
Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
Secretary of the Army Says He Will Not Pursue 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Discharges — WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Army, John M. McHugh, said Wednesday that he was effectively ignoring the “don't ask, don't tell” law because he had no intention of pursuing discharges of active-duty service members …
Susan Page / USA Today:
Poll: More blame Obama for poor economy, unemployment — WASHINGTON — Americans anxious about unemployment and the economy increasingly blame President Obama for hard times, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid signs of turbulence in November's midterm elections.
Discussion:
Riehl World View
CBS News:
Michelle Obama Blooms in the White House — Back in the White House Garden, The First Lady's Popularity is Already Growing by the Bushel — (CBS) The White House garden has done quite well in weathering the wild winter. — The garden has produced 50 pounds of produce before the tulips even came up.
Chris Bowers / Open Left:
The politics of Obama's offshore drilling announcement — Here are the two main political implications of the Obama administration's announcement that it will expand offshore drilling: — A compromise with Conservadems While Republicans have been particularly loud in their support …
Alan Colmes' Liberaland:
Tea Partier Tells Mediaite Racist Sign Was Forged; We Have Him On Record Defending Its Use — Self-proclaimed Tea Party founder Dale Robertson told Tommy Christopher at Mediaite that the infamous photo of him holding a sign with the n-word (which he spelled wrong) is a fake. Reports Christopher:
Danielle Pletka / Wall Street Journal:
Iran Sanctions Are Failing. What's Next? — We will soon be left with a stark alternative: Either Iran gets a nuclear weapon and we manage the risk, or someone acts to eliminate the threat. — Has the U.S. abandoned plans to target the Iranian regime's access to banking and credit and to isolate Iranian air and shipping transport?
Center for Community Change:
Immigrant Leaders Get Commitment From RNC Chairman Steele To Help In Securing Republican Support For Immigration Reform — WASHINGTON - Today, ten leaders with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) met with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to discuss the future …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Gallup: Majority Says Dem Health Reform Tactics Were “Abuse Of Power” — Yesterday I noted the seemingly odd finding by Gallup that more Americans blame Democrats than Republicans or conservatives for the rash of violence that greeted the passage of the reform law.