Top Items:
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Democratic Party Image Drops to Record Low — Favorable images of Democratic, Republican Parties now tied — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' favorable rating of the Democratic Party dropped to 41% in a late March USA Today/Gallup poll, the lowest point in the 18-year history of this measure.
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Fox News:
Read Full Poll Results. — President Obama's overall job approval rating dropped to a new low of 43 percent. Nearly half — 48 percent — disapprove. In mid-March, it was 46-48 percent. His current rating among Democrats (80 percent) and independents (38 percent) are among his lowest ratings with these groups.
Lacey Rose / Forbes:
Glenn Beck Inc — In his empire there's the ideology—and then there's the money machine. — Five and a half hours before showtime Glenn Beck still isn't quite sure how he'll provide tonight's entertainment, “The Future of History”—two hours of monologue (and answers to preselected questions) …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Washington Monthly, Plunderbund, Guardian, Mediaite, TPM LiveWire, Political Bookworm, Hullabaloo and pandagon.net
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The Note:
Perkins Warns Steele: ‘Republicans Are Not the Only Game in Town’ — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council last week broke with RNC Chairman Michael Steele by publicly urging conservatives to stop supporting the Republican National Committee.
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The Note:
Palin Says Obama's Nuke Stance Is Like a Kid Who Says ‘Punch Me in the Face’
Palin Says Obama's Nuke Stance Is Like a Kid Who Says ‘Punch Me in the Face’
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times, GOP 12 and ABCNEWS
Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:
GOPers Debate What's Worse — Keep Steele Or Face Media Blitz If He's Fired
GOPers Debate What's Worse — Keep Steele Or Face Media Blitz If He's Fired
Stephanie Condon / CBS News:
Poll: Low Favorability Ratings for Sarah Palin — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continues to receive unfavorable ratings from the American public overall …
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
National Democrats growing increasingly worried about Hawaii special election — National Democrats are growing increasingly concerned that the presence of two well-known candidates in an all-party special election in Hawaii next month will badly jeopardize their chances of holding the seat …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, The Plum Line, Riehl World View, Hotline On Call and National Review Online
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Ezra Klein:
Cutting defense spending more popular than cutting education or Social Security — The chart above comes from Annie Lowrey, and is the single best explanation of why it's so much easier to say you want to cut government spending than it is to actually cut it.
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Karen Travers / ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: President Obama Confident Senate Will Ratify New Nuclear Treaty — Obama's Message to Republicans: U.S., Russian Agreement Is ‘Absolutely Vital’ for U.S. Nuclear Agenda — Despite signs of Republican opposition, President Obama said today that he is confident …
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Peter Baker / New York Times:
Russia and U.S. Sign Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact
Russia and U.S. Sign Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact
Discussion:
Associated Press, Wonk Room, The Huffington Post, The Caucus, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Laura Rozen's Blog, Bloomberg, Little Green Footballs, Hot Air, RealClearWorld, The Moderate Voice, Danger Room, Indecision Forever, Commentary, Washington Monthly, Think Progress, White House.gov Blog Feed, Guardian, The Note, The Politico, The Daily Beast and Time
Quinnipiac University:
Republicans Lead In Pennsylvania Senate, Governor Races, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Rendell Approval Up, While Obama Approval Is Down — Republican Pat Toomey is back on top 46 - 41 percent over Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania's seesaw U.S. Senate race, while Attorney General Tom Corbett …
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Drew Cline:
Romney: Obamacare is unconstitutional — In an interview at the Union Leader this morning, Mitt Romney said President Obama's health care plan was an unconstitutional violation of the 10th Amendment. — Romney has been saying that a key difference between his Massachusetts health care reform …
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The Huffington Post:
Power Struggle: Inside The Battle For The Soul Of The Democratic Party (Print Version) — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Raúl Grijalva is sitting quietly with a few of his staffers at one end of the bar, a bottle of Bud and a shot of whiskey in front of him, while his fellow Democratic members …
Floyd Norris / New York Times:
Why So Glum? History Suggests a Strong Recovery — The American economy appears to be in a cyclical recovery that is gaining strength. Firms have begun to hire and consumer spending seems to be accelerating. — That is what usually happens after particularly sharp recessions …
Louise Gray / Telegraph:
Cows absolved of causing global warming with nitrous oxide — Livestock could actually be good for the environment according to a new study that found grazing cows or sheep can cut emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas. — In the past environmentalists, from Lord Stern to Sir Paul McCartney …
Justin Elliott / TPMMuckraker:
Prosecutor: East TX Man Distributed Pipe Bombs Because Of Anger At Government — An East Texas man who federal prosecutors allege left explosive devices including pipe bombs in multiple area mail boxes, was motivated in part by anger at the government, Brit Featherston …
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Mary Katharine Ham / Weekly Standard:
It's On: CBO Fielding VAT Questions From Congress — White House advisor Paul Volcker made news this week by calling a value-added tax (VAT) “not as toxic an idea” as it's been in the past for tackling the nation's deficit problem. Today, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf confirmed he's …
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Linda Douglass leaving White House — Linda Douglass, the network TV correspondent who became a top pitchwoman for President Obama's health care plan, is leaving the White House. — She sounds like she needs a break; her last day is April 16, and she leaves for vacation the next day.
Discussion:
The Hill, TPM LiveWire, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, The Page and The Corner on National …
Roger L Simon / Pajamas Media:
BREAKING: Obama Administration Denies Visas to Israeli Nuclear Scientists — The Obama administration is now denying U.S. visas to Israeli scientists who work at that nation's Dimona nuclear reactor. This startling reversal of traditional policy was reported April 7, 2010 …
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Jawa Report, Liberty Pundits dot net, The Volokh Conspiracy and Israel Matzav
Lumi Boldovici / chicagogop.com:
The Female Century vs The Hetaerae Century & The John Edwards “Affair” — Now, that the slogan “job creation” is being paraded by the democrats in office as an accomplishment of great significance meant to alleviate the serious economic precarious situation facing the country.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Jawa Report, TPM LiveWire, The Political Carnival, culturekitchen, Newsweek Blogs and PopWatch
CNN:
Suspect in Pelosi threats case weeps at court hearing — A man accused of threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wept Thursday as he talked to his attorney before a federal court hearing. — San Francisco, California (CNN) - A man accused of threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wept Thursday …
Discussion:
The Politico
Jay Bookman:
GOP's ‘Repeal and replace’ slogan has no grounding in reality — AJC editors and columnists just finished a pretty wide-ranging 80-minute interview with Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been nagging at me for a while.
Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Netanyahu cancels trip to U.S. nuclear summit — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned trip to Washington, where he was scheduled to participate in a nuclear security summit hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama, government officials said. — Intelligence and Atomic Energy …