memeorandum: Poll Finds Americans Pessimistic, Dissatisfied with Washington (Brian Montopoli/CBS News)

1:40 PM ET, May 26, 2010

Top Items:

Domenico Montanaro / msnbc.com:

FIRST THOUGHTS: GOP AND IMMIGRATION — Good news/bad news for GOP in NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo poll on immigration... The poll shows that Latino voters are swinging widely for the Democrats, while their support for the GOP is dropping like a rock... Has the GOP learned the Pete Wilson lesson? …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Ben Smith's Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill, The Eye, Balloon Juice and The New Republic

Jackie Calmes / The Caucus:

Over Drinks With Donors, Obama Recounts Lunch With Republicans — SAN FRANCISCO — Hours after President Obama met privately with Senate Republicans at the Capitol on Tuesday, he was here on the West Coast, regaling Democratic donors with his version of the 75-minute luncheon squabble.

Discussion: New York Times

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Obama heckled over 'Don't ask, don't tell' — again — President Barack Obama was heckled by a protester Tuesday night while at a fundraising event for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) in San Francisco. — The protester was upset with the pace of the repeal of the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy barring openly gay military service members.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and CNN

Washington Post:
After closed-door talks, GOP senator calls Obama ‘thin-skinned’

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Politics Daily, The Politico, Associated Press, The Plum Line, The Nation, msnbc.com, ChattahBox News Blog, Hot Air, RedState, No More Mister Nice Blog, TPM LiveWire, The Political Carnival, Front Row Washington, Wonk Room, CNN, iOwnTheWorld.com and Scared Monkeys

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:
Behind the Scenes of President Obama's ‘Warm and Cuddly’ …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Obama: Day for ‘partnership’ passed

Discussion: The Hill, The Hill, Guardian, Weasel Zippers and FrumForum

The White House:
Remarks by the President at Second Fundraising Reception for …

Discussion: Townhall.com

Think Progress:
ThinkFast: May 26, 2010 — Following a meeting with the …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Jules Crittenden, Washington Post, TRAIL BLAZERS and The Mahablog

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Spirited Exchanges at Senate Republican Lunch With Obama

Discussion: The Agonist and The Caucus

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Chris Christie to teacher: If you don't like my education budget, find a new job — I begged for video on Twitter, my friends, but none is forthcoming. What can I say? I tried. … Elsewhere today, he warned about New Jersey becoming a new Greece. In lieu of a clip of the exchange …

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, Betsy's Page, Bloomberg, Weasel Zippers, Townhall.com, The Anchoress and Cassy Fiano

Herb Jackson / NorthJersey.com:

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie defends cuts, promotes property tax cap in Rutherford — RUTHERFORD — Governor Christie on Tuesday told a borough teacher to find another job if she did not feel she was compensated enough as he defended his state budget cuts and promoted a plan to cap annual growth in property tax collections.

Discussion: FrumForum

ABCNEWS:

'We're About to Die Down Here': Carville Blasts Obama's Oil Spill Response — Democratic Strategist Said White House Should've Acted Quickly: 'We're About to Die Down Here' — The White House is seemingly making an increased show of pressuring BP, but President Obama is facing political heat …

Discussion: The Gaggle, Washington Post, Daily Kos, YID With LID, Taylor Marsh, The Foundry, The New Ledger and protein wisdom

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Nelson: Obama should take over oil spill fix if BP attempt fails

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

Jen DiMascio / The Politico:
Nelson to back 'Don't ask' repeal

Discussion: Think Progress, The Hill, Advocate and Wonk Room

Dan Popkey / Idaho Statesman:

Labrador upsets Ward, eyes Minnick — Worries about nation's direction motivate many voters in Tuesday's Idaho GOP primary — In a rebuke to the Republican establishment, state Rep. Raul Labrador defeated Vaughn Ward in western Idaho's 1st Congressional District and punched his ticket …

Discussion: Ballot Box, TPMDC, Right Now, Beltway Confidential, Daily Kos, NPR Topics, Clayton Cramer's BLOG and FrumForum

The Fix:
Top GOP recruit Vaughn Ward loses in Idaho primary

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Democratic Strategist, Idaho Reporter, Crooks and Liars and Washington Monthly

Mary Lu Carnevale / Washington Wire:
Idaho Upset: Labrador Bests Ward

Discussion: The Gaggle, Vanity Fair, Gawker, The Huffington Post and The Swamp

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Republicans' new Web site not exactly what they hoped it would be — Republicans want to take over the House in the fall, but there's a problem: They don't have an agenda. — So on Tuesday, they set out to resolve that shortcoming. They announced that they would solicit suggestions on the Internet …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politics Daily, PostPartisan, Denver Post, NetRight Daily, Big Government and Riehl World View

Jackie Kucinich / Roll Call:
Boehner Asks Oberstar to Drop All GOP Earmarks From WRDA Bill

Discussion: RedState and Liberty Central

Roll Call:
K Street Warms Up to Would-Be Speaker

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly and Don Surber

Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:

Arizona immigration law will boost crime in U.S. cities, police chiefs say — Arizona's new crackdown on illegal immigration will increase crime in U.S. cities, not reduce it, by driving a wedge between police and immigrant communities, police chiefs from several of the state's and the nation's largest cities said Tuesday.

Discussion: The Hill, USA Today, Liveshots, Outside the Beltway, The Gaggle, The Corner on National …, iOwnTheWorld.com, msnbc.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story and Sentencing Law and Policy

John / Power Line:
So Arizona Was Right After All? — Arizona's law that attempts …

Discussion: The Corner on National …, Wake up America, Another Black Conservative, Outside the Beltway and Pundit & Pundette

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Nelson will back 'Don't ask, don't tell' deal — Centrist Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Wednesday he will support a deal to repeal the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy against openly gay military servicemembers. — The White House and Congress struck a deal on Monday that would allow a vote …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Hill and CNN

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Breaking: Ben Nelson to vote Yes on DADT repeal

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Adam Bink / Open Left:
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ben Nelson to vote yes on DADT repeal

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Weekly Standard, Washington Blade, Joe. My. God. and AMERICAblog Gay

CNN:

TRENDING: S.C. blogger reveals texts with top Haley aide — The blogger claiming to have had an affair with Nikki Haley has posted a series of text messages between himself and Haley's campaign manager on his website. — (CNN) - The blogger claiming to have had an affair …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and The Politico

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
IT'S NOT LIKE SOUTH CAROLINA NEEDED ANOTHER SCANDAL. …

Discussion: postandcourier.com, Talking Points Memo and skippy the bush kangaroo

Douglas Elmendorf / Director's Blog:

Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output — Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as the economic stimulus package, certain recipients of funds appropriated in ARRA (most grant and loan recipients …

Discussion: The Corner on National …, The Gavel, Dow Jones Newswires, The Daily Dish, Hit & Run, TPM LiveWire and FrumForum

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE STIMULUS WORKED — PART MMCXVII.... A few months ago …

Discussion: Wonk Room, The Political Carnival and Prairie Weather

Bob Cusack / The Hill:

Barney Frank wants to see Rep. Djou's birth certificate — Tongue firmly in cheek, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on Tuesday afternoon called on reporters to demand to see the birth certificate of new Rep. Charles Djou (R-Hawaii). — As Djou (pictured here) was being sworn into office …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Weasel Zippers, Rough Sketch and The Speakers Lobby

David Rogers / The Politico:

Dems wrestle with W.H. mixed signals — Mixed signals from the White House are making life harder for Democrats this week as the party tries to navigate between competing demands to reduce the deficit while also investing in new jobs and a patched-up safety net for the unemployed and the elderly.

Discussion: CNN, Firedoglake, Ezra Klein, New York Times, Open Left, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Eduwonk and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Republicans continue to press White House on Sestak job offer

Discussion: Philly.com, Michelle Malkin and Joe. My. God.

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

As Ugly as It Gets — I confess that when I first saw the May 17 picture of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, joining his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with raised arms — after their signing of a putative deal …

Discussion: The American Scene, Eunomia, Fausta's Blog and Prairie Weather

Matt Corley / Think Progress:

McConnell disagrees with Paul's claim that Obama's BP criticism is ‘un-American.’ — On Friday, GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul told ABC News that the Obama administration's promise to keep a “boot heel on the throat of BP” was “really un-American.”

Discussion: CNN, The Huffington Post and Barefoot and Progressive

Jimmy Orr / Top of the Ticket: Mitch McConnell to Rand Paul: Shut your yapper!

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Poll Finds Americans Pessimistic, Dissatisfied with Washington — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Americans are frustrated with nearly everyone in Washington - including President Obama, Congress …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Atlantic Online, Pollster.com All Content, Hot Air, The Political Carnival and USS Neverdock

New York Times:

Panel Suggests Signs of Trouble Before Rig Explosion — In the hours before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded last month in the Gulf of Mexico, there were strong warning signs that something was terribly wrong with the well, according to a Congressional committee that was briefed on the accident by executives from BP.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, naked capitalism, The Impolitic, Guardian, The Daily Beast, Prairie Weather and ProPublica

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Biden jokes about Blumenthal's military service record — Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday took an unexpected dig at Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal (D) for misstating his military service record. — While speaking at a barbecue for wounded soldiers, he commented about veterans coming home from the Vietnam War.

Discussion: RedState and This ain't Hell …

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:

U.S. Is a Top Villain in Pakistan's Conspiracy Talk — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Americans may think that the failed Times Square bomb was planted by a man named Faisal Shahzad. But the view in the Supreme Court Bar Association here in Pakistan's capital is that the culprit was an American “think tank.”

Discussion: At War, The Jawa Report, Who Is IOZ?, The Page and Neptunus Lex