memeorandum: Next on ‘When Congressmen Attack’ … (Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin)

8:15 PM ET, June 14, 2010

Top Items:

Long Hot Summer Begins: Congressman Attacks Student — Maybe it is my Catholic upbringing, but I've always been cursed with a bit too much empathy. It is often difficult to witness people bearing the full weight of the consequences of their decisions, even when it is richly deserved.

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Dems defend Etheridge, attack Breitbart — Bob Etheridge's abject apology for roughing up an anonymous conservative videographer is being accompanied by a defense of the congressman from national Democrats. — “Motives matter, and I think you can see who was behind this,” said DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse just now.

Discussion: CBS News, Right Now, The Hill, Washington Monthly, CNN, Big Government, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Rep. Bob Etheridge / Etheridge:

Etheridge Statement on Viral Video — Washington, DC, Jun 14 - U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) released the following statement on the viral video which appeared on the internet today: — “I have seen the video posted on several blogs. I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The TrogloPundit, PostPartisan, The Note, Talking Points Memo, Fraters Libertas, Freedom's Lighthouse, TPMDC, The Anchoress, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Gateway Pundit, Blogs of War, NewsBusters.org, The Eye and HotAirPundit

Colby Hall / Mediaite:

Congressman Loses Cool To Students With A Flip Cam, But Comes Out The Hero? — No he's not a hero. He's a jerk. But...as is always the case, there is more to the story. — The democratization of communications technology (flip cams, home editing suites and YouTube) …

Discussion: Big Government, Big Journalism, Liberty Pundits Blog, Moonbattery and Gawker

David Weigel / Right Now:

Who TMZ'd Rep. Bob Etheridge? — Last week Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.), who's seen as a safe bet for re-election this year despite representing a somewhat conservative (Cook R+2) district, ran into two self-described students with video cameras outside of a fundraiser.

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, The Caucus, The Fix, The Impolitic, Vanity Fair, JammieWearingFool, Wonkette, The Jawa Report, Ben Smith's Blog, Patterico's Pontifications, The Political Carnival and Riehl World View

WTVD-TV:
Etheridge apologizes for on-camera confrontation

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Raw Story and Freedom's Lighthouse

John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
Exclusive To Right Wing News: Bob Etheridge's Opponent, Renee …

Discussion: PostPartisan, Raleigh News & Observer, American Power, Sister Toldjah, RedState, Mediaite, Hot Air, Breitbart.tv and Confederate Yankee

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Video: Rep. Etheridge assaults student on street; Update …

Discussion: Stop The ACLU, The Right Scoop, msnbc.com, five feet of fury., The Daily Caller and American Power

Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin:
Next on ‘When Congressmen Attack’ …

Discussion: the chetson firm, pllc, Hot Air and Ben Smith's Blog

Ben Shapiro / Big Government: Bob Etheridge's Criminal Assault

David Weigel / Right Now:
Bob Etheridge apologizes for reaction to students with camera

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Hot Air, RedState, Moe Lane and Swampland

Political Correction RSS:

Steve King: Obama Favors The “Black Person” By Default — 1 hour and 40 minutes ago — Walid Zafar — Rep. Steve King (R-IA) appeared on the G. Gordon Liddy Show this morning to discuss Arizona's controversial immigration law and accused Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama …

Discussion: Think Progress, Des Moines Register and TPMDC

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:

GOP congressman: Obama ‘favors the black person’ — Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) leveled a somewhat startling charge against President Barack Obama on Monday, saying the president instinctively “favors the black person.” — King made the comments during an appearance on the G. Gordon Liddy radio show.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Because There Are No Racists... From Iowa congressman Steve King:

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Jason R. Latham / Las Vegas News …:

Hosts Mangle Angle's ‘FOX & Friends’ Debut — Inaccuracies Tar GOP Nominee's National Debut — LAS VEGAS — Harry Reid may not need to spend millions of dollars to marginalize his opponent in the U.S. Senate race. — He can just let “FOX & Friends” handle it.

Discussion: Right Now, CNN, Ben Smith's Blog, Think Progress, Washington Monthly, TPMDC, Crooks and Liars, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos and Outside the Beltway

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Sharron Angle suggested we should privatize Dept of Veterans Affairs

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Firedoglake, TPMDC, CNN and Talking Points Memo

Dave Zirin / NPR:

The Nation: Why the Far Right Hates Soccer — Every World Cup, it arrives like clockwork. As sure as the ultimate soccer spectacle brings guaranteed adrenaline and agony to fans across the United States, it also drives the right-wing noise machine utterly insane.

Discussion: Hot Air, Liberty Pundits Blog, Big Journalism, Weasel Zippers and The Corner on National …

James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
The Best Picture to Come From the World Cup

Discussion: Swampland

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2010: South Carolina Governor — South Carolina Governor: Haley (R) 55% Sheheen (D) 34% — State Representative Nikki Haley is running stronger than her Republican Primary runoff opponent in the general election for South Carolina's first open gubernatorial race since 1994.

Discussion: FITSNews, Hot Air, Politics Daily, Real Clear Politics, Moe Lane and Conservatives4Palin.com

Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2010: South Dakota House of Representatives

Discussion: Power Line

Glenn D. Rudebusch / FRBSF:

The Fed's Exit Strategy for Monetary Policy … To many observers, the Federal Reserve's extraordinary policy actions during the recent crisis averted a financial Armageddon and curtailed the depth and duration of the recession (Rudebusch 2009). To combat panic and dislocation in financial markets …

Discussion: Economist's View, Ezra Klein, Fault Lines, Calculated Risk and Economix

Free exchange: Shouting fire amid a flood

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Near-Record 49% Say Democratic Party “Too Liberal” — More Americans than in 2009 say Republican Party's views are about right — PRINCETON, NJ — In the past two years, Americans have become increasingly likely to describe the Democratic Party's views as “too liberal” (49%), and less likely to say its views are “about right” (38%).

Discussion: Pileus, NewsBusters.org, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Wake up America, Politics Daily, AmSpecBlog, Beltway Confidential, Commentary, Townhall.com, Gateway Pundit, The Corner on National … and Left Coast Rebel

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

Dems tout breakthrough on bill — House Democrats have reached an agreement with the National Rifle Association on campaign-finance legislation that would roll back the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, removing a major obstacle on the bill, according to House sources.

Discussion: RedState, Ben Smith's Blog, Sunlight Foundation, Mother Jones, Swampland, Liberty Pundits Blog and The Washington Independent

Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:

Bush's daughter Barbara ‘glad’ ObamaCare passed: Health care ‘should be a right for everyone.’ — Yesterday, President Bush's 28-year old daughter Barbara was named Fox News Sunday's “Power Player of the Week” for her work as co-founder of Global Health Corps, a group of young professionals promoting global health equality.

Discussion: CNN, Marbury, Wonkette, The Huffington Post, The Impolitic, Crooks and Liars, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Raw Story

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:

The Mineral Miracle? Or a Massive Information Operation? — Were it not for the byline of James Risen, a New York Times reporter currently in a legal battle with the Obama administration over the identity of his sources, a second read of his blockbuster A1 story this morning …

Discussion: Firedoglake, FP Passport, Laura Rozen's Blog, New York Times, Danger Room, Raw Story, The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, Mediaite, Hot Air, New Atlanticist, TPMMuckraker, Mother Jones, The Washington Independent, Outside the Beltway, Ross Douthat and Balloon Juice

Neil Sears / Daily Mail:

Parents of twins mauled by fox gets police guard after web attacks by animal rights activists — The family whose babies were savaged by a fox in their cots are being given police protection over fears of an attack by animal rights activists. — Nine-month-old twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis …

Discussion: Moonbattery and JammieWearingFool

Mitch Moxley / The Atlantic Online:

Rent a White Guy — Confessions of a fake businessman from Beijing — NOT LONG AGO I was offered work as a quality-control expert with an American company in China I'd never heard of. No experience necessary—which was good, because I had none. I'd be paid $1,000 for a week …

Discussion: Fausta's Blog

Tiffany Craig / KHOU-TV:

BP phone operator says calls from concerned citizens fall on deaf ears — FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas—A contracted operator with BP said calls from concerned citizens are falling on deaf ears. — For this story, we'll refer to her as “Janice.” — Janice told 11 News she's one of 100 operators at the BP Call Center in West Houston.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Think Progress, Mediaite, Raw Story and Climate Progress

Kate Connolly / Guardian:

German government close to collapse — • German coalition faces trouble on several fronts — • Election of new president could prove to be catalyst — German chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition government looked to be close to collapse today …

ABCNEWS:

‘Target #3’: Ted Kennedy's Death Threats — FBI Documents Show Senator Sent Threats After Mary Jo Kopechne Death in 1969 — The late Sen. Ted Kennedy — the sole surviving Kennedy brother after the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy — received numerous death threats himself …

Discussion: The Politico

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Rep. Steve King, Raising Questions of Favoritism, Calls for Obama's Aunt to Testify About Being Granted Asylum — Congressman Steve King, an Iowa Republican, today requested that President Obama's aunt, Zeituni Onyango, testify before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship …

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Salon

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:

WH Takes Cues from Liberal Think Tank on Spill — If you want to see where President Barack Obama's response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster is heading, try following the urgings of the Center for American Progress. — The liberal think tank with close White House ties appears …

Discussion: Townhall.com, Weasel Zippers and Wall Street Journal

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Obama Oddly Unpopular in Former Slave States — Roll Call has a good article (sub.req.) today about the role of former President Bill Clinton in the 2010 election. The gist of the piece is that Clinton is turning out to be an important asset in this cycle since there are many parts …

Discussion: RedState and Washington Monthly

Democrats.senate.gov:

Reid and Senate Democrats, In Letter, Call On BP To Set Aside $20 Billion In Special Account To Ensure Payments To Gulf Coast Spill Victims — WASHINGTON -Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and members of the Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward today calling …

Discussion: The Note and Taylor Marsh