memeorandum: For G.O.P., Big Ambitions Face Daunting Obstacles (Jackie Calmes/New York Times)

4:50 PM ET, November 5, 2010

Top Items:

Simmi Aujla / The Politico:

Keith Olbermann suspended after donating to Democrats — MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay after POLITICO reported that he made three campaign contributions to Democratic candidates. — MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement Friday …

Steve Krakauer / Mediaite:

Keith Olbermann Suspended From MSNBC Indefinitely — Blowback to the political donation is immediate, and shocking. — Statement from Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC: … More coming, obviously. — Ok, let's decompress. First of all, “indefinitely” is David Shuster language.

Discussion: The Right Scoop, JOSHUAPUNDIT, NewsReal Blog, Raw Story, The Awl, The Daily Caller and Moe Lane

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Keith Olbermann Suspended from MSNBC — Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay from MSNBC for making donations to three Democrats in violation of NBC's ethics policy. — “I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night,” Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, said in a statement.

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Keep Keith! — On Olbermann's unjust suspension. — MSNBC's suspension of Keith Olbermann is ludicrous. — Second, he's not a reporter. It's an opinion show. If Olbermann wants to put his money where his mouth is, more power to him. — Third, GE, the corporate parent of MSNBC, gives money to political organizations.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Mediaite and No More Mister Nice Blog

The Huffington Post:

Keith Olbermann SUSPENDED From MSNBC Indefinitely Without Pay — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … MSNBC has suspended star anchor Keith Olbermann following the news that he had donated to three Democratic candidates this election cycle. — “I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars, Washington Monthly, Runnin' Scared, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway, Talking Points Memo and AMERICAblog News, more at Mediagazer »

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

OLBERMANN'S CHECKBOOK.... [Update: there's an important follow-up to this story] — There's a reasonable debate to be had over the propriety of media professionals donating to political candidates. I have a hunch the discussion might heat up again.

Discussion: Slate and Comments from Left Field

Mike Allen / The Politico:

$250k ‘dead’ as tax-cut tier - Boehner to Diane: Obama may be in ‘denial’ — Pelosi works caucus; may run for minority leader - Patty Murray wins — House trend: +64 — IN “60 MINUTES” SIT-DOWN, OBAMA ADMITS PERSUASION FAILURE - WILL EXAMINE MESSAGING “GOING FORWARD” - ACKNOWLEDGES “FRUSTRATION” …

Discussion: The New Republic, No More Mister Nice Blog and Salon

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Did Olbermann violate NBC ethics code by contributing to Democrats? ; Update: MSNBC suspends Olbermann “indefinitely without pay” — Would it shock anyone to know that Keith Olbermann donated thousands of dollars to three Democrats in the midterms? Two House incumbents from Arizona and Jack Conway …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, The Plum Line, National Review, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Politico and NewsBusters.org blogs

Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Olbermann suspended for Dem contributions

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Right Pundits, The Daily Caller and theblogprof

msnbc.com:
Keith Olbermann suspended over political donations

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, National Review and Vox Popoli

P.J. Salvatore / Big Journalism:
Olbermann Suspended from MSNBC Indefinitely

Discussion: Moonbattery

Media Decoder:
Olbermann Suspended From MSNBC for Campaign Donations

Discussion: Politics Daily, Runnin' Scared, The Nation and The Caucus

The Hill:

Dems split over Pelosi bid for minority leader — Battle lines are emerging in the House Democratic Caucus over Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) possible bid to stay on as the minority leader. — Liberal Democrats are mobilizing in support of Pelosi remaining at the head of the party …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, JammieWearingFool and Capitol Alert

Reuters:
Power play: Pelosi's work ‘not finished’

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, ABCNEWS, Ben Smith's Blog, USA Today, Guardian, Left Coast Rebel, Outside the Beltway, Nice Deb, Conservatives4Palin.com, Commentary and New York Magazine

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Rep. Van Hollen done as chairman of DCCC

Discussion: The Politico and TPMDC

Kathleen Hunter / Roll Call:
Pelosi Encouraged Larson to Court Votes for Conference Chairmanship

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Washington Independent and TPMDC

Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Boren calls for Pelosi replacement

Discussion: Firedoglake, TPMDC and Liberal Values

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Rasmussen Polls Were Biased and Inaccurate; Quinnipiac, SurveyUSA Performed Strongly — Every election cycle has its winners and losers: not just the among the candidates, but also the pollsters. — On Tuesday, polls conducted by the firm Rasmussen Reports — which released more than 100 surveys …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, RedState, Don Surber, Left Coast Rebel, Zandar Versus The Stupid, JustOneMinute, Hotline On Call, The Daily Dish, Booman Tribune, Donklephant, Prairie Weather and New York Magazine

Jake Sherman / The Politico:

Bachmann vs. Hensarling race heats up — The race for House Republican Conference chair - Rep. Michele Bachmann versus Rep. Jeb Hensarling — is heating up. — Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a favorite of the conservative movement, has circulated a letter to lawmakers and recently elected Republicans asking …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, RedState, ABCNEWS and Salon

New York Times:
Tea Party Moves Quickly to Flex Muscle

Discussion: The New Republic, The Plum Line, Hit & Run, Eunomia, The Huffington Post, The Washington Independent, Daily Kos, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Prairie Weather, The Other McCain, The Baseline Scenario and Suburban Guerrilla

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
For G.O.P., Big Ambitions Face Daunting Obstacles

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Balkinization, Daily Kos, CNN and The Future of Capitalism

Wall Street Journal:

Americans Vote for Maturity — Obama gets a rebuke, but so do Republicans who seem unqualified. — 'The people have spoken, the bastards. " That would be how Democrats in the White House and on Capitol Hill are feeling. The last two years of their leadership have been rebuffed.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway, National Review and JOSHUAPUNDIT

Myglesias / Yglesias:

The Irrelevance of Mitch McConnell — To echo something Josh Marshall said this morning, I think something the press reaction to the election has thus far missed is that Mitch McConnell is now totally irrelevant. Instead, both McConnell and the press seem to be running with the idea …

Discussion: The New Republic, Talking Points Memo and CNN

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:

Liberal Civil War Breaks Out on MSNBC; Progressive Glenn Greenwald vs. ‘Socialist’ Lawrence O'Donnell — This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Weasel Zippers

Reuters:

Clinton rules out a presidential run through 2016 — (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ruled out running for president in 2012 or 2016 on Friday, saying the United States should be ready for a woman president but it would not be her. — In interviews in New Zealand …

Discussion: Yglesias, Ben Smith's Blog and The Confluence

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
‘Hillary voters’ abandon Democrats

Discussion: Fox News and Weasel Zippers

John Boehner / Wall Street Journal:

What the Next Speaker Must Do — Secrecy, arrogance, and the abuse of power have shattered the bonds of trust between the people and their elected leaders. Repairing that trust requires sweeping change, beginning with an end to earmarks. — I grew up in a small house on a hill in Cincinnati, Ohio, with 11 brothers and sisters.

Discussion: The Hill, The Next Right, Wake up America, The Atlantic Online and Los Angeles Times

New York Sun:
The Palin Platform — The Alaskan Acted Shrewdly in Branding Constitutional Conservatism

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:

Obama Recasts Asia Trip as Jobs Mission — Talk about bad timing. — Just days after American voters sent President Obama a blunt and angry message about their desire to see him do more to fix the economy, Mr. Obama was preparing to head overseas on Friday morning on a 10-day foreign trip to Asia.

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, Examiner, Althouse and Instapundit

Catherine Rampell / New York Times:
Jobs Data Highlight the Challenges for Washington

Discussion: Yglesias, Calculated Risk, Felix Salmon, The Atlantic Online, The New Republic, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Wonk Room, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Politics Daily, Outside the Beltway, The Big Picture, Online NewsHour and The Awl

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

A return to the norm — For all the turmoil, the spectacle, the churning - for all the old bulls slain and fuzzy-cheeked freshmen born - the great Republican wave of 2010 is simply a return to the norm. The tide had gone out; the tide came back. A center-right country restores …

Discussion: Commentary, The New Republic, Patterico's Pontifications and Betsy's Page

David Brooks / New York Times:

Midwest at Dusk — If Balzac were alive today, he would plant himself in that region of America that starts in central New York and Pennsylvania and then stretches out through Ohio and Indiana before spreading out to include Wisconsin and Arkansas. He'd plant himself in the working-class families in this area.

Discussion: The New Republic, EconLog, Commentary and Swampland

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Focus Hocus-Pocus — Democrats, declared Evan Bayh in an Op-Ed article on Wednesday in The Times, “overreached by focusing on health care rather than job creation during a severe recession.” Many others have been saying the same thing: the notion that the Obama administration erred …

Discussion: Slate, Hullabaloo, The Atlantic Online and Prairie Weather

The Huffington Post:

Sarah Palin Complains About Invasion Of Her Privacy On First Episode Of Her Reality Show (VIDEO) — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — The first episode of Sarah Palin's new show, “Sarah Palin's Alaska,” has been placed online and it starts with what is now a familiar lament …

Discussion: Raw Story, Cubachi, The Daily Dish, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Althouse, Tuned In, Liberty Pundits Blog and Hullabaloo

CBS News:

Obama: “Leadership Isn't Just Legislation” — Tells Steve Kroft About His Administration's Failure In His First 1-on1 Interview Since The Midterm Elections — (CBS) President Obama tells “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft that one of the reasons the electorate has become disenchanted …

Discussion: CBS New York, Beltway Confidential, Nice Deb, Shakesville, Michelle Malkin, Questions and Observations, JammieWearingFool and NPR Topics

Becky Bohrer / Associated Press:

Murkowski acts like victor; questions linger — WRITE-INS: Valid votes are yet to be determined, counted. — Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is acting as though she already has pulled off an improbable victory after her write-in candidacy, enthusiastically thanking supporters and telling them they've made history.

Discussion: Ballot Box