memeorandum: The GOP's 2012 Game Plan (Wall Street Journal)

8:50 AM ET, November 6, 2010

Top Items:

UPDATED: Before Bush Donor Takeover Of MSNBC, Network Selectively Applies Rules To Suspend Olbermann — UPDATED: We have been notified that Comcast has not yet officially taken over MSNBC/NBC Universal. Although Comcast has tentatively finalized a deal to purchase a majority stake in NBC …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

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.

John Cook / Gawker:

Olbermann 'Doesn't Answer' to NBC News Standards — MSNBC chief Phil Griffin suspended Keith Olbermann today for violating “NBC News policy and standards” by donating to three Democratic congressional candidates last month. But according to an NBC News source, MSNBCers have been exempt from those rules for years.

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE, The Daily Beast, Booman Tribune, Crooks and Liars, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Salon, The Atlantic Online, Ben Smith's Blog, Runnin' Scared, CBS New York, Examiner and Suburban Guerrilla, more at Mediagazer »

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Political giving not unusual on cable — A search of campaign finance records shows that MSNBC host Keith Olbermann is hardly the only cable news host who has written a check for a candidate in recent years. — With the distinction between journalism and punditry increasingly blurring …

Discussion: Roger Ailes

New York Times:

Keith Olbermann of MSNBC Suspended Over Donations — Keith Olbermann, the leading liberal voice on American television in the age of Obama, was suspended Friday after his employer, MSNBC, discovered he made campaign contributions to three Democrats last month.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Politico, Talking Points Memo, Pajamas Media, Media Decoder, HazZzMat, Yahoo! News and Prairie Weather

Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:
Olbermann's Replacement? Wait for It...

Discussion: Don Surber, Top of the Ticket and ECHIDNE of the snakes

Jillian Rayfield / TPMDC:
Scarborough, Buchanan Also Made Political Contributions

Discussion: Daily Kos and Salon

Michelle Malkin:
Support Olbermann? No freaking way; Poll added

Discussion: National Review, Wake up America, Pajamas Media and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Steve Krakauer / Mediaite:
Keith Olbermann Suspended From MSNBC Indefinitely

Discussion: Gawker, The Right Scoop, Washington Post, Runnin' Scared, The Politico, The Daily Caller, Donklephant, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Nation, NewsReal Blog, Raw Story, Hit & Run, JOSHUAPUNDIT and The Awl

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Keith Olbermann Suspended from MSNBC

The Huffington Post:
Keith Olbermann SUSPENDED From MSNBC Indefinitely Without Pay

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Guardian, Daily Kos, Verum Serum, Mediaite, Hot Air, Advocate, Open Left, Crooks and Liars, Outside the Beltway, Left Coast Rebel, New York Magazine, Wonkette, Weasel Zippers, AMERICAblog News and The Powers That Be, more at Mediagazer »

Kos / Daily Kos:
Olbermann suspended by MSNBC

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Washington Monthly, TalkLeft and Outside the Beltway

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
OLBERMANN'S CHECKBOOK.... [Update: there's an important follow-up to this story]

Discussion: Z on TV, The Politico, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Runnin' Scared and Comments from Left Field

Rachel Slajda / TPM LiveWire:
Olbermann Suspended Without Pay After Political Contributions

Discussion: First Draft, AlterNet.org, Salon, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Atlantic Online

Atrios / Eschaton:
And Buchanan? — So Olbermann is suspended for making political contributions.

Discussion: The Plum Line

Media Decoder:
Olbermann Suspended From MSNBC for Campaign Donations

Ace of Spades HQ:

O'Donnell, Who Lost By 17 Points, Still Sending Out Press Releases Attacking People — O'Donnell didn't cost us one seat; she cost us three. Chalk Rossi's and Buck's loss up to her as well. — But here's O'Donnell saying it wasn't her “standing up for principle” that cost her the election, but shady machinations against her.

Discussion: Pajamas Media and protein wisdom

Mark Davis / The Age:

Murdoch reveals ‘arrogant’ Obama — TWO generations ago, Rupert Murdoch bowed to pressure from the White House to suppress the biggest story of his life - that the American president John F. Kennedy was indifferent to the political fate of Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and New York Magazine

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Murdoch: Bloomberg called Obama ‘arrogant’

Discussion: Political Punch, Hot Air and Weasel Zippers

Margalit Fox / New York Times:

Jill Clayburgh Dies at 66; Starred in Feminist Roles — Jill Clayburgh, an Oscar-nominated actress known for portraying strong, independent women, died on Friday at her home in Lakeville, Conn. She was 66. — The cause was chronic leukemia, with which she had lived for 21 years, her husband, the playwright David Rabe, said.

Discussion: PopEater, Suburban Guerrilla and Althouse

Kevin Cullum / The Hill:

Obama calls for compromise, won't budge on tax cuts — Days after Democrats received a self-described “shellacking” at the polls, President Obama called for an end to campaigning and an embrace of compromise. — But he signaled no willingness to bend on the first challenge likely to face …

Discussion: The Politico

Wall Street Journal:

The GOP's 2012 Game Plan — Sen. Mitch McConnell says Republicans will keep the country focused on the unpopular elements of the president's agenda, especially health care. — 'It's a great first step. " That's the way Washington's resident realist, Mitch McConnell, is describing this week's GOP electoral triumph.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, American Power, The Moderate Voice, Beltway Confidential, The New Republic and The Daily Dish

Myglesias / Yglesias:
The Irrelevance of Mitch McConnell

Discussion: The New Republic, Talking Points Memo and CNN

David Weigel / Weigel:

Joe McGinniss Wants to Be Taken Out of “Sarah Palin's Alaska” — The premiere episode of “Sarah Palin's Alaska” began with the former governor's piqued version of a minor scandal of the summer — author Joe McGinniss renting the house next to hers as he researched his biography of Palin.

Discussion: GOP 12, The Huffington Post and Althouse

Andrew Ferguson / Weekly Standard:

What's So Great About America — Marco Rubio will have to write a new speech sooner or later, but he shouldn't hurry up on our account. We still enjoy the one he's been giving all year. He delivered it again to a national television audience on Election Night, after walloping …

Discussion: Power Line

Jacob Sullum / Hit & Run:

If the Tea Party Prefers Bachmann to Hensarling, What Good Is It? — The New York Times reports that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a “Tea Party heroine,” plans to challenge Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) for the post of GOP conference chair, the fourth-highest House leadership position, in the new Congress.

Discussion: Riehl World View, Eunomia, Opinionator, Balloon Juice, The Politico, The Huffington Post, The Washington Independent, New York Times and The Daily Caller

Jackson Baker / Memphis Flyer:
Corker , on Mission to Reform Spending, Responds to Being on Tea Party Purge List

Discussion: The Hill

Jim Romenesko / Romenesko:

USN&WR: ‘December issue will be our last printed monthly sent to subscribers’ — Memo to US News & World Report employees — RE: Completing Our Shift to the Digital World — Colleagues, We're finally ready to complete our transition to a predominantly digital publishing model with selected, single-topic print issues.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, MyFox Philadelphia, TechCrunch and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Thomas M. Defrank / NY Daily News:

Ex-President George W. Bush rips wisdom of Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and John McCain to friends — Former President George W. Bush is privately critical of Sarah Palin (below), but stops short of criticizing the likes of Barack Obama in his upcoming memoir ‘Decision Points.’

Discussion: Firedoglake and The Moderate Voice

William Easterly / Aid Watch:

David Brooks illustrates how clueless Easterners can be without local knowledge about My Midwest — A frequent theme in this blog is the importance of local knowledge for development. David Brooks helpfully illustrated in his column today on my home region the Midwest.

Discussion: The New Republic, EconLog, The Moderate Voice and Commentary

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: Daily Kos, The Politico, TigerHawk, Hot Air, The Impolitic, Comments from Left Field, Capitol Alert and JammieWearingFool

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

Discussion: The Politico, The Democratic Daily, On The Hill, CNN, The Moderate Voice, ABCNEWS, The Note, Conservatives4Palin.com, Ben Smith's Blog, USA Today, Guardian, Left Coast Rebel, New York Magazine and Blogcritics

The Note:

House Candidates in Undecided Races Beg for More Cash, Volunteers — ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports: If the campaign ain't over 'til the fat lady sings, then one way to look at the handful of undecided U.S. House races is that the lady is too busy begging for money to fund a recount.

Discussion: The Politico, Renee Ellmers for Congress and AmSpecBlog