Top Items:
Kevin Sack / New York Times:
Judge Voids Key Part of Health Care Law — A federal district judge in Virginia ruled on Monday that the keystone provision in the Obama health care law is unconstitutional, becoming the first court in the country to invalidate any part of the sprawling act and ensuring that appellate courts …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CNN, Rasmussen Reports, Michelle Malkin, Online NewsHour, The Huffington Post, JustOneMinute, ThinkProgress, The Volokh Conspiracy, Taylor Marsh, ACS Blog, The New Republic, Washington Monthly, SCOTUSblog, RHRealityCheck.org, No More Mister Nice Blog, Guardian, Outside the Beltway, Examiner, Crooks and Liars, Althouse, Joe. My. God., The Other McCain, Law Blog, The American Independent, Above the Law, Balloon Juice and Law Librarian Blog
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Amazing — A year ago, no one took seriously the idea that a federal health care mandate was unconstitutional. And the idea that buying health care coverage does not amount to “economic activity” seems preposterous on its face. But the decision that just came down from the federal judgment in Virginia …
Discussion:
TPMDC, The Moderate Voice and Althouse
Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Virginia health-care ruling strikes down key provision of Obama's plan — RICHMOND - A federal judge in Virginia ruled Monday that a key provision of the nation's sweeping health-care overhaul is unconstitutional, the most significant legal setback so far for President Obama's signature domestic initiative.
Ezra Klein:
Is the Hudson ruling good news for health reform? — District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson, a George W. Bush appointee, has, as expected, ruled the individual mandate unconstitutional. So why are health reformers so unexpectedly pleased? — There are two reasons, but first, let's put this into context.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The American Independent, Ben Smith's Blog and Capital Tonight
Larry O'Dell / Associated Press:
Federal judge in Va. strikes down health care law — RICHMOND, Va. - A federal judge in Virginia has declared the Obama administration's health care reform law unconstitutional. — U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson is the first judge to rule against the law, which has been upheld by two others in Virginia and Michigan.
Discussion:
Power Line, theblogprof, HillBuzz.org, Questions and Observations and Riehl World View
Stephanie Cutter / White House.gov Blog Feed:
Today's Health Care Court Ruling — Today's narrow ruling in Virginia on the constitutionality of a provision of the Affordable Care Act is just one of many recent rulings on similar cases that have come down in recent months. Since the law passed, opponents of reform have filed more than 20 different legal challenges.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and TPMDC
USA Today:
Obama's economic guru predicts low demand for years — Exiting White House economic advisor Lawrence Summers says a lack of consumer demand will bedevil the nation's economy for years to come. — In his final policy speech before returning to Harvard University in January …
Discussion:
Liberty Pundits Blog, protein wisdom and iOwnTheWorld.com
Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:
Judge Rules Health Reform Mandate Unconstitutional — This has naturally attracted a lot of electrons, and ink, but it's not a surprise—his earlier comments on the mandate, when he ruled against the government's motion to dismiss, seemed to indicate that this was coming.
The Politico:
Judge: Individual mandate is unconstitutional — A federal judge struck down the heart of the Obama administration's health reform law Monday, ruling that the individual mandate to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. — In the closely watched suit brought by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, ABCNEWS and Sky Dancing
The Numbers:
New Low in Support for Health Care Reform
New Low in Support for Health Care Reform
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Daily Dish, Don Surber and National Review
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
CHEERING A VICTORY OVER THEIR OWN IDEA.... Many on the right are …
CHEERING A VICTORY OVER THEIR OWN IDEA.... Many on the right are …
Discussion:
Political Correction RSS, Taegan Goddard's … and Outside the Beltway
Lee Ross / Fox News:
Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Virginia's Central Challenge to Health Care Law
Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Virginia's Central Challenge to Health Care Law
Discussion:
Pajamas Media and Wake up America
Los Angeles Times:
U.S. judge rejects key part of new healthcare law
U.S. judge rejects key part of new healthcare law
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Foundry, The Gateway Pundit, The Remmers Report and The Daily Dish
Fhardingj / CNN:
BREAKING: Virginia judge rules health care mandate unconstitutional
BREAKING: Virginia judge rules health care mandate unconstitutional
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Huffington Post, RedState and Nice Deb
Doug McKelway / Fox News:
Sources Say Steele Will Seek Second Term As RNC Chair — Controversial Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who last month presided over the GOP's biggest electoral gains since 1938, will announce tonight that he is running for re-election, Fox News has learned from two RNC members.
Discussion:
Ballot Box, The American Independent, msnbc.com and National Review
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Jon Cohen / Washington Post:
Poll finds broad bipartisan support for tax package — About seven in 10 Americans back the tax deal negotiated last week by President Obama and congressional Republicans, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. — The high bipartisan support for the package masks …
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Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Conservatives Attack Tax Deal as Vote Nears — Even as it nears a critical vote in Congress today, the compromise tax deal worked out by President Obama and Republicans on Capitol Hill has some new enemies. — Conservatives. — Last week, the agreement was assailed by liberals who accused …
David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
In Tax Benefits to the Middle, Political Lift for Obama — WASHINGTON — With the Senate poised to hold a key vote on Monday on the tax cut deal between President Obama and Republicans, the political jousting has focused on what the agreement does for the wealthy by extending all of the Bush-era tax rates …
Discussion:
Time, The Atlantic Online, CNN, New Deal 2.0, Sky Dancing, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, USA Today, Marbury and The Democratic Daily
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Out of Power Soon, and Out of Sorts Now
Out of Power Soon, and Out of Sorts Now
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Politico, Moe Lane, The Sundries Shack and Betsy's Page
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breyer: Madison wrote 2nd Amendment to appease the states — It's not just the Constitution that is a “living document,” as Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer proved yesterday when discussing the Second Amendment. Breyer argued that James Madison only included the right to bear arms reluctantly …
Discussion:
Cold Fury and Verum Serum
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Tim Pawlenty / Wall Street Journal:
Government Unions vs. Taxpayers — The moral case for unions—protecting working families from exploitation—does not apply to public employment. — When Americans think of organized labor, they might think of images like I saw growing up in a blue-collar meatpacking town: hard hats, work boots, tough conditions and gritty jobs.
Discussion:
PostPartisan, The American Independent, Swampland, Commentary, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin.com, Wonk Room, The Politico, Ben Smith's Blog, The Hill and GOP 12
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Michelle Obama has new warning on obesity — First lady Michelle Obama plans to warn in remarks Monday that the nation is seeing “a groundswell of support” for curbing childhood obesity, and she is unveiling new ammunition from current and retired military leaders.
Discussion:
Cubachi, Weasel Zippers, theblogprof, Michelle Malkin, Pajamas Media and Liberty Pundits Blog
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Michael Shaw / The Huffington Post:
Reading the Pictures: Palin Does Haiti Cholera: How's My Hair? (and, Did AP Lend a Curl?) — What's Your Reaction: — If I find the fantastically clever Sarah Palin to be one of the shallowest and blatantly self-serving politicians, err, political celebrities I've ever seen …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Time, The Moderate Voice, Verum Serum and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Block Those Metaphors — Like it or not — and I don't — the Obama-McConnell tax-cut deal, with its mixture of very bad stuff and sort-of-kind-of good stuff, is likely to pass Congress. Then what? — The deal will, without question, give the economy a short-term boost.
Kate Zernike / New York Times:
Rep. Ron Paul, G.O.P. Loner, Comes In From Cold — WASHINGTON — As virtually all of Washington was declaring WikiLeaks's disclosures of secret diplomatic cables an act of treason, Representative Ron Paul was applauding the organization for exposing the United States' “delusional foreign policy.”
Becky Bohrer / Associated Press:
Miller appeals ruling on write-in vote count — Republican Joe Miller is taking his challenge to Alaska's U.S. Senate race to the state Supreme Court. — Miller filed his appeal Monday, three days after a lower court ruled against his lawsuit challenging how the state counted write-in ballots for his rival, Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Discussion:
Ballot Box
Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
Boehner: ‘I Reject The Word’ Compromise — During an interview with incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) last night on 60 Minutes, host Leslie Stahl noted that President Obama has said Boehner will “have a responsibility to govern” as Speaker. “You can't just stand on the sidelines and be a bomb thrower,” Obama said.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Left Coast Rebel, Crooks and Liars, PERRspectives, The Politico, Connecting.the.Dots and Shakesville