Top Items:
Democracy Now:
Tucson Shooting Survivor: “It Looks Like Palin, Beck, Sharron Angle and the Rest Got Their First Target” — We speak with Tucson shooting survivor Eric Fuller. A 63-year-old disabled veteran, Fuller had campaigned for Arizona Democrat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in her reelection campaign …
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Palin to deliver address at gun convention — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will deliver a keynote address to a gun convention later this month. — Palin (R) will speak to the Safari International Club (SCI) in Reno, Nev. on Saturday, Jan. 29, according to the group's website.
Kendra Marr / The Politico:
Tucson shooting victim blames Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Sharron Angle — A wounded survivor of the Tuscon shooting that critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is blaming Sarah Palin, House Speaker John Boehner, Fox TV host Glenn Beck, and former Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle for the tragedy.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, JammieWearingFool, TBogg, Weasel Zippers, FrumForum, The Daily Caller and Fox Nation
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Michael Steele bows out of RNC Chair race, endorses Maria Cino — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele bowed out of his longshot bid for a second term, bringing an end to a two-year tenure more defined by gaffes than the electoral victories his party racked up.
Discussion:
Fox Nation, Weasel Zippers, Towleroad News #gay, The Page, New York Magazine and News One
RELATED:
Ballot Box:
Steele drops out of race; Priebus is the new Republican Party chairman
Steele drops out of race; Priebus is the new Republican Party chairman
Discussion:
CNN, Hot Air and The Other McCain
T.W. Farnam / Washington Post:
RNC finances suffer from loss of major donors
RNC finances suffer from loss of major donors
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Politics Daily, Washington Wire, The Daily Beast, AOL News, The Gateway Pundit, FrumForum and The BLT
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Steele Abandons Bid for Re-election as G.O.P. Chairman
Steele Abandons Bid for Re-election as G.O.P. Chairman
Discussion:
The Blotter
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
RNC Member Yells Out ‘No’ When Asked To Support Steele For Second Term
RNC Member Yells Out ‘No’ When Asked To Support Steele For Second Term
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and The Gateway Pundit
Paul Bedard / US News:
Reagan Son Claims Dad Had Alzheimer's as President — 2011 is a big year for Ronald Reagan fans, being the centennial of his February 6 birth in Tampico, Ill. But youngest son Ron Reagan is spoiling the good cheer with a new book that suggests the Gipper suffered from Alzheimer's disease …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Pajamas Media, Raw Story, Taegan Goddard's … and Joe. My. God.
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Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters.org blogs:
Morning Joe: Palin's AZ Response ‘Probably Ended Her Political Career’ — Joe Scarborough did invite folks to “rub it in my face if I'm wrong,” and there will surely be many who would like nothing better than to oblige him . . . Today's Morning Joe saw considerable consensus around the view …
Discussion:
Hot Air and Outside the Beltway
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Jeffrey Lord / AmSpecBlog:
Mark Levin's $100,000 Challenge to Chris Matthews — Conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin has put out a stunning challenge to those left-wing media personalities accusing conservative talk radio stars and Sarah Palin of encouraging murder. — First, he offered $100,000 to Chris Matthews …
Nick Baumann / Mother Jones:
What's Happening in Tunisia Explained — Reports just emerged around 12:30 p.m. Eastern time that the Tunisian dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Ben Ali), has fled the country and the Army has taken power. (Also: We have a scoop about how Washington Media Group, the DC public affairs firm …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Runnin' Scared, Gawker, Hot Air, al-bab.com, Marc Lynch, msnbc.com, TechCrunch, Time, RealClearWorld and Danger Room, more at Mediagazer »
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Elizabeth Dickinson / Foreign Policy:
The First WikiLeaks Revolution? — Tunisians didn't need any more reasons to protest when they took to the streets these past weeks — food prices were rising, corruption was rampant, and unemployment was staggering. But we might also count Tunisia as the first time that WikiLeaks pushed people over the brink.
Discussion:
BBC, The Daily Dish, Gawker, The Wire, Clusterstock, Guardian, Emptywheel, The Nation and FP Passport, more at Techmeme »
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
A Tale of Two Moralities — On Wednesday, President Obama called on Americans to “expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.”
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New York Times:
Police Describe Photos of Loughner Posing With Gun — TUCSON — Law enforcement officials said Friday they have multiple photos of Jared L. Loughner posing with a Glock 9mm pistol next to his naked buttocks and dressed in a bright red g-string. It is the same model of weapon as the one the police …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, The Wire, Gawker, The Daily Caller, ABCNEWS, National Review, Runnin' Scared, Sister Toldjah, msnbc.com and TPMMuckraker
Ben Geman / The Hill:
Study: Climate change contributed to fall of Roman empire — Some House Democrats blamed their defeat in November's mid-term elections partly on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to force a vote on a climate change bill. — A new study suggests that climate change has claimed bigger political victims in the past.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool
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Farhad Manjoo / Slate:
Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period. — Last month, Gawker published a series of messages that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had once written to a 19-year-old girl he'd become infatuated with. Gawker called the e-mails “creepy,” “lovesick,” and “stalkery”; I'd add overwrought, self-important, and dorky.
Discussion:
GOOD, The Daily Dish and A plain blog about politics
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Sanders warns Obama not to agree with GOP on Social Security benefit cuts — Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Independent from Vermont, is pressing President Obama to keep his campaign promise not to cut Social Security benefits in a possible deal with Republicans.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Maine governor says NAACP can ‘kiss my butt’ — (CNN) - Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage is keeping up his reputation for blunt language, telling an unhappy NAACP chapter that they can “kiss my butt.” — The governor made the comments to CNN affiliate WCSH after being asked about criticism …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and JOSHUAPUNDIT
The Huffington Post:
Pentagon Official: King Would Support Iraq, Afghan Wars (VIDEO) — What's Your Reaction: … WASHINGTON — Although the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is best remembered by the American public for fighting against racial discrimination, he was also an outspoken opponent of war and violence, most notably of the war in Vietnam.
Discussion:
Salon, Political Punch and Speakeasy
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Sam Youngman / The Hill:
White House touts payroll tax cut benefits — The payroll tax cuts President Obama negotiated and signed into law during the lame-duck session went into effect on Friday, and the White House wants to make sure the millions who will benefit from the law know it.
Discussion:
JammieWearingFool
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Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Tax cuts hinder Obama's plans to overhaul tax code, reduce deficit
Tax cuts hinder Obama's plans to overhaul tax code, reduce deficit
Discussion:
Yglesias, The Daily Dish, Wonk Room, Fausta's Blog, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, TalkLeft and The New Republic
Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Sen. Mike Lee Calls Child Labor Laws Unconstitutional — Last week, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted a lecture on his YouTube channel where he explains in great detail his views on the Constitution. As part of the lecture, which is essentially a lengthy defense of his radical tenther interpretation …
Discussion:
Wonkette, Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, The Maddow Blog and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
Washington Times:
Blood libel against Palin, Limbaugh — Liberals stoop to new low, scramble to score points from murder — Sarah Palin issued a statement yesterday condemning the “reprehensible” response to Saturday's shooting in Tucson by some members of the media. “Within hours of a tragedy unfolding …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, USA Today, TPMMuckraker and New York Magazine
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William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
And The Award For Most Hypocritical “Blood Libel” Critic Goes To ...
And The Award For Most Hypocritical “Blood Libel” Critic Goes To ...
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org blogs, Pajamas Media, Power Line and National Review
David Brooks / New York Times:
Tree of Failure — President Obama gave a wonderful speech in Tucson on Wednesday night. He didn't try to explain the rampage that occurred there. Instead, he used the occasion as a national Sabbath — as a chance to step out of the torrent of events and reflect. He did it with an uplifting spirit.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, The Awl, PostPartisan, The Moderate Voice and The Daily Dish
John McCain / Washington Post:
After the shootings, Obama reminds the nation of the golden rule — President Obama gave a terrific speech Wednesday night. He movingly mourned and honored the victims of Saturday's senseless atrocity outside Tucson, comforted and inspired the country, and encouraged those of us who have the privilege of serving America.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Note and Weasel Zippers
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
FBI finds another alleged home-grown jihadi in Pennsylvania — A federal judge denied Emerson Begolly a pretrial release to a halfway house yesterday after the FBI produced evidence that the 21-year-old “loner” had — corresponded on a radical jihadi website about methods of committing terroristic acts.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Bookworm Room and Moe Lane
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Michael Beckel / OpenSecrets.org:
Political Gifts From Beyond the Grave: Dead Woman Donates Thousands of Dollars to Tea Party Express — For more than two years, the Tea Party Express' political war chest has been filled with thousands of dollars in donations from a dead woman. — According to the Center …
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and TPMMuckraker
Not / AOL News:
Opinion: Elected Officials Flunk Constitution Quiz … When the Republican House leadership decided to start the 112th Congress with a reading of the U.S. Constitution, the decision raised complaints in some quarters that it was little more than a political stunt.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications, Outside the Beltway and Pajamas Media