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 …
RELATED:
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:
JammieWearingFool, FrumForum, Little Green Footballs, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, TBogg 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:
News Desk, Weasel Zippers, The Page, New York Magazine and News One
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Ballot Box:
Steele drops out of race; Priebus is the new Republican Party chairman — Reince Priebus is the new chairman of the Republican National Committe. — Priebus won with 97 votes in the seventh round of voting. Priebus, the chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, was the leader from the first ballot.
Discussion:
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, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Politics Daily, Washington Wire, Don Surber, AOL News, The Gateway Pundit, FrumForum and The BLT
First Read / msnbc.com:
Reince Priebus elected new RNC chairman
Reince Priebus elected new RNC chairman
Discussion:
New York Magazine and Joe. My. God.
Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
BREAKING: RNC bounces Steele, taps Wisconsin GOP leader as new chairman
BREAKING: RNC bounces Steele, taps Wisconsin GOP leader as new chairman
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay
The Huffington Post:
Michael Steele Defeated In RNC Election For Chairman
Michael Steele Defeated In RNC Election For Chairman
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Firedoglake and Weigel
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:
Pajamas Media, Mediaite, Raw Story, Taegan Goddard's … and Joe. My. God.
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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, RealClearWorld, Pajamas Media, News Desk, Runnin' Scared, GOOD, Danger Room, Gawker, msnbc.com, Hot Air and TechCrunch, 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:
The Daily Dish, Gawker, BBC, Salon, Threat Level, Guardian, Clusterstock, Marc Lynch, Opinion L.A., Los Angeles Times, Emptywheel and FP Passport, more at Techmeme »
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 …
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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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
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Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Maine gov tells NAACP to ‘kiss my butt’
Maine gov tells NAACP to ‘kiss my butt’
Discussion:
Kennebec Journal and PostPartisan
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:
The Jawa Report, GOOD, The Daily Dish and A plain blog about politics
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
And The Award For Most Hypocritical “Blood Libel” Critic Goes To ... Sarah Palin has come under criticism for using the term “a blood libel” to refer to the accusations that she incited Jared Loughner to murder in Tucson. — I previously explained why Palin's use of the term was consistent …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org blogs, Pajamas Media, Power Line and National Review
RELATED:
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
RELATED:
John T. Bennett / The Hill:
House Republican aims to put brakes on repeal of 'Don't ask, don't tell' — A member of the House Armed Services Committee plans to introduce legislation next week designed to put the brakes on repeal of the military's ban on openly gay troops. — The measure by Rep. Duncan Hunter …
Discussion:
The Politico, Poliglot, Pam's House Blend, AMERICAblog Gay, Daily Kos and Joe. My. God.
Ramesh Ponnuru / New York Times:
How the G.O.P. Can Cut and Survive — THE new Congress is less than two weeks old, but pundits from across the political spectrum are already urging the newly empowered Republicans to take on Medicare and Social Security. — Conservatives argue it's the only way to make good on the party's limited-government rhetoric.
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Sanders warns Obama not to agree with GOP on Social Security benefit cuts
Sanders warns Obama not to agree with GOP on Social Security benefit cuts
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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 Note, The Hill and Weasel Zippers
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:
Crooks and Liars, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, The Maddow Blog, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG and Wonkette
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
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:
The Awl, PostPartisan, Firedoglake, The Daily Dish, The Huffington Post and The Moderate Voice
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, Outside the Beltway, Patterico's Pontifications and Pajamas Media
Alex Wagner / Politics Daily:
Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton Pay Tribute to Richard Holbrooke at Memorial … World leaders gathered at Washington's Kennedy Center Friday to honor the legacy of Richard Holbrooke, — a legendary figure in the world of foreign policy and a forceful diplomat who brokered peace in Vietnam and Bosnia.
Paul Krugman:
Monetary Morality — A further thought inspired by the meditations that led me to today's column: I think I now understand the otherwise weird resurgence of paleomonetarism in the midst of a prolonged liquidity trap. It's not really about analysis, it's about morality.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Grasping Reality … and Balloon Juice
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.”
Ezra Klein:
The White House brings in Bruce Reed — I've not paid much attention to the resignation of Ron Klain, Chief of Staff to the Vice President. But now that Biden has named Bruce Reed to replace him, I'm a bit more interested. — Reed — who is pictured at right, standing alongside Gene Sperling …
Discussion:
Swampland
Vicki Needham / The Hill:
Obama loosens Cuba travel policy, drawing mixed reactions — The Obama administration will loosen Cuban travel policy making it easier for students, religious and cultural groups to visit the country, a move that is bringing mixed reviews from Capitol Hill.
Discussion:
The Politico