memeorandum: The GOP's nuclear option on spending (The Fix)

11:05 AM ET, February 8, 2011

Top Items:

Olbermann Said to Be Going to Current TV — Keith Olbermann, the former top-rated host on the news channel MSNBC, will announce his next television home on Tuesday, and people on Monday familiarwith his plans pointed to a possible deal with the public affairs channel Current TV.

Laurence H. Tribe / New York Times:

On Health Care, Justice Will Prevail — THE lawsuits challenging the individual mandate in the health care law, including one in which a federal district judge last week called the law unconstitutional, will ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court, and pundits are already making bets on how the justices will vote.

Discussion: Althouse, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Politico, ACS Blog and Marginal Revolution

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

What They Mean by ‘Civility’ — The New York Times raises no objection to murderous, racist rhetoric at a Common Cause rally. — (Best of the tube tonight: We'll discuss Common Cause's smear campaign on “America's Nightly Scoreboard” with David Asman. Fox Business, 7 p.m. ET tonight, with a repeat showing at midnight ET.)

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Doug Ross, SCOTUSblog, Don Surber, Jay Currie, TigerHawk, Shot in the Dark, Commentary and The Daily Caller

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
In Arguments on Corporate Speech, the Press Is a Problem

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Hit & Run and Althouse

John Tierney / New York Times:

Social Scientist Sees Bias Within — SAN ANTONIO — Some of the world's pre-eminent experts on bias discovered an unexpected form of it at their annual meeting. — Discrimination is always high on the agenda at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology's conference …

Discussion: Hit & Run, Paul Krugman, Althouse, The Mahablog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Power Line, TigerHawk, JustOneMinute, The Reality-Based Community and Grim's Hall

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Democratic Leadership Council will fold — The Democratic Leadership Council, the iconic centrist organization of the Clinton years, is out of money and could close its doors as soon as next week, a person familiar with the plans said Monday. — The DLC, a network of Democratic elected officials …

Ben Smith / The Politico:
The end of the Democratic Leadership Council era

Discussion: The Western Experience

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Ditching unwritten rules for freshmen, Paul does it his way — Rand Paul has broken with tradition by eschewing the unwritten rules for freshman senators: Keep a low profile, learn the chamber's arcane procedures and cozy up to senior colleagues. — Unlike ex-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Discussion: The Hill, Barefoot and Progressive and Taegan Goddard's …

The Fix:

The GOP's nuclear option on spending — Republican leaders will soon be walking a tightrope when it comes to the looming spending debate. — But at least it looks like the public is on their side. — The GOP wants big spending cuts before it will agree to a budget or lift the debt ceiling above …

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Washington Monthly and Hot Air

Lbentzterp / CNN:

CNN Poll: Republicans want winner over ideology in 2012 — Washington (CNN) - Given the choice between a candidate who agrees with them on the issues or a candidate who can defeat President Barack Obama in 2012, a new national poll indicates Republicans overwhelming want a winner.

Discussion: GOP 12 and The Politico

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
That's the ticket: GOP loves look of VP field

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:

Gingrich says Obama administration ‘amateurish’ on Egypt — (CNN) - Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he's “concerned” about the Obama administration's handling of the situation in Egypt and what he sees as a divide between the White House and diplomat Franks Wisner.

Discussion: AOL News, GOP 12, TPMDC, theblogprof and The Hill

New York Times:
In Egypt, U.S. Weighs Push for Change With Stability

Discussion: Guardian and Washington Post

Democracy Now:
“The Empire's Bagman:” Obama Egypt Envoy Frank Wisner Says Mubarak Should Stay

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Huffington Post, Salon and New York Times

New York Times:

On Evolution, Biology Teachers Stray — Teaching creationism in public schools has consistently been ruled unconstitutional in federal courts, but according to a national survey of more than 900 public high school biology teachers, it continues to flourish in the nation's classrooms.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Joanne Jacobs

Lawrence Wright / New Yorker:

THE APOSTATE

Discussion: Pharyngula, Raw Story, AOL News, Runnin' Scared, boy culture and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

Ryan Crowe / CBS Dallas:

Mandatory Arabic Classes Coming To Mansfield — MANSFIELD (CBSDFW.COM) - Some Students at Mansfield ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language. The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Pajamas Media

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

‘Absurd’ for Israel to become partisan issue, says ex-Obama adviser — HERZLIYA, Israel — It would be “absurd” if support for Israel becomes a divisive, partisan issue in the U.S. political arena, one of President Obama's former top advisers said Monday. — Amid signs that Israel …

Discussion: The Politico and JammieWearingFool

Christine McConville / Boston Herald:

Comic treatment for health plan — MIT econ whiz's hip idea to explain overhaul — The MIT economics whiz who crafted President Obama's national health-care overhaul now plans to explain the complex and controversial plan to the masses — in one long comic book.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, National Review and JammieWearingFool

Manu Raju / The Politico:

A new Dem threat to health care law — A handful of moderate Senate Democrats are looking for ways to roll back the highly contentious individual mandate — the pillar of President Barack Obama's health care law — a sign that red-state senators are prepared to assert their independence ahead of the 2012 elections.

Discussion: The Note, New York Times, Hot Air and The Huffington Post

Matthew Belloni / Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Moore Sues Weinsteins Over ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ (Updated) … Filmmaker Michael Moore has sued Harvey and Bob Weinstein, accusing the brothers of “Hollywood accounting tricks” and “financial deception” that cheated him out of at least $2.7 million in profits from the hit documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Patrick Healy / ArtsBeat:

‘Spider-Man’ Turns Off the Critics — Most of the nation's leading theater critics published their reviews of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” online Monday night and in print on Tuesday morning, and the judgments — while somewhat varied in tone and focus, adjectives and invective …

Discussion: The Theater Loop, Variety, Culture Monster, Poynter and Runnin' Scared

Lorraine Luk / Wall Street Journal:

HTC Invests in Two Mobile Software Companies — TAIPEI—HTC Corp. unveiled two investments in software companies in the latest push by the Taiwanese company to expand through acquisitions in the lucrative but competitive smartphone market. — HTC, which has gained popularity world-wide …

Discussion: GigaOM, TechCrunch and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Sharon Otterman / New York Times:

Most New York Students Are Not College-Ready — New York State education officials released a new set of graduation statistics on Monday that show less than half of students in the state are leaving high school prepared for college and well-paying careers. — The new statistics …

Discussion: Mother Jones and Balloon Juice

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Pawlenty: Rescinding Funds To Implement DADT Repeal Is ‘A Reasonable Step’ — Last month, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) made waves when he suggested that he would reinstate the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy if elected President. This morning, Pawlenty went a step further …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, AMERICAblog Gay, Outside the Beltway, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Ben Smith's Blog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Towleroad News #gay and Good As You

Chris Brennan / Philly.com:

Ex-Gov. Rendell Splits With Wife After 40 Years Of Marriage — Gov. Rendell and his wife, U.S. Appellate udge Marjorie “Midge” Rendell, announced in an e-mail to friends today that they will be “living separately” now that they have left the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg.

Discussion: Althouse, TBogg and Ben Smith's Blog

Wall Street Journal:

Pay Gap Widens at Big Law Firms as Partners Chase Star Attorneys — Some of the biggest law firms are paying outsize salaries to star attorneys, in some cases 10 times what they give other partners, in a strategy that is stretching compensation gaps and testing morale at firms.

Discussion: Truth on the Market and Above the Law

Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:

Rumsfeld's ‘Slice of History’ — In an interview, the former secretary of defense explains how Washington feuds harmed Iraq policy, and why the surge was less vital than you think. — 'I'd read other folks' books about things I'd been involved in . . . and I'd think, 'My goodness …

Robert Costa / National Review:

DeMint Surveys the Field, Praises Jeb — Sen. Jim DeMint, the conservative star from South Carolina, is keeping a close eye on the emerging 2012 presidential field. New names, he observes, keep popping up. One of those, of course, is former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin, Hot Air, Salon, AmSpecBlog, Commentary and No More Mister Nice Blog

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

Blue Dogs mull budget defection — Blue Dog Democrats might support a plan from House Republicans to cut $32 billion in discretionary spending this year, a spokesman for the fiscally conservative bloc said Monday. — Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) said the Blue Dogs are waiting to see the details …