Top Items:
Washington Post:
Obama joins Wisconsin's budget battle, opposing Republican anti-union bill — MADISON, WIS. - President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits …
Discussion:
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Joe Klein / Swampland:
Wisconsin: The Hemlock Revolution — Revolutions everywhere—in the middle east, in the middle west. But there is a difference: in the middle east, the protesters are marching for democracy; in the middle west, they're protesting against it. I mean, Isn't it, well, a bit ironic …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, TalkLeft, GayPatriot, Hot Air, The Other McCain, The New Republic and Power Line
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Wis. governor: GOP won't be ‘bullied’ by union bill protesters — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) says his party has been emboldened by massive protests against his controversial budget plan. — Walker said demonstrators who filled the state Capitol building in Madison and the boycott …
Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:
Showdown in Wisconsin — The circus in Wisconsin is rapidly blowing up into the national issue of the moment, thanks in no small part to President Obama and of course Organizing for America, the group that grew out of his 2008 campaign, which seems to be playing a prominent role in building up the protests.
Ezra Klein:
Unions aren't to blame for Wisconsin's budget — Let's be clear: Whatever fiscal problems Wisconsin is — or is not — facing at the moment, they're not caused by labor unions. That's also true for New Jersey, for Ohio and for the other states. There was no sharp rise in collective bargaining …
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National Review, Washington Monthly, Salon, ThinkProgress, PostPartisan, The Plum Line, TPMDC, Guardian, Mother Jones and Obsidian Wings
Ezra Klein:
What is actually being proposed in Wisconsin? — Reading the commentary, I think a lot of people are confused about what's actually being proposed in Wisconsin. So let's go through it. — You can find Gov. Scott Walker's proposal here. It's called “the Budget Repair bill.”
Discussion:
Rortybomb, PostPartisan, Mother Jones, host.madison.com, Gawker and TPMDC
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Join Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain & Jim Hoft at Wisconsin Freedom Rally to Support Scott Walker Saturday
Discussion:
The Mahablog, JSOnline, Left Coast Rebel, Moonbattery, Da Techguy's Blog and Right Wing News
Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama, DNC Fuel State Employee Protests
Discussion:
The Note, Pajamas Media, JSOnline and The Plum Line
New York Times:
Gov. Walker's Pretext — In a year when governors across …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, PostPartisan, Althouse, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Cubachi, Boehner, Mother Jones, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos and The Plum Line
msnbc.com:
Vote on Wis. union bill faces more delays
Discussion:
JSOnline, Confederate Yankee, The Page, Associated Press, Truthdig and Hit & Run
Matthew Cooper / The Atlantic Online:
Wisconsin: A Critical Fight for the Labor Movement
Discussion:
Indecision Forever and Wonkette
The Politico:
House votes to defund Planned Parenthood — The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence's amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. — The vote was 240-185 with 11 Democrats voting …
Discussion:
Cubachi, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, Taegan Goddard's … and Liberty Pundits Blog
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First Read / msnbc.com:
House passes measure stripping Planned Parenthood funding — From NBC's Shawna Thomas and Mark Murray — As expected, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence's (R) amendment to strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood passed the House by a 240-185 vote. Ten Democrats joined the GOP majority, while seven Republicans voted against the measure.
Discussion:
LifeNews.com, Michelle Malkin, Little Green Footballs, AOL News and protein wisdom
Diane Webber / The Politico:
Rep. Jackie Speier gets personal on abortion
Discussion:
CNN, New York Magazine, New York Times and FrumForum
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Jeff Bingaman to retire — New Mexico Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman is expected to announce his retirement today, according to a source close to the decision, a move that further complicates his party's efforts to hold their Senate majority in 2012. — Bingaman had been mulling whether …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Politics Daily, Grist, Hotline On Call, RedState, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, Swampland and Swing State Project
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Ballot Box:
Sen. Bingaman to retire
Discussion:
CNN, The Politico, The Note, Outside the Beltway and USA Today
Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
Government shutdown is likely, Pelosi aide says — A high-ranking aide to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told chiefs of staff of Democratic lawmakers that a government shutdown is more likely than not, according to attendees. — Speaking at a regular meeting of the top aides to House Democrats …
Discussion:
Boehner, ThinkProgress, GayPatriot, FrumForum and New York Magazine
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THEY MAY ACTUALLY BE ‘A BUNCH OF YAHOOS’.... A month …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Booman Tribune and Daily Kos
Arizona Daily Star:
Firefighter refused call to Tucson shooting spree scene — A veteran city firefighter's refusal to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting spree, citing “political bantering,” may have slowed his Tucson Fire Department unit's response to the incident that left six dead and 13 wounded, city memos show.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Salon, Chicago Boyz and AMERICAblog News
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Free exchange:
Outrageous cuts — PAUL KRUGMAN'S columns tend so often toward scathing criticism of Republicans that it's easy to discount the outrage and dismiss it. It would be a shame if that's the reaction to his writing today, which couldn't be more on point. To wit:
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Washington Post, Mother Jones and Alas, a Blog
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Willie Sutton Wept
Discussion:
The Future of Capitalism, Firedoglake, Paul Krugman, The Confluence, Daily Kos, Sky Dancing and Balloon Juice
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Democrat suggests ‘ObamaCare’ rhetoric should be banned from House floor — House Republicans and Democrats started Friday morning's debate over whether to defund last year's healthcare law, and as part of this debate sparred over whether members should be allowed to call that law “ObamaCare.”
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, The Note, iOwnTheWorld.com, Maggie's Notebook and Don Surber
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Poll: Public unions a hard sell — A new poll from the Washington-based Clarus Group asked: — Do you think government employees should be represented by labor unions that bargain for higher pay, benefits and pensions ... or do you think government employees should not be represented by labor unions?
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and Behind the Numbers
Rob Stein / Washington Post:
Obama administration replaces controversial ‘conscience’ regulation for health-care workers — The Obama administration rescinded most of a federal regulation Friday designed to protect health workers who refuse to provide care they find objectionable on personal or religious grounds.
Discussion:
The Foundry and Pam's House Blend
Bob Unruh / WorldNetDaily:
Stunner! Supremes to give eligibility case another look — Challenge to Obama getting 2nd conference before court — In a stunning move, the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled another “conference” on a legal challenge to Barack Obama's eligibility to occupy the Oval Office …
Discussion:
iOwnTheWorld.com, Classical Values, PoliPundit.com and Scared Monkeys
David Brooks / New York Times:
Tomorrow Never Comes — Jonathan Alter wrote a book about Barack Obama's first year in office called “The Promise.” That's a great title because it works on so many levels. For example, over the past four years, Obama's career has been marked by a constant promise: He has continually …
Discussion:
The New Republic, JustOneMinute, Right Turn, Balloon Juice, The Daily Dish and msnbc.com
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Obama's Louis XV budget — Five days before his inauguration, President-elect Obama told The Post that entitlement reform could no longer be kicked down the road. He then spent the next two years kicking - racking up $3 trillion in new debt along the way - on the grounds …
Discussion:
neo-neocon
New York Times:
Security Forces in Bahrain Open Fire on Mourners — MANAMA, Bahrain — Government forces opened fire on hundreds of mourners marching toward Pearl Square Friday, sending people running away in panic amid the boom of concussion grenades. But even as the people fled, at least one helicopter sprayed fire …
Jay Sorgi / WTMJ:
Capitol Chaos: State Patrol Goes After Democratic Senators — MADISON - According to the Wisconsin senate majority leader, the Governor's office is sending out state troopers to go after Wisconsin's Democratic Senate members to bring in a vote on Governor Walker's budget bill …
Discussion:
Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, JSOnline, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and Pajamas Media
Paul West / Los Angeles Times:
Sarah Palin hints at 2012 presidential run, but says she's undecided — In a rare public speech, she predicts voters will want a nomination contest that's ‘a little bit rogue,’ and teases that a mother with her experience would be right for the job. She acknowledges she'd need to address her drop in popularity.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
Dean Baker / The Politico:
Unions badgering Wisconsin's finances? — Co-director, Center for Economic and Policy Research : — You have to give Gov. Walker and his wealthy patrons credit. Here we have a situation where Wall Street fat cats wrecked the economy - people like Richard Fuld, Robert Rubin, and Angelo Mozilo …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post and DownWithTyranny!
Stanley Kurtz / National Review:
Who's Polarizing America? — American politics just keeps getting more polarized. Be assured that Obama wants it that way. I argue in Radical-in-Chief that Obama's long-term hope is to divide America along class lines (roughly speaking, tax payers versus tax beneficiaries).
Discussion:
Booman Tribune and JustOneMinute
Myglesias / Yglesias:
Wisconsin and the Rules — KK writes: … I think the idea that believing the rules should be changed commits you to the view that someone should unilaterally disarm is nutty. I haven't made a study of Wisconsin parliamentary procedures, but if there's a case for changing them then the argument …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein
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