Top Items:
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 …
RELATED:
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:
Associated Press, National Review, Crooks and Liars, PostPartisan, Mother Jones, JSOnline, Rortybomb, Balloon Juice, Cato @ Liberty and Gawker
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:
Right Turn, The Hill, National Review, Associated Press, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Huffington Post, neo-neocon, Boehner, TPMDC, Cubachi, Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, Left Coast Rebel, SEIU, Virginia Politics Blog, Wall Street Journal, TalkLeft, Cato @ Liberty, Little Green Footballs, The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway, The Caucus, JustOneMinute, New York Times, The Politico, Crooked Timber, RedState, Weekly Standard, Althouse, CNN, USA Today, Fox Nation, The Foundry, Political Punch, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Firedoglake, The Enterprise Blog, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, AmSpecBlog, POWIP, The Note, Vox Popoli, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and FrumForum
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 …
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 Gateway Pundit, Michelle Malkin, GayPatriot, Nice Deb, The Plum Line, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and Behind the Numbers
Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:
Showdown in Wisconsin — The circus in Wisconsin is rapidly blowing …
Showdown in Wisconsin — The circus in Wisconsin is rapidly blowing …
Andy Kroll / Mother Jones:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Funded by the Koch Bros.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Funded by the Koch Bros.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, TPMDC, National Review, Hit & Run, The Policy Page and Democracy in America
Tobin Harshaw / Opinionator:
Cairo in the Midwest?
Cairo in the Midwest?
Discussion:
The Week Magazine and National Review
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 …
RELATED:
ABCNEWS:
Planned Parenthood Funding Voted Down — Amendment Passes Despite Stunning Personal Testimony From Rep. Jackie Speier — The House of Representatives Friday passed a measure to end federal funding for abortion provider Planned Parenthood a day after Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif. …
Russell Berman / The Hill:
House rejects extra $22 billion in cuts that divided Republicans — The House rejected a measure cutting an additional $22 billion from the Republican spending bill, as conservatives ran into a wall of opposition from the GOP establishment over the depth of reductions to federal funding.
Discussion:
The Politico, Washington Post, Hot Air, protein wisdom and CNN
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Pelosi: GOP using Planned Parenthood as ‘whipping boy’ in health debate
Pelosi: GOP using Planned Parenthood as ‘whipping boy’ in health debate
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Diane Webber / The Politico:
Rep. Jackie Speier gets personal on abortion
Rep. Jackie Speier gets personal on abortion
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine and CNN
Joan McCarter / Daily Kos:
House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X
House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X
Discussion:
The American Independent, Focal Point, Feministe, Booman Tribune and Don Surber
Michelle Malkin:
Defund-a-palooza: Planned Parenthood, Obamacare on notice
Defund-a-palooza: Planned Parenthood, Obamacare on notice
Discussion:
LifeNews.com and Fire Andrea Mitchell!
First Read / msnbc.com:
House passes measure stripping Planned Parenthood funding
House passes measure stripping Planned Parenthood funding
Discussion:
AOL News and Little Green Footballs
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, GayPatriot, ThinkProgress and FrumForum
RELATED:
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Pelosi says she's ‘proud’ of Wisconsin Democrats who fled — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she supports the Democratic state senators in Wisconsin who left the state to stop a vote on curbing collective bargaining rights for unionized public employees.
Discussion:
CNN, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and GayPatriot
Patrik Jonsson / Christian Science Monitor:
Wisconsin protests: why ‘week of rage’ matters to rest of America — Wisconsin protests at the state Capitol pit a new wave of tea party-inspired Republicans against Democrats defending their most cherished ideals. It's a political drama that echoes across the country and could play out again across the newly ‘red’ Midwest.
Discussion:
Politics Daily and Pajamas Media
Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama, DNC Fuel State Employee Protests
Obama, DNC Fuel State Employee Protests
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Publius Forum, The Note, Pajamas Media, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and JSOnline
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Join Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain & Jim Hoft at Wisconsin Freedom Rally to Support Scott Walker Saturday
Join Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain & Jim Hoft at Wisconsin Freedom Rally to Support Scott Walker Saturday
Discussion:
No Runny Eggs, All American Blogger, The Mahablog, JSOnline, Moonbattery, Left Coast Rebel, Da Techguy's Blog and Right Wing News
Stephanie Mencimer / Mother Jones:
Wisconsin: Tea Partiers, Breitbart Coming To Fight Unions
Wisconsin: Tea Partiers, Breitbart Coming To Fight Unions
Discussion:
Wonkette, The Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, Breitbart.tv, JSOnline, Colorlines, Guardian, Weigel and FrumForum
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THEY MAY ACTUALLY BE ‘A BUNCH OF YAHOOS’.... A month …
THEY MAY ACTUALLY BE ‘A BUNCH OF YAHOOS’.... A month …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos and Booman Tribune
ABCNEWS:
Hillary Clinton: Israeli Settlements ‘Illegitimate’ — Secretary of State Calls Working Toward Mideast Peace Her ‘Highest Priority’ — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israeli settlements “illegitimate” shortly before the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Mitt Romney / National Review:
Obama Turns His Back on Israel
Obama Turns His Back on Israel
Discussion:
Salon, The Hill, GOP 12 and Ben Smith's Blog
Scott / Power Line:
Governor Walker meets the press — I think one of our readers expresses the feeling of a lot of Wisconsin citizens today. She certainly expresses my admiration for Governor Walker: … The battle for Wisconsin really raises in extreme form the question whether the people rule here.
RELATED:
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President — Lincoln and Clinton next on the list; Washington fifth — PRINCETON, NJ — Ahead of Presidents Day 2011, Americans are most likely to say Ronald Reagan was the nation's greatest president — slightly ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway and The Politico
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:
Hot Air, The Politico, The Note, iOwnTheWorld.com, Maggie's Notebook and Don Surber
RELATED:
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, Grist, Politics Daily, Hotline On Call, The Raw Story, RedState, Swing State Project, Swampland and Daily Kos
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:
Politics Daily, USA Today, The Foundry, The American Independent, ECHIDNE of the snakes and Pam's House Blend
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:
New York Times, msnbc.com, AMERICAblog News, Salon and Chicago Boyz
Mark Oppenheimer / New York Times:
A Place on the Right for a Few Godless Conservatives — As a child, Razib Khan spent several weeks studying in a Bangladeshi madrasa. Heather Mac Donald once studied literary deconstructionism and clerked for a left-wing judge. In neither case did the education take.
Discussion:
Riehl World View
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 and PoliPundit.com
CBS Boston:
Can Massachusetts Afford 2012 Presidential Primaries? — BOSTON (CBS) - There's a possibility that Massachusetts won't be able to participate fully in the next presidential election. — Secretary of State Bill Galvin says there's not enough money to run a primary in March 2012 …
Discussion:
Frontloading HQ and Pajamas Media
Cubachi:
Allen West lashes out at the “ignorance and dishonest rhetoric” of Congressional Democrats — After serving over a month in Congress, Representative Allen West, a Tea Party favorite is less than impressed with democrats from the other side of the aisle. — He wrote his sentiments in a press release.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Doug Ross and Liberty Pundits Blog