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 …
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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:
Crooks and Liars, JSOnline, National Review, Mother Jones, Balloon Juice, PostPartisan, Rortybomb, Gawker and Cato @ Liberty
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, GayPatriot, The Plum Line, Michelle Malkin, Nice Deb, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and Behind the Numbers
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:
Pajamas Media and Politics Daily
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:
The Politico, Weasel Zippers, CNN, Hot Air and GayPatriot
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, Don Surber, GayPatriot, ThinkProgress and FrumForum
Andy Kroll / Mother Jones:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Funded by the Koch Bros.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Funded by the Koch Bros.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Policy Page, TPMDC, National Review, Hit & Run, New York Times, Daily Kos and Democracy in America
Stephanie Mencimer / Mother Jones:
Wisconsin: Tea Partiers, Breitbart Coming To Fight Unions
Wisconsin: Tea Partiers, Breitbart Coming To Fight Unions
Discussion:
Wonkette, The Media Consortium, Colorlines, Guardian, Weigel, JSOnline, Breitbart.tv, FrumForum and RedState
Tobin Harshaw / Opinionator:
Cairo in the Midwest?
Cairo in the Midwest?
Discussion:
The Week Magazine and The Huffington Post
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, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog and Booman Tribune
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 …
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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. …
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
Joan McCarter / Daily Kos:
House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X
House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X
Discussion:
Booman Tribune and Don Surber
Sofia Resnick / The American Independent:
House votes to block all funding to Planned Parenthood
House votes to block all funding to Planned Parenthood
Discussion:
RedState, The Foundry, Focal Point, Feministe, Pharyngula, The Huffington Post and Cubachi
Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
House cuts off funding for healthcare reform, Planned Parenthood
House cuts off funding for healthcare reform, Planned Parenthood
Discussion:
The Plum Line
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!
Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:
House Overwhelmingly Votes to Scrap Planned Parenthood Funding
House Overwhelmingly Votes to Scrap Planned Parenthood Funding
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin
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:
Patterico's Pontifications, The Politico, Hot Air and CNN
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Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Conservative budget amendment fails House amid fissure among Republicans
Conservative budget amendment fails House amid fissure among Republicans
Discussion:
New York Times, Politics Daily and National Review
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:
Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Politics Daily, The Politico and HotAirPundit
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.
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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
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Mitt Romney / National Review:
Obama Turns His Back on Israel
Obama Turns His Back on Israel
Discussion:
The Hill, Salon, Ben Smith's Blog and GOP 12
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:
Doug Ross and Liberty Pundits Blog
David Leonhardt / Economix:
Why Does College Cost So Much? — Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman are economists at the College of William & Mary, a public university in Virginia, and the authors of “Why Does College Cost So Much?” If you want the brief version, you could look at an op-ed article by the two economists …
Discussion:
The Reality-Based Community
Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama, DNC Fuel State Employee Protests — Boehner Blasts White House for Spreading ‘Disinformation, Confusion’ in Wisconsin Budget Battle — The state employee protests that have surged in Wisconsin and spread to Ohio and Indiana this week bear some similarities to grassroots displays …
Discussion:
The Note, Pajamas Media, TalkLeft, JSOnline, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and The Huffington Post
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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, Secular Right and Overlawyered
Guardian:
Libya protests: massacres reported as Gaddafi imposes news blackout — Opposition says 61 killed as diplomats report use of heavy weapons in Benghazi and rumours sweep the country — Libyans have taken to the streets and buried their dead, accusing government forces of perpetrating massacres …
Discussion:
Salon, msnbc.com and Libya February 17th
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Anthony Shadid / New York Times:
Clashes in Libya Worsen as Army Crushes Dissent
Clashes in Libya Worsen as Army Crushes Dissent
Discussion:
Al Jazeera Blogs, Salon, BBC, Pajamas Media, Outside the Beltway, Libya February 17th, Gawker, AOL News and hrw.org, more at Mediagazer »
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, Swing State Project, The Raw Story, Hotline On Call, RedState, Daily Kos and Swampland
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.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Da Techguy's Blog, Weekly Standard, American Thinker, TPMDC, National Review and Outside the Beltway
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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 and Don Surber
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