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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 …
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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 …


Athens in Mad Town — A seminal showdown between public unions and taxpayers. — For Americans who don't think the welfare state riots of France or Greece can happen here, we recommend a look at the union and Democratic Party spectacle now unfolding in Wisconsin.

DNC Expands Role In Labor Protests To Ohio, Indiana … WASHINGTON — Building on the momentum in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands of protesters have turned out to oppose Republican Gov. Scott Walker's effort to strip collective-bargaining rights from the state's public-employee unions …


Join Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain & Jim Hoft at Wisconsin Freedom Rally to Support Scott Walker Saturday
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JSOnline, Moonbattery, Da Techguy's Blog and Right Wing News

Top 15 Photos From the Wisconsin Hate Rallies You'll Never See in Legacy Media #wiunion #solidaritywi

Gov. Walker's Pretext — In a year when governors across …
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Mother Jones, The Plum Line, PostPartisan, Althouse, Cubachi, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Boehner, Crooks and Liars and Daily Kos

Wisconsin: A Critical Fight for the Labor Movement
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Indecision Forever and Wonkette

Politics of Wisconsin Labor Fight Spread to Washington
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The Politico, USA Today, host.madison.com and Towleroad News #gay

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 …
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Politics Daily, Hotline On Call, The Raw Story, Moe Lane, Swampland and Swing State Project
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Sen. Bingaman to retire — Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) will retire from the Senate, a Democratic source with knowledge of Bingaman's plans confirmed Friday. — Bingaman is the fourth senator to caucus with the Democrats to announce his retirement this election cycle.
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CNN, The Politico, The Note and USA Today

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.
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msnbc.com, Salon, Chicago Boyz and AMERICAblog News
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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 …
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New bloodshed in Bahrain — Are you there? Send your pictures, video via iReport.
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The Moderate Voice, Guardian, New York Times and AOL News


Nancy Pelosi aide says a government shutdown is likely — A high-ranking aide to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Democratic chiefs of staff that a government shutdown is more likely than not, according to attendees. — Speaking at a regular meeting of the top aides to House Democrats …
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FrumForum and New York Magazine
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THEY MAY ACTUALLY BE ‘A BUNCH OF YAHOOS’.... A month …
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Booman Tribune, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos and The Politico


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:
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Ezra Klein, Washington Post, Mother Jones and Alas, a Blog
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Willie Sutton Wept — There are three things you need to know about the current budget debate. First, it's essentially fraudulent. Second, most people posing as deficit hawks are faking it. Third, while President Obama hasn't fully avoided the fraudulence, he's less bad than his opponents …
Discussion:
The Future of Capitalism, Paul Krugman, The Confluence, Sky Dancing, Balloon Juice and Washington Post

House Dem reveals abortion on the House floor — Strong stuff from Dem Rep. Jackie Speier of California, who delivered an emotional speech on the House floor last night, revealing she had an abortion as she dressed down a Republican colleague for trivialing the decisionmaking that goes into deciding whether to undergo the procedure:
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ThinkProgress, The Hill, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Mediaite
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Rep. Jackie Speier gets personal on abortion
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New York Times, New York Magazine and FrumForum

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 Note and Don Surber


Ont. couple's appeal to bring baby home dismissed — A Superior Court judge has dismissed a Windsor couple's appeal of a decision to have their dying baby's breathing tube removed in hospital. In this undated handout photo, Joseph Maraachli, a one-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. …
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Administration asks judge to tell the states that healthcare law isn't optional — The Obama administration is asking a federal judge who struck down the healthcare reform law to clarify that states must still implement the overhaul as the appeals process plays out.
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Hot Air, Left Coast Rebel, Patterico's Pontifications and protein wisdom

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 …
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The New Republic, The Daily Dish, Right Turn, JustOneMinute and Balloon Juice

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.

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 …
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The Huffington Post and DownWithTyranny!

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:
JustOneMinute, Booman Tribune and protein wisdom

Egypt protest hero Wael Ghonim barred from stage — Google executive Wael Ghonim, who emerged as a leading voice in Egypt's uprising, was barred from the stage in Tahrir Square on Friday by security guards, an AFP photographer said. Ghonim tried to take the stage in Tahrir …
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The Jawa Report, Atlas Shrugs and Weasel Zippers

Napolitano says no to Senate bid in Arizona — (CNN) - Remember all that talk over the past week that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was thinking of running next year for the open Senate seat in her home state of Arizona? — Well, you can forget about it.


David Paterson: If Eliot Spitzer Doesn't Work Out 'I'm Always There To Take His Place" — Former New York governor David Paterson called in to Don Imus' show, broadcast on Fox Business Network, and discussed new governor Andrew Cuomo's success as well as his own relationship with Eliot Spitzer …
Discussion:
Capital Tonight


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:
JSOnline, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media and Hot Air