Top Items:
New York Times:
Union Bonds in Wisconsin Begin to Fray — JANESVILLE, Wis. — Rich Hahan worked at the General Motors plant here until it closed about two years ago. He moved to Detroit to take another G.M. job while his wife and children stayed here, but then the automaker cut more jobs.
RELATED:
Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org:
Wisconsin State Senator Smacks Down Chris Matthews: 'You're Completely Uninformed' — MSNBC's Chris Matthews tried Monday to push the liberal media meme that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker exempted police and firefighters from his budget repair plan because their unions endorsed him in last November's election.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, TalkLeft, Politics Daily, UrbanGrounds, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Badger Blogger and Verum Serum
David Brooks / New York Times:
Make Everybody Hurt — Over the past few weeks we've begun to see the new contours of American politics. The budget cutters have taken control of the agenda, while government's defenders are waging tactical retreats. Given the scope of the fiscal problems, it could be like this for the next 10 or 20 years.
Discussion:
The New Republic, Yglesias, TalkLeft, PostPartisan, DownWithTyranny!, The Plum Line, Right Turn, NewsBusters.org, The Monkey Cage, The Mahablog, Balloon Juice and driftglass
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
What Did Walker Campaign On? — Last night, I heard on Fox News from Stephen Hayes that Wisconsin governor Scott Walker had run on a platform to end collective bargaining rights for public sector unions. I can find no evidence of this in the public record.
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Balloon Juice
Josh Dorner / ThinkProgress:
Priorities? GOP Governors Shift Burden To Poor, Middle Class To Pay For Tax Breaks For Rich, Corporations — State budgets across the country are in disarray as a weak economy, the end of tens of billions in Recovery Act funds, and a GOP-led House that is pushing for deep cuts to many programs …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Wonk Room and Firedoglake
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
In Wisconsin, the gap widens between GOP and Dems
In Wisconsin, the gap widens between GOP and Dems
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Note, Bloomberg, Hot Air, theblogprof and FrumForum
Mark Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:
AFL-CIO Polls Show Wisconsin Supports Protestors, Opposes Walker
AFL-CIO Polls Show Wisconsin Supports Protestors, Opposes Walker
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Reuters, Guardian, Talking Points Memo, The American Independent, Balloon Juice and Chicago Boyz
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Billionaire Brothers' Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Dispute
Billionaire Brothers' Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Dispute
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Post, AMERICAblog News, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, CBS News and New York Magazine
Ezra Klein:
Wonkbook: Are Republicans overreaching? Or just negotiating effectively?
Wonkbook: Are Republicans overreaching? Or just negotiating effectively?
Discussion:
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Pajamas Media and Daily Kos
Jamison Foser / Media Matters for America:
George Will's Dishonest Assault On Unions
George Will's Dishonest Assault On Unions
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Why won't Governor Walker accept unions' offer and declare victory?
Why won't Governor Walker accept unions' offer and declare victory?
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and George's Bottom Line
Indianapolis Star:
Democrats trigger Statehouse showdown over anti-union legislation — House Democrats are leaving the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation, The Indianapolis Star has learned. — A source said Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Hot Air, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, Pajamas Media, NUVO Newsweekly, Questions and Observations, Common Sense Political Thought, The Raw Story, Little Green Footballs, New York Magazine, Big Government, theblogprof, iOwnTheWorld.com, protein wisdom, AOL News, Daily Kos, Hotline On Call, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Liberty Pundits Blog, WisPolitics Budget Blog, The Page and Outside the Beltway
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Indiana Dem chair confirms: Dems have fled statehouse to stall anti-union push — It's spreading. — Democratic state legislators in Indiana have fled the statehouse in an effort to stall anti-union legislation being pushed by Republicans, and they are saying they won't come back until …
Discussion:
TPMDC and Washington Post
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Indiana lawmakers also fleeing for border to avoid labor-bill vote — Mirroring recent events in Wisconsin, Democrats in Indiana's state legislature plan to leave the state rather than vote on a bill that would bar unions from certain bargaining rights. — According to the Indianapolis Star …
Discussion:
The Politico, Cubachi, Runnin' Scared, Indecision Forever and Taegan Goddard's …
Scott Wong / The Politico:
Harry Reid spending bill exposes deep divide with John Boehner
Harry Reid spending bill exposes deep divide with John Boehner
Discussion:
The Note
Thomas M. Burton / Wall Street Journal:
Indiana Democrats Stage Walkout
Indiana Democrats Stage Walkout
Discussion:
Firedoglake, JammieWearingFool and Fox News
News Item:
› - Statement from John and Kimberley Thune — For months now, my wife Kimberley and I have received encouragement from family, friends, colleagues, and supporters from across South Dakota and the country to run for the presidency of the United States.
RELATED:
The Politico:
Thune out — John Thune isn't running for president.
Thune out — John Thune isn't running for president.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and New York Magazine
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Sen. John Thune won't run for president in 2012
Sen. John Thune won't run for president in 2012
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and Gawker
CBS News:
4 Americans on hijacked yacht dead off Somalia — U.S. Navy warship shadowing seized vessel takes action after gunshots are heard; 4 hostages apparently killed by captors, some pirates dead — The four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia are dead.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Guardian, L.A. NOW, USA Today, Human Events, New York Magazine, Maggie's Notebook, Confederate Yankee, Mediaite, Moe Lane, BLACKFIVE, neo-neocon, Gawker, FrumForum and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Al Jazeera Blogs:
Live Blog - Libya Feb 22 — on February 22nd, 2011. — Alleged mercenaries deployed by Gaddafi in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. — As the uprising in Libya enters its ninth day, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.
RELATED:
Sky News Australia:
Cleric orders Gaddafi killed
Cleric orders Gaddafi killed
Discussion:
Aljazeera, The Other McCain, Questions and Observations, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, The Investigative Project …, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Infidel Bloggers Alliance, Weasel Zippers, Babylon & Beyond, PoliPundit.com, The Jawa Report and Pundit Press
Andrew Solomon / News Desk:
How Qaddafi Lost Libya
How Qaddafi Lost Libya
Discussion:
Washington Post and Patterico's Pontifications
The Politico:
Ex-aide's book paints harsh portrait of Sarah Palin — A new memoir from an embittered former aide to Sarah Palin includes a trove of emails that vividly illustrate her intense focus on image and depiction in the media. — The emails, apparently from the former Alaska governor …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Salon, Hot Air and New York Magazine
RELATED:
Jack Stuef / Wonkette:
Sarah Palin Has Secret ‘Lou Sarah’ Facebook Account To Praise Other Sarah Palin Facebook Account — Sarah Palin has apparently created a second Facebook account with her Gmail address so that this fake “Lou Sarah” person can praise the other Sarah Palin on Facebook.
Discussion:
TPM LiveWire, The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, AOL News, Politics Daily and Gawker
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
Government pensions, an obesity epidemic — In New York City, the No. 2 guy in the fire department retired on a pension worth $242,000 a year. In New York State, a single official holding two jobs and one pension took in $641,000. A lieutenant with the Port Authority police retired …
Discussion:
Yglesias and National Review
RELATED:
Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:
Two-Thirds of Wisconsin Public-School 8th Graders Can't Read Proficiently—Despite Highest Per Pupil Spending in Midwest — (CNSNews.com) - Two-thirds of the eighth graders in Wisconsin public schools cannot read proficiently according to the U.S. Department of Education …
Discussion:
BizzyBlog, protein wisdom, Confederate Yankee and Weasel Zippers
Daily Mail:
Four men slashed teacher's face and left him with fractured skull ‘for teaching other religions to Muslim girls’ — Four men launched a horrific attack on a teacher in which they slashed his face and left him with a fractured skull because they did not approve of him teaching religion to Muslim girls.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Left Coast Rebel, Jihad Watch and Atlas Shrugs
Sam Roberts / New York Times:
New York's Little Italy, Littler by the Year — In 1950, nearly half of the more than 10,000 New Yorkers living in the heart of Little Italy identified as Italian-American. The narrow streets teemed with children and resonated with melodic exchanges in Italian among the one in five residents born …
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared and Joe. My. God.