Top Items:
Murphy / The Beast:
Koch Whore — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker answers his master's call — “David Koch”: We'll back you any way we can. What we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers. — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker: You know, well, the only problem with that—because we thought about that...
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, The Caucus, Salon, Ballot Box, Pharyngula, host.madison.com, Wonkette, AOL News, Saint Petersblog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice, The New Republic, The Atlantic Online, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Sky Dancing, The Raw Story and Little Green Footballs
RELATED:
Ezra Klein:
What a prank call proves about Wisconsin — Gonzo journalist Ian Murphy noticed one of Wisconsin's Senate Democrats complaining that Gov. Scott Walker was impossible to reach on the phone. So Murphy came up with a prank call: He posed as right-wing financier David Koch and called Walker's receptionist.
Discussion:
The Political Carnival, Yglesias and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Adam Weinstein / Mother Jones:
Did Scott Walker Get Crank-Call Pwned? (AUDIO) — Is that really Scott Walker? A New York-based alt-news editor says he got through to the embattled Wisconsin governor on the phone Tuesday by posing as right-wing financier David Koch...then had a far-ranging 20-minute conversation about the collective bargaining protests.
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Governor Walker's office confirms prank Koch call — The Internet is burning up with the news that Governor Scott Walker may have been pranked by a caller claiming to be David Koch, and a spokesman for the Governor, Cullen Werwie, emails a statement confirming the call is legit:
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Althouse, Mediaite and Hullabaloo
The Huffington Post:
Top Six Revelations in the Call Between Fake David Koch and Governor Scott Walker … The call made by a Buffalo blogger pretending to be billionaire right-wing activist David Koch to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is quickly making an impact on the news cycle. (You can listen to the call on YouTube: Part 1 |
Discussion:
campaignmoney.org, msnbc.com, Tucson Citizen, Verum Serum, JSOnline and The Blaze
David Weigel / Slate:
Did Scott Walker Reveal His Crisis-Ending Ruse to a Prank Caller?
Did Scott Walker Reveal His Crisis-Ending Ruse to a Prank Caller?
Discussion:
Associated Press, Big Journalism, AmSpecBlog, CNN, Nice Deb, The Hill and Salon
Michelle Malkin:
The Howard Stern-ing of the Wisconsin showdown
The Howard Stern-ing of the Wisconsin showdown
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Spocko's Brain, GayPatriot, BizTimes Daily and WFRV-TV
ABCNEWS:
Wis. Gov. Duped by Impostor Reporter
Wis. Gov. Duped by Impostor Reporter
Discussion:
The Politico, ThinkProgress, The Hill, The Note and No More Mister Nice Blog
JSOnline:
Milwaukee County — Caller posing as major GOP contributor dupes Walker
Milwaukee County — Caller posing as major GOP contributor dupes Walker
Discussion:
Poynter, The Huffington Post, The Nation, Mediaite and Salon
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Walker On ‘Koch’ Phone Call: ‘I Take Phone Calls All The Time’
Walker On ‘Koch’ Phone Call: ‘I Take Phone Calls All The Time’
Discussion:
TPMMuckraker, Ezra Klein, Hullabaloo and The Political Carnival
Steven Pearlstein / Washington Post:
Making sense of Wisconsin's union showdown
Making sense of Wisconsin's union showdown
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Felix Salmon
The United States Department of Justice:
Statement of the Attorney General on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act — WASHINGTON - The Attorney General made the following statement today about the Department's course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense …
Discussion:
American Prospect, The Moderate Voice, TPMDC, ThinkProgress, The Plum Line, msnbc.com, The Volokh Conspiracy, PostPartisan, Salon, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Bilerico Project, The Political Carnival, AMERICAblog Gay, Maryland Politics, Balkinization, Jay Bookman, The Huffington Post, Pam's House Blend, Wonk Room, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, ACS Blog, New York Magazine, PointOfLaw Forum, Mother Jones, Sky Dancing, The Right Sphere, Wonkette, Hit & Run, Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online, Ben Smith's Blog, AOL News, Booman Tribune and Crooks and Liars
RELATED:
Marc Ambinder / NationalJournal.com:
Obama Won't Go to Court Over Defense of Marriage Act — An opponent of California's Prop 8 holds an American flag and gay pride flag during a demonstration outside of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 6, 2010 in San Francisco. — President Obama believes that the Defense …
Discussion:
Box Turtle Bulletin, Salon, National Review, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Emptywheel and Indecision Forever
New York Times:
U.S., in Shift, Sees Marriage Act as Violation of Gay Rights
U.S., in Shift, Sees Marriage Act as Violation of Gay Rights
Discussion:
Poliglot, Runnin' Scared, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, TPMMuckraker, Outside the Beltway and White House Dossier
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breaking: Obama to abandon DOMA defense
Breaking: Obama to abandon DOMA defense
Discussion:
National Review, The Bilerico Project, Breitbart.tv, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and theblogprof
The United States Department of Justice:
Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act
Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act
Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:
The Executive Power Grab in the Decision Not to Defend DOMA
The Executive Power Grab in the Decision Not to Defend DOMA
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online
Michelle Malkin:
Video: CWA union thug strikes young female FreedomWorks activist — This is Tabitha Hale, a young conservative activist/original Tea Party organizer/blogger who works for Washington, D.C.-based FreedomWorks. I know her from her great grass-roots work with Smart Girl Politics when the Tea Party movement was just emerging.
Adam Weinstein / Mother Jones:
Indiana Official: “Use Live Ammunition” Against Wisconsin Protesters — A conservative deputy AG let his emotions get out of hand. It wasn't the first time. — Post Comment — On Saturday night, when Mother Jones staffers tweeted a report that riot police might soon sweep demonstrators …
RELATED:
Mary Beth Schneider / Indianapolis Star:
Indiana Senate leader says right-to-work bill is dead — Daniels clarifies statements on pending legislation — Gov. Mitch Daniels this morning toughened his words about House Democrats who have fled the state is protest of Republican legislative proposals.
Discussion:
AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, theblogprof, USA Today, The Daily Caller, Ben Smith's Blog and Washington Monthly
RELATED:
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Indiana kills ‘right-to-work’ bill
Indiana kills ‘right-to-work’ bill
Discussion:
The American Independent
Lesley Stedman Weidenbener / Courier-Journal:
Indiana Senate won't resurrect right-to-work bill
Indiana Senate won't resurrect right-to-work bill
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, National Review, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, GOP 12 and The Political Carnival
Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:
Fox Reverses Results Of Gallup Poll To Claim Americans Oppose Union Collective Bargaining Rights — Yesterday, USA Today and Gallup released a new poll that found that a whopping 61 percent of Americans oppose efforts like those of Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) to strip public sector unions of collective bargaining rights.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
RELATED:
ABCNEWS:
Obama Condemns Violence in Libya But Doesn't Mention Moammar Gadhafi — Violence in Libya Escalates as Nations Move to Evacuate Their Citizens — President Obama said the bloodshed in Libya was “outrageous and unacceptable,” but he declined to directly censure Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi …
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, Weasel Zippers, msnbc.com and New York Magazine
RELATED:
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama breaks silence on Libya, condemns ‘outrageous’ violence
Obama breaks silence on Libya, condemns ‘outrageous’ violence
Discussion:
The Note
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Video: The Daily Show Tortures a Camel in Madison — Madison, Wisc. — No joke: The Daily Show brought a camel to the protests in Madison the other day, presumably to help make fun of the Cairo/Madison comparisons. As this video shows, the gag didn't turn out so well:
Discussion:
JSOnline, iOwnTheWorld.com and Breitbart.tv
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Santorum hits left on Crusades — Rick Santorum launched into a scathing attack on the left, charging during an appearance in South Carolina that the history of the Crusades has been corrupted by “the American left who hates Christendom.” — “The idea that the Crusades and the fight …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Booman Tribune
Emily Schultheis / The Politico:
Newt Gingrich confronted over affair — PHILADELPHIA — Newt Gingrich's speech at the University of Pennsylvania Tuesday night quickly took a turn for the dramatic when the first student to question him brought up his admitted extra-marital affair and accused him of being “hypocritical” for espousing moral values.
Discussion:
CNN, nancynall.com, Right Turn, Outside the Beltway, Salon, The Other McCain, Firedoglake and Wonk Room
Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
Republicans float $2 billion a week in cuts — House Republicans plan to pass a two-week stopgap spending bill next week that would keep the government running past March 4 at reduced levels, GOP aides told POLITICO Wednesday. — The measure comes on the heels of last week's seven-month appropriation bill …
Discussion:
CNN, Cubachi, The Hill and National Review
RELATED:
Fred Barnes / Wall Street Journal:
How the GOP Can Win the Budget Battle
How the GOP Can Win the Budget Battle
Discussion:
Liberty Pundits Blog and The New Republic
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Huckabee, Palin, Romney Tie for Lead in GOP '12 Preferences — Huckabee's support up six points since September — PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have no clear favorite for the party's 2012 presidential nominee at this point, with Mike Huckabee (18%) …
Linda Borg / Providence Journal:
PROVIDENCE — The school district plans to send out dismissal notices to every one of its 1,926 teachers, an unprecedented move that has union leaders up in arms. — In a letter sent to all teachers Tuesday, Supt. Tom Brady wrote that the Providence School Board on Thursday will vote …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, AOL News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Greenroom, JONATHAN TURLEY, msnbc.com, HazZzMat and Sweetness & Light
The Note:
Goldman Sachs: House Spending Cuts Will Hurt Economic Growth — ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: — A confidential new report prepared by Goldman Sachs for its clients says spending cuts passed by the House of Representatives last week would be a drag on the economy, cutting economic growth by about two percent of GDP.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Political Carnival, Taegan Goddard's … and New York Magazine
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Palin will travel to India next month — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will make her first overseas trip of 2011 next month, when she travels to India to deliver a speech at a high-profile policy conference. — Palin will speak on March 19 at the India Today Conclave in the capital city of New Delhi …
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, Cubachi and GOP 12
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
All Your Thoughts Are Belong To U.S. — That seems to be the import of the ruling by federal Judge Gladys Kessler in upholding the Obamacare mandate in a suit brought by a group of private plaintiffs in Mead v. Holder (pg. 45, emphasis mine): … Our thoughts are now actions.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, Common Sense Political Thought and The BLT
Terry Jeffrey / Townhall.com:
Do Wisconsin's Public Schools Deserve to Survive? — With the entire nation watching, Wisconsinites are now debating whether the state's public school teachers ought to be required to pay 5.8 percent of their wages to support their own retirement plans and 12.6 percent of their own health-insurance premiums …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs