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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:
JSOnline, Ballot Box, host.madison.com, TPMMuckraker, The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic Online, The Caucus, Little Green Footballs, Wonkette, The New Republic, No More Mister Nice Blog, AOL News, CANNONFIRE, Salon, The Raw Story, blue cheddar, One Wisconsin Now, Sky Dancing, AMERICAblog News, The Right Sphere, Ben Smith's Blog, driftglass, WisPolitics Budget Blog, Daily Kos, Confederate Yankee, Muckety, Gawker and Tucson Citizen
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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.

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:
The Nation, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, Althouse and New York Magazine

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:
Yglesias and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Did Scott Walker Reveal His Crisis-Ending Ruse to a Prank Caller? — MADISON, Wisc. — The governor's main line is busy, so I'll have to grab an in-person spokesman confirmation or denial in a bit. * Until then: Ian Murphy of the Buffalo Beast claims to have posed as “David Koch” …
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, The Hill, AmSpecBlog and Wonkette

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, JSOnline, The Blaze, Verum Serum, Booman Tribune and msnbc.com


The Howard Stern-ing of the Wisconsin showdown — A left-wing website that specializes in pranking celebrities, pundits, and politicians — a la Howard Stern — is doing a Snoopy dance over a fake call its operatives made to GOP Gov. Scott Walker. — The hoaxer pretended to be David Koch, the progs' favorite capitalist target.
Discussion:
Salon, AOL News, Ben Smith's Blog, WFRV-TV and Whiskey Fire

Wis. Gov. Duped by Impostor Reporter
Discussion:
The Note, No More Mister Nice Blog, Prairie Weather and American Power

Public unions force taxpayers to fund Democrats
Discussion:
Big Government, Pajamas Media, Cold Fury, Coffee & Markets, The Gateway Pundit, Betsy's Page and theblogprof

Scott Walker Gets Punked By Journalist Pretending To Be David Koch
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Mediaite and Balloon Juice

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:
The Plum Line, TPMDC, Salon, PostPartisan, ThinkProgress, The Huffington Post, The Volokh Conspiracy, msnbc.com, Crooks and Liars, The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly, Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Caller, The Bilerico Project, Jay Bookman, PointOfLaw Forum, ACS Blog, AMERICAblog Gay, Wonk Room, Sky Dancing, Pam's House Blend, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, The Right Sphere, Hit & Run, Wonkette, Booman Tribune, Blog of Rights, AOL News, Christianity Today and The American Independent
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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, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Emptywheel, National Review, The Daily Dish and Indecision Forever

U.S, in Shift, Sees Marriage Act as Violation of Gay Rights — WASHINGTON — President Obama, in a major legal policy shift, has directed the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act — the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages — against lawsuits challenging it as unconstitutional.

Gov't drops defense of anti-gay marriage law
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs and Box Turtle Bulletin

Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy, JONATHAN TURLEY, Balkinization, Box Turtle Bulletin and Runnin' Scared

DOMA and the Individual Mandate
Discussion:
msnbc.com, protein wisdom and PointOfLaw Forum

In reversal, Obama orders Justice to stand down on gay marriage
Discussion:
The Politico and CNN


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:
The Moderate Voice, Balloon Juice and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
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Gov. Walker Informed That Bill Targeting Unions May Cost State $46 Million In Federal Funds … WASHINGTON — Budget referees and transportation officials in Wisconsin have informed Gov. Scott Walker (R) that if he were to pass his controversial anti-union legislation into law …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG


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 …
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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.
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Indiana kills ‘right-to-work’ bill
Discussion:
The American Independent and Politics

Indiana Senate won't resurrect right-to-work bill
Discussion:
GOP 12, National Review, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Taegan Goddard's …


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:
Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, CNN, Right Turn, Salon, nancynall.com, The Other McCain, The Moderate Voice, Wonk Room, Wonkette, New York Magazine and Dependable Renegade


GOP crafts two-week stopgap — 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:
FrumForum
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Government Shutdown? Don't Count on It
Discussion:
Swampland and Taegan Goddard's …

Tea Party senator: House GOP funding bill ‘not even close’ on cuts
Discussion:
Cubachi and Liberty Pundits Blog

How the GOP Can Win the Budget Battle
Discussion:
The New Republic, Liberty Pundits Blog, National Review and Washington Post

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, The Jawa Report, Breitbart.tv and iOwnTheWorld.com

Providence plans to pink slip all teachers — 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.
Discussion:
AOL News, HazZzMat, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Greenroom, JONATHAN TURLEY, msnbc.com and Sweetness & Light


Chicago's next mayor: Emanuel — Ex-presidential adviser avoids runoff with 55% — Rahm Emanuel, a top adviser to two U.S. presidents who returned to Chicago just months ago, swept into the mayor's office Tuesday, inheriting a city reeling from recession and promising to reshape City Hall.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Glittering Eye, NewsBusters.org, Indecision Forever and Shakesville
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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%) …
Discussion:
GOP 12, Politics Daily and The Hill