memeorandum: U.S., in Shift, Sees Marriage Act as Violation of Gay Rights (New York Times)

6:15 PM ET, February 23, 2011

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...

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.

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: Yglesias and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

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, Mediaite, Althouse, Hullabaloo, Crooks and Liars and New York Magazine

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, JSOnline, Verum Serum, The Blaze and Booman Tribune

Michelle Malkin:

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: GayPatriot, BizTimes Daily, WFRV-TV and Ben Smith's Blog

David Weigel / Slate:
Did Scott Walker Reveal His Crisis-Ending Ruse to a Prank Caller?

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press, Nice Deb, AmSpecBlog, The Hill, Salon, Wonkette and Daily Kos

ABCNEWS:
Wis. Gov. Duped by Impostor Reporter

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, The Note, No More Mister Nice Blog and Prairie Weather

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Walker On ‘Koch’ Phone Call: ‘I Take Phone Calls All The Time’

Discussion: TPMMuckraker, Ezra Klein and Hullabaloo

JSOnline:
Milwaukee County — Caller posing as major GOP contributor dupes Walker

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mediaite, The Nation and Salon

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 …

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: Salon, Box Turtle Bulletin, National Review, Emptywheel, JOSHUAPUNDIT and Indecision Forever

New York Times:

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.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Runnin' Scared, TPMMuckraker, Poliglot, The Volokh Conspiracy, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Outside the Beltway and White House Dossier

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breaking: Obama to abandon DOMA defense

Discussion: National Review, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Breitbart.tv and theblogprof

Pete Yost / Associated Press:
Gov't drops defense of anti-gay marriage law

Discussion: Box Turtle Bulletin, Maryland Politics and Little Green Footballs

The United States Department of Justice:
Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, National Review, The Foundry, JONATHAN TURLEY, Balkinization, Box Turtle Bulletin and Runnin' Scared

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Boehner Spox: It's Not The Appropriate Time To Nix DOMA Defense

Discussion: TPMMuckraker and Wonk Room

The Volokh Conspiracy:
DOMA and the Individual Mandate

Discussion: msnbc.com and protein wisdom

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, The Moderate Voice and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Sam Stein / Reuters:
Gov. Walker Informed That Bill Targeting Unions May Cost State $46 Million In Federal Funds

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Outside the Beltway, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG and Daily Kos

Tim Fernholz / NationalJournal.com:
Bait and Switch? — Walker's budget plans don't fix what he says is the crisis.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Firedoglake, The Plum Line, TPMDC, Wonk Room, Saint Petersblog, The Atlantic Online, The Raw Story and Yglesias

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 …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, IN.gov, msnbc.com, Wonkette, Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, Weigel, Outside the Beltway, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TPMDC, Salon, The Raw Story, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG and Gawker

WLFI-TV:
Deputy AG loses job after tweet drama

Discussion: TPMDC

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: theblogprof, Washington Monthly, Ben Smith's Blog, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, USA Today and The Daily Caller

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Indiana kills ‘right-to-work’ bill

Discussion: The American Independent and Politics

Lesley Stedman Weidenbener / Courier-Journal:
Indiana Senate won't resurrect right-to-work bill

Discussion: National Review, GOP 12, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Taegan Goddard's …

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

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: The Hill, Cubachi and FrumForum

Sarah Babbage / American Prospect:
Government Shutdown? Don't Count on It

Discussion: Swampland and Taegan Goddard's …

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog Gay:
After focusing on abortion, rather than jobs, Boehner criticizes Obama for focusing on marriage, rather than jobs

Discussion: Pam's House Blend and The Plum Line

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, Breitbart.tv and The Jawa Report

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

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%) …

Discussion: GOP 12, Politics Daily, The Hill, CNN and Mediaite

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.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

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: AOL News, HazZzMat, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Greenroom, JONATHAN TURLEY, msnbc.com and Sweetness & Light

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, New York Times, Common Sense Political Thought and The BLT

Sarah Palin / Facebook:

Iron Dogs Roarin' — It's no secret I'm cheering for Team #11 in this year's Iron Dog race! Todd and his racing partner Eric Quam are doing very well and helping lead the pack as they'll soon be near the 1000-mile half-way point in Nome. They've been breaking trail through three feet of new snow!

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Daily Dish, Big Government, Wonkette and AOL News

Patrick Hynes / New Hampshire Journal:

Dem Rep to unions: Time to get ‘bloody’ — A Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts is raising the stakes in the nation's fight over the future of public employee unions, saying emails aren't enough to show support and that it is time to “get a little bloody.”