memeorandum: Top Six Revelations in the Call Between Fake David Koch and Governor Scott Walker (The Huffington Post)

3:45 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.

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Hullabaloo, New York Times, National Review, Donklephant, Obsidian Wings, BuzzFlash.org, Plunderbund, msnbc.com, Joe. My. God., Taylor Marsh, The Politico, Pam's House Blend, Guardian, Mock, Paper, Scissors and FrumForum

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: Crooks and Liars, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Althouse and The Maddow Blog

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

Sam Stein / Reuters:

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

David Weigel / Slate:

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, The Hill, Associated Press and AmSpecBlog

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: JSOnline, The Blaze, campaignmoney.org, Verum Serum, msnbc.com 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: Ben Smith's Blog, Salon, WFRV-TV and Whiskey Fire

David Dayen / Firedoglake: Wisconsin Governor Walker Punked by Fake Koch Call

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

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

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
WI Gov. Duped by Impostor Reporter

Discussion: The Note, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Prairie Weather and American Power

Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Public unions force taxpayers to fund Democrats

Discussion: Big Government, Pajamas Media, Cold Fury, The Gateway Pundit, Coffee & Markets, Betsy's Page and theblogprof

Jason Linkins / The Huffington Post:
Scott Walker Gets Punked By Journalist Pretending To Be David Koch

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice

Judith Davidoff / host.madison.com:
Koch brothers quietly open lobbying office in downtown Madison

Discussion: AOL News, Weigel, The Awl, Sky Dancing, Guardian, Sunlight Foundation Blog and Minneapolis Star Tribune

Steven Pearlstein / Washington Post:
Making sense of Wisconsin's union showdown

Discussion: Balkinization and Firedoglake

Edward Morrissey / The Week Magazine:
The real threat to democracy in Wisconsin

Discussion: theblogprof, Daily Kos, Left Coast Rebel and NewsBusters.org

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: JOSHUAPUNDIT, National Review, The Daily Dish, Indecision Forever and Gawker

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Obama Orders End to Defense of Federal Gay Marriage Law

Discussion: The United States Department …, Poliglot, Runnin' Scared, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway, White House Dossier and Above the Law

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

Discussion: National Review

Sam Youngman / The Hill: In reversal, Obama orders Justice to stand down on gay marriage

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

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Maryland Politics and The Page

The Volokh Conspiracy:
DOMA and the Individual Mandate

Discussion: msnbc.com, protein wisdom and PointOfLaw Forum

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Department of Justice won't defend law defining marriage

Discussion: FrumForum

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

Discussion: Wonk Room

Ryan J. Reilly / TPMMuckraker:
Obama, DOJ Say Part Of DOMA Is Unconstitutional, Will Not Defend It In Court

Discussion: TPMDC and Guardian

Jonathan Capehart / PostPartisan:
Breaking News: Obama action against DOMA coming

Discussion: Pam's House Blend

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: Little Green Footballs, msnbc.com, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Weigel, TPMDC, The Raw Story, Mother Jones, New York Magazine and Shakesville

George Zornick / ThinkProgress:
Indiana Official On Wisconsin Protestors: ‘Use Live Ammunition’

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Daily Dish

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WHEN THE RIGHT'S RHETORIC TURNS VIOLENT.... In the wake …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Jay Bookman: A call for armed counterprotesters to Atlanta labor rally

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

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.”

Discussion: Hot Air, The Other McCain, protein wisdom, Pundit & Pundette, Shot in the Dark, theblogprof, The Daily Caller and Confederate Yankee

Peter Ingemi / Examiner:
Anger and loathing in Boston

Discussion: Da Techguy's Blog and The Other McCain

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Democrat urges unions to ‘get a little bloody when necessary’

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The Jawa Report, RedState, Mediaite and Atlas Shrugs

Matt Murphy / Dorchester Reporter: Congressmen stir up union rally on Beacon Hill

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

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

Discussion: Courier-Journal, The American Independent and Politics

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

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: The Moderate Voice, Balloon Juice, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, US News and Talking Points Memo

Scott Walker / PolitiFact:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he campaigned on his budget repair plan, including curtailing collective bargaining

Discussion: Reuters, Outside the Beltway, BizTimes Daily, Firedoglake, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Daily Dish and JSOnline

Linda Borg / Providence Journal:

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, msnbc.com, HazZzMat, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Greenroom, JONATHAN TURLEY, Sweetness & Light and Wake up America

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: New York Times, Patterico's Pontifications, Questions and Observations, The BLT, Common Sense Political Thought and The Other McCain

Ezra Klein:
Another judge rules the individual mandate constitutional

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Frank Newport / Gallup:

D.C., Hawaii Still Most Approving of Obama; All States Decline — Approval is higher than average in 12 states plus D.C., lower than average in 18 states — PRINCETON, NJ — Residents of Hawaii gave native son President Barack Obama the highest average 2010 job approval rating (66%) …