Top Items:
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Do over? — We'll have our full poll on the Wisconsin conflict out tomorrow but here's the most interesting finding: if voters in the state could do it over today they'd support defeated Democratic nominee Tom Barrett over Scott Walker by a a 52-45 margin. — The difference between how folks …
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David Bailey / Reuters:
Wisconsin's Walker to absent Democrats: 24 hours to return — (Reuters) - Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker said on Monday that absent senate Democrats have 24 hours to return and vote on a measure to reduce the power of public sector unions or the state will miss out on opportunity to refinance its debt.
Discussion:
AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Cubachi, The Gateway Pundit, AlterNet, Liberty Pundits Blog, Joanne Jacobs, Moe Lane and HotAirPundit
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Wisconsin Do Over? — A new Public Policy Polling survey finds …
Wisconsin Do Over? — A new Public Policy Polling survey finds …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival and Balloon Juice
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
GOP spending plan would cost 700,000 jobs, new report says — A Republican plan to sharply cut federal spending this year would destroy 700,000 jobs through 2012, according to an independent economic analysis set for release Monday. — The report, by Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi …
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Pat Garofalo / Wonk Room:
Gov. Daniels Says Governments Should Slash Spending ‘Even If They End Up Seriously Costing A Lot Of Jobs’ — When asked earlier this month about the job loss that would occur if the continuing resolution passed by House Republicans were actually implemented, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) replied “so be it.”
Discussion:
NPR, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, The Mahablog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and First Draft
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Pelosi splits with Reid, dismisses GOP plan to avoid a shutdown
Pelosi splits with Reid, dismisses GOP plan to avoid a shutdown
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, Weigel, National Review, Hot Air and Questions and Observations
Fhardingj / CNN:
House Republican Leaders Vow to Defend Defense of Marriage Act
House Republican Leaders Vow to Defend Defense of Marriage Act
Discussion:
The Politico
John B. Taylor / Economics One:
Goldman Sachs Wrong About Impact of House Budget Proposal
Goldman Sachs Wrong About Impact of House Budget Proposal
Discussion:
2chambers, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Weigel and National Review
New York Times:
Obama Backs Easing State Health Law Mandates — WASHINGTON — Seeking to appease disgruntled governors, President Obama announced Monday that he supported amending the 2010 health care law to allow states to opt out of its most burdensome requirements three years earlier than currently permitted.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Ezra Klein, The White House, Firedoglake, The Foundry, The Politico, White House.gov Blog, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, Mother Jones, The Incidental Economist, Wonk Room, The Apothecary, CNN, Swampland, JammieWearingFool, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, msnbc.com and Pajamas Media
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The Hill:
Obama backtracks on health mandate, wants opt-out from start
Obama backtracks on health mandate, wants opt-out from start
Discussion:
Associated Press, Hot Air and FrumForum
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Obama gives props to Romney on health care
Obama gives props to Romney on health care
Discussion:
The Note, Cubachi, The Hill, Boston Globe, Flopping Aces, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Liberty Pundits Blog, GOP 12, Weasel Zippers and FrumForum
Fhardingj / CNN:
GOP governors remain skeptical after Obama meeting
GOP governors remain skeptical after Obama meeting
Discussion:
The Politico, Mother Jones, FrumForum and Ben Smith's Blog
First Read / msnbc.com:
Obama whacks Romney on health care — again
Obama whacks Romney on health care — again
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Daily Caller
New York Times:
Majority in Poll Back Employees In Public Unions — As labor battles erupt in state capitals around the nation, a majority of Americans say they oppose efforts to weaken the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions and are also against cutting the pay or benefits of public workers …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Taegan Goddard's …, Daily Kos, AlterNet, The Political Carnival, The Caucus and Pajamas Media
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Robert Barro / Wall Street Journal:
Unions vs. the Right to Work — Collective bargaining on a broad scale is more similar to an antitrust violation than to a civil liberty. — How ironic that Wisconsin has become ground zero for the battle between taxpayers and public- employee labor unions.
Charlie Sykes / 620wtmj.com:
GORDON HINTZ: “YOU ARE F'N DEAD!” — Last week, we heard thatState Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) had been busted in a prostitution sting. … Last Friday.... after the Assembly voted to engross the Budget Repair Bill, Hintz turned to a female colleague, Rep. Michelle Litjens and said: “You are F***king dead!”
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ABCNEWS:
‘My People Love Me’: Moammar Gadhafi Denies Demonstrations Against Him Anywhere in Libya — U.S. Exclusive: Christiane Amanpour Sits Down for an Interview With Libya's Embattled Leader — REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK BY CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR — I interviewed Col. Moammar Gadhafi this evening …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Political Punch, Hot Air, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, The Hill, AOL News, Salon, FrumForum, Wilshire & Washington, Wall Street Journal and Gawker
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USU Statesman:
Sen. Hatch says USU receives most federal dollars per capita — Young people will face a bleak future without Social Security benefits if Democrats continue to “overreach” their constitutional boundaries, said U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Friday, in the Education Building.
Discussion:
TPMDC, The Raw Story, msnbc.com and New York Magazine
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Hatch: Health law a ‘dumbass’ program
Hatch: Health law a ‘dumbass’ program
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Political Carnival, Weasel Zippers and FrumForum
Kolbermann / FOK News Channel:
New York Times Punk'd By Anti-Union Plant (Updated) — Few news stories better spoke to the destruction of union solidarity and the realization that even those public employees collectively bargaining in Wisconsin were going to have to give something back, than the New York Times' piece …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Political Carnival, Daily Kos and Grasping Reality …
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Digby / Hullabaloo:
The Paris Hilton Of Newspapers Sees What He Expects To See
The Paris Hilton Of Newspapers Sees What He Expects To See
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh and Vanity Fair
Daily Mail:
Christian couple lose High Court battle to foster children because they are against homosexuality — A Christian couple morally opposed to homosexuality today lost a High Court battle over the right to become foster carers. — Eunice and Owen Johns, aged 62 and 65, from Oakwood, Derby …
Discussion:
JOSHUAPUNDIT, Right Wing News, Pharyngula and Vox Popoli
Alexis Madrigal / The Atlantic Online:
Revealing the Man Behind @MayorEmanuel — It was the best fake Twitter account ever, deftly satirizing Rahm Emanuel, and elevating the Tweet and the f-word to the level of literature. But the mystery writer was never revealed - until now. — There were many storylines in Rahm Emanuel's romp …
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Wisconsin Capitol Building Still Closed; Other Madison Shenanigans Reported — Protestors outside the Wisconsin statehouse. (photo: signejb) — A bit more on the fast-moving story in the Capitol Building in Madison, Wisconsin: — • Clearly Scott Walker and the Capitol police …
Discussion:
JSOnline, The Political Carnival, AlterNet, oily donuts and The Hill
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Newsweek:
Do We Still Need Unions? Yes — Why they're Worth Fighting For. — Bettmann-Corbis — April 1, 1953, Employees of R.H. Macy stage a demonstration outside the store before their contract — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's effort two weeks ago to end collective bargaining for public employees …
Discussion:
American Power, Democracy in America, The Democratic Daily and The New Editor
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Hendrik Hertzberg / New Yorker:
UNION BLUES — “Fifteen million Americans bring you Edward P. Morgan and the news.”
UNION BLUES — “Fifteen million Americans bring you Edward P. Morgan and the news.”
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Weigel and News Desk
San Francisco Chronicle:
Low-flow toilets cause a stink in SF — San Francisco's big push for low-flow toilets has turned into a multimillion-dollar plumbing stink. — Skimping on toilet water has resulted in more sludge backing up inside the sewer pipes, said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the city Public Utilities Commission.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media and Pirate's Cove
Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:
In Wisconsin, Flinging Blame and Citing Deadlines — MADISON, Wis. — Time may or may not be running out to make some crucial decisions in the Wisconsin fight over labor unions and budgets. But the blame game is definitely coming to a boil. — In his two-week-long standoff with Democrats …
Chris Good / The Atlantic Online:
Obama to Governors: Don't Vilify Public Workers — Addressing governors from around the country at the White House this morning, President Obama dedicated a moment of his speech to warning them not to vilify public workers. — “I believe that everybody should be prepared to give up something …
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
GOP reality check: Obama looking tougher to beat in 2012
GOP reality check: Obama looking tougher to beat in 2012
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Jay Bookman
Paul Duggan / Washington Post:
Last U.S. World War I veteran Frank W. Buckles dies at 110 — Frank W. Buckles died early Sunday, sadly yet not unexpectedly at age 110, having achieved a singular feat of longevity that left him proud and a bit bemused. — In 1917 and 1918, close to 5 million Americans served in World War I …
Steve Knopper / Rolling Stone:
Mariah, Beyoncé, Usher Face Calls to Donate Qaddafi Money to Charity — ‘Not every artist is a humanitarian. In more cases than not, for people, greed rules’ — By — Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Usher and 50 Cent are facing industry calls to give back the money they earned performing …
Discussion:
PopEater, Salon, Outside the Beltway, AOL News and Babylon & Beyond
Mother Jones:
Revealed: The Group Behind the Bills that Could Legalize Killing Abortion Providers — It's no coincidence that bills to expand justifiable homicide laws have popped up in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Meet the group that launched the effort. — Post Comment — First, it was South Dakota.
Discussion:
LifeNews.com, Da Techguy's Blog, The Other McCain, Pajamas Media, Hullabaloo and AmSpecBlog