Top Items:


Who Really Wants a Shutdown? — President Obama does, but the GOP's strategy is a lot less clear. — For people who keep saying they don't want a government shutdown, Washington's warring parties are sure acting like they can't wait for it to happen. Since the policy stakes …
Discussion:
The Caucus, The Atlantic Online, Betsy's Page, Don Surber and BizzyBlog
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Biden gets fed up during spending talks — Vice President Joe Biden got visibly upset during late night White House talks on avoiding a government shutdown. — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Friday morning that Biden doesn't get upset very often …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, NationalJournal.com and The Politico


Three Anti-Abortion Republicans Tell House GOP To Drop Planned Parenthood Rider To Avoid Shutdown — If Congress fails to reach a budget deal, the government will shut down at midnight tonight — an event that would hinder economic recovery and withhold payment to soldiers.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Guardian, PERRspectives, The Nation, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, Daily Kos and NationalJournal.com


Rep. Louise Slaughter: GOP Freshmen Came to Washington ‘To Kill Women’ — (CNSNews.com) - Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said today that the new Republicans elected to the House of Representatives last November came to Congress “to kill women.” She also likened Republican efforts …
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah, Moonbattery, LifeNews.com, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Lonely Conservative, Verum Serum, Raw Replay and Pirate's Cove


White House hopes last-minute heroics keep government running — Republicans have hit President Barack Obama for being out of touch, disengaged and unwilling to lead on the budget negotiations — and Democrats aren't wild about his taste for last-minute heroics either.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Hot Air, Guardian, The Monkey Cage and TPMDC


No Accord in Budget Talks as Policy Fights Hamper Deal — WASHINGTON — Another day of intense negotiations between the two parties failed to yield a budget deal on Thursday, leaving the federal government hours from a shutdown. — After the third round of White House talks in 24 hours …
Discussion:
The Caucus, Firedoglake, The Hill, Virginian-Pilot, TPMDC, The Politico, Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, The Hill, The New Republic, Swampland, Washington Post and The Page

GOP senator: Republicans should move on from defunding Planned Parenthood — Republicans should “move on” from insisting on defunding Planned Parenthood in a 2011 spending bill, a Republican senator said Friday. — With less than 24 hours to go until a shutdown, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Firedoglake, TPMDC, Washington Monthly, NewsBusters.org blogs and National Review


Both parties continue talks over elusive 2011 budget deal — Gallery: Government shutdown: Democrats and Republicans have so far failed to reach an agreement on the 2011 federal budget, increasing the likelihood of the first government shutdown in more than 15 years.

Bachmann wants ‘clean’ bill to fund government for one week — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) expressed support for a one-week government funding bill approved by the House, but suggested it should be stripped of language dealing with abortion. — In an interview with CNN's John King on Thursday night …
Discussion:
Swampland, National Review and The Blaze

Sen. Schumer: Public Will Blame Boehner for Shutdown — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: — There may or may not be a government shutdown at midnight tonight, but some Democrats already know who they'll blame. — On ABC's “Top Line” today, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. …
Discussion:
George's Bottom Line


Reid's Final Offer To GOP: Drop Planned Parenthood Rider Or Cause A Government Shutdown
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and Wonk Room

As Shutdown Nears, Both Parties Begin Casting Blame
Discussion:
Christianity Today, New York Magazine, The Politico, Wonkette and Daily Kos

Government shutdown: John Boehner brushes off budget deal talk
Discussion:
Pat Dollard

Sen. Coburn Says House Republicans Should Drop Contentious Riders
Discussion:
The Daily Dish and ThinkProgress

Breaking: Budget deal? Update: Not yet; Reid says Planned Parenthood higher priority than funding government

Abortion Returns to Center Stage
Discussion:
The Nation and The Awl

It May Be a ‘Budget Battle,’ but Some Skirmishes Have Little to Do With Money

Nancy Pelosi calls GOP budget ‘a war on women’
Discussion:
The Foundry, msnbc.com, CNN, USA Today and The Hill

As clock ticks, Hoyer says 'there's no deal yet' to avert shutdown
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, The Hill and AMERICAblog News

The Ryan Journey — For decades, academics and think tankers have been proposing plans to avert a fiscal catastrophe. The ensuing debates were always sedate, high-minded affairs. Now Republican political leaders have come up with a bold proposal of their own and the atmosphere is totally different.
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Ludicrous and Cruel — Many commentators swooned earlier this week after House Republicans, led by the Budget Committee chairman, Paul Ryan, unveiled their budget proposals. They lavished praise on Mr. Ryan, asserting that his plan set a new standard of fiscal seriousness.

Dissents Of The Day — The in-tray is still bulging with fury over Paul Ryan.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Incidental Economist

The People's Budget
Discussion:
American Times and The Atlantic Online

Why Prosser needed EXACTLY +7500 votes.... In WI, a recount at state-expense is triggered if an election is within .5% if the candidate requests it, and we have a fully verifiable paper trail to audit election results. That means in this election with approximately 740k for Kloppenburg and 739k for Prosser …
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High-profile lawyers retained for possible Supreme Court recount
Discussion:
TPMDC, Los Angeles Times and Hotline On Call


Hah... MoveOn.org Fundraises Off of Kloppenburg's “Victory”
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Blaze, MoveOn.Org, Nice Deb and JSOnline

Wisconsin Election Surprise: David Prosser Gains 7,500 Votes After ‘Human Error’ In Waukesha County (VIDEO)

Walker weighs in as Kloppenburg claims win (AUDIO)
Discussion:
Firedoglake

Justice Surges to Lead After Clerk Reports Vote Error
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, JSOnline, No More Mister Nice Blog and Law Blog

How Michele Bachmann Can Win — THE DAILY BEAST ON: — The Minnesota firebrand could parlay her Tea Party support, fundraising skills, and message discipline into a serious run for the White House. She has the fire in the belly, Mark McKinnon writes. — Though prone to gaffes …
Discussion:
GOP 12, NewsBusters.org blogs, Taegan Goddard's … and The Daily Beast
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Reagan Budget Guru: Shut It Down!
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Hit & Run, JSOnline, Wall Street Journal and The Hill


Christie takes a cheap shot at Springsteen — He can't help himself, our governor. In less than a year and a half, he's demonized more people than the Salem witch trials — if they had been run by Judge Judy: Democrats. Teachers. Superintendents. Public workers. State Supreme Court justices.
Discussion:
Eschaton

Brody File Exclusive: Donald Trump Explains Pro-Life Conversion — In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, Donald Trump explains why he changed his view from pro-choice to pro-life. — He says one of the main reasons was because one of his close personal friends chose to keep his child rather than have an abortion.
Discussion:
GOP 12, LifeNews.com and National Review


Video: The greatest press conference of all time — Schadenfreude. — Alternate headline via Mary Katharine Ham, ever mindful of developing media narratives: “Small, state-wide election with vital national implications soon to have no national implications whatsoever.”


Nearly Half Of Mississippi Republicans Think Interracial Marriage Should Be Illegal — Americans nationwide are evenly divided over the issue of same sex marriage. But Republicans in Mississippi are divided over a wholly different wedlock issue: interracial marriage.
Discussion:
RedState, Outside the Beltway, Pam's House Blend and The Reaction