memeorandum: Obama's solution to deficit: spending, ObamaCare, and tax hikes (Ed Morrissey/Hot Air)

9:25 PM ET, April 13, 2011

Top Items:

The Budget Speech — Style: I liked the way Obama made a case for government at the beginning. I liked the way he accused Republicans of pessimism, of abandoning a hopeful vision of America. Good that he went after the Ryan plan — and good that he went after the cruelty of that plan.

Discussion: Firedoglake, That Mr. G Guy's Blog, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Fox News, National Review, The only adult in the room, Taylor Marsh, Booman Tribune, Economist's View, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Dish and Gawker

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

Do-Nothing Congress as a Cure — A trick question: If Congress takes no action in coming years, what will happen to the budget deficit? — It will shrink — and shrink a lot. This simple fact may offer the best hope for deficit reduction. — As federal law currently stands …

cbpp.org:

Statement: Robert Greenstein, President, on President Obama's Deficit-Reduction Plan — President Obama made an important contribution today to efforts to address the nation's long-term fiscal problems, proposing a plan to reduce deficits by about $4 trillion over the next 12 years and meet …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, American Times, Paul Krugman and AMERICAblog News

Clive Crook / The Atlantic Online:

Obama's Speech Was a Waste of Breath — Obama had a difficult assignment in this speech, partly because of the exaggerated hopes for it (see previous post). Even allowing for that, it was weak both politically and substantively. My instant unguarded reaction, in fact, was to find it not just weak but pitiful.

Discussion: Viking Pundit

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Obama's “bad negotiating” is actually shrewd negotiating — (updated below) — In December, President Obama signed legislation to extend hundreds of billions of dollars in Bush tax cuts, benefiting the wealthiest Americans. Last week, Obama agreed to billions of dollars in cuts …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, TalkLeft, Hullabaloo, Corrente, Washington Post and Paul Krugman

Annie Lowrey / Slate:

How Congress can balance the budget in eight years by literally doing nothing. This is not a joke. — The Simpson-Bowles blue-ribbon deficit commission longs to slash Social Security and defense spending. The Bipartisan Policy Center's Alice Rivlin and Peter Domenici yearn for a value-added tax.

Discussion: Yglesias, Derek Wallbank, Capital Gains and Games blogs, The Atlantic Online and The New Republic

Washington Wire:

Text of Obama Speech on the Deficit — Here is the prepared text of President Barack Obama's speech on the deficit, as released by the White House: — Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery — The Country We Believe In — The George Washington University — Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Liberty Pundits Blog, Conservatives4Palin, The Lonely Conservative, LewRockwell.com Blog, Jack & Jill Politics, The Blaze and Balloon Juice

New York Times:

Obama's Speech on Reducing the Budget (Text) — Following is a prepared text of President Obama's debt-reduction speech, to be delivered on Wednesday at The George Washington University, as released by the White House: — Good afternoon. It's great to be back at GW.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, A plain blog about politics, The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly, The Caucus, Corrente, Wonk Room and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Obama's solution to deficit: spending, ObamaCare, and tax hikes

Discussion: Doug Ross, Swampland and Michelle Malkin

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Paul Ryan rips Obama's speech: “Rather than building bridges, he's poisoning wells”

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, CNN and TPMDC

George Washington / The White House:
Remarks by the President on Fiscal Policy

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, White House.gov Blog and SEIU

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE PRESIDENT'S ROUSING REJECTION OF REPUBLICAN RADICALISM. …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and No More Mister Nice Blog

Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Paul Ryan Is Very Disappointed With The President: ‘Demagoguery Not Solutions’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

NationalJournal.com:
Text of Obama's Speech: 'I'm Proposing a More Balanced Approach'

Discussion: Democracy in America and The Lonely Conservative

Associated Press:

CBO: Budget deal cuts this fiscal year's deficit by just $353 million, not $38 billion touted — WASHINGTON — A new budget estimate released Wednesday shows that the spending bill negotiated between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner would produce less than 1 percent …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Politico, National Review, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Sundries Shack, Erick's blog, protein wisdom, Fox Nation, Wonk Room, Daily Kos, Riehl World View, Fox News, Weigel, Conservatives4Palin and Hit & Run

David Rogers / The Politico:

John Boehner: 'I'll get there on budget' — Speaker John Boehner brings his White House budget deal to a floor vote Thursday, predicting success but still battling worrisome new cost estimates and awkward relations with President Barack Obama, who chose to deliver a partisan-tinged deficit-reduction address on the eve of the debate.

Ben White / The Politico:
Wall Street executives warn John Boehner on debt limit

Discussion: Weigel, Washington Monthly, Swampland, Crooks and Liars, Economix, Riehl World View, The Other McCain, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos and Taylor Marsh

Washington Post:
Obama unveils framework for cutting deficit by $4 trillion over 12 years

Discussion: Bloomberg, Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Note, Jamie Dupree Washington …, Associated Press and The Moderate Voice

Erik Wasson / The Hill:
Boehner sees ‘hollow targets’ in speech; Ryan calls it ‘hopelessly inadequate’

Discussion: Cubachi and Liberty Pundits Blog

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Pawlenty urges lawmakers to reject 2011 budget deal

Discussion: UPI, Hot Air, Erick's blog, The Hill and Washington Post

The Note:

Asleep on the Job: What Was Vice President Joe Biden Doing During Obama's Debt Speech? — ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports: — Vice President Biden chose an inopportune time for either a nap or some deep reflection today. — As President Obama weighed in on one of the most important issues of the day …

Discussion: JOSHUAPUNDIT, Top of the Ticket, That's What She Said, Guardian, Sister Toldjah, The Lonely Conservative and Riehl World View

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Did Obama Put Biden to Sleep?

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Lauraklairmont / CNN:

LensCrafters v. Bachmann — Washington (CNN) - The optics don't look great for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann. That is, if you're talking about her relationship with LensCrafters, the one-stop shop of eye care and eyewear. — The possible GOP presidential candidate supported her belief …

Discussion: TPMDC

Emily Heil / Roll Call:
Heard on the Hill: Eye Spy a Bachmann Controversy

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and RH Reality Check

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

GOP senators: Raise retirement age to 70 — Three Republican senators on Wednesday will propose a Social Security reform package that would raise the retirement age to 70 and cut benefits for the wealthy. — Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Lee (Utah) …

Discussion: Cubachi, The Hill, CNN, Hot Air, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and Liberty Pundits Blog

Damian Paletta / Washington Wire:
Alan Simpson: ‘Pray for Gang of Six’

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Swampland

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Obama speech to focus on four steps for fiscal reform

Discussion: Reuters, CNN, The Politico, The Hill, Hullabaloo, Sky Dancing, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, ABCNEWS, Political Punch, George's Bottom Line and AMERICAblog News

Blogger Bob / The TSA Blog:

Screening of 6 Year-Old at MSY — ***Update 4-13-2011 7:07 PM*** Welcome Drudge readers and anyone else who's new to the TSA Blog. Seeing that many of you have never been here before, I wanted to provide links to a couple of posts we've written on pat-downs. They will give you a better idea of why pat-downs are used and when.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Andrew Springer / ABCNEWS:
Parents of 6-Year-Old Girl Pat Down at Airport Want Procedures Changed

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, Hit & Run and Weasel Zippers

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Graham vows to bring Senate to standstill over $40K for project — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has vowed to bring the Senate to a standstill unless congressional leaders agree to allocate $40,000 for a federal study on deepening the Port of Charleston. — Graham says one out of five jobs …

Discussion: MyDD and InvestmentWatch

Susan Crabtree / TPMDC:
Graham Vows To ‘Tie Senate In Knots’ Over $50K Left Out Of Budget Deal

Discussion: Business Week, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway and Talking Points Memo

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:

Throw Grandma From the Train — President Obama at the GOP House retreat, January 2010: — “We're not going to be able to do anything about any of these entitlements if what we do is characterize whatever proposals are put out there as, 'Well, you know, that's — the other party's being irresponsible.

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air, National Review, RedState and YID With LID

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

Obama, to Curb Deficit, Urges Cuts and More Taxes on Rich — WASHINGTON — President Obama called for cutting the nation's combined budget deficit by $4 trillion over the next 12 years on Wednesday, countering Republican budget plans with what he said was a more balanced approach that relies …

Discussion: The Politico, Firedoglake, The Daily Dish, Swampland, Outside the Beltway, MyDD, Daily Kos and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Caroline May / The Daily Caller:

White House protects abortion provider, allows cuts to community health centers — The American Principles Project (APP) Wednesday criticized the Obama administration for allowing the elimination of $600 million for Community Health Centers while protecting funding for Planned Parenthood …

Discussion: RH Reality Check and Weasel Zippers

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:

Dem Rep Mocks Tea Party Colleagues With Red Neck Southern Accent — “Everything to them is unconstitutional.” — Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) appeared on the nationally syndicated Stephanie Miller Show to discuss how it is working with her new, Tea Party colleagues in the House.

Discussion: theblogprof and The Blast

The Politico:

COLBERT KEEPS TWITTER HEAT ON KYL — Sen. Jon Kyl's claim that “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does” is abortion-related is getting a continued skewering from political comedians. — Comedy Central late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have since Monday laid …

Discussion: Big Hollywood, MyDD, Jezebel and TPM LiveWire

The Daily Beast:

Sidney Harman 1918-2011 — Sidney Harman died last night of complications from acute myeloid leukemia at the young age of almost 93. He first learned of his illness one month ago and remained vigorously engaged as Executive Chairman of Newsweek, and Chairman of the Academy for Polymathic Study …