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Pandemonium! Dems Jam Republicans With Even More Conservative Budget — What was supposed to be a routine vote in the House — to knock down an amendment authored by conservative Republicans — turned into pandemonium on the House floor Friday, as Democrats tried to jam the plan through, and hang it around the GOP's necks.
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Obama: GOP tried to “sneak” agenda into budget — In what he thought was a private chat with campaign donors Thursday evening, President Obama offered the most revealing behind-the-scenes account to date of his budget negotiations with GOP leaders last week.
Discussion:
Political Punch, New York Times, Washington Post, The New Republic, Don Surber, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Hill, Swampland, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, MyDD, JammieWearingFool, Pajamas Media, The Lonely Conservative, The Raw Story, The Caucus, Weasel Zippers, Washington Wire, The Moderate Voice, TPMDC, Lynn Sweet, The Impolitic, Moe Lane and FrumForum

Drama erupts on House floor as conservative budget goes down — House lawmakers defeated a proposal by conservative Republicans to make deeper cuts to spending and tax rates than those proposed in the Republican budget, but only after last-minute maneuvering by Democrats on the House floor.

Obama signs bill to keep government open, but protects ‘czars’ — President Obama signed into law on Friday the hard-fought legislation to fund government and keep it running through the end of September. — The president signed the legislation he negotiated last week with House Speaker John Boehner …
Discussion:
The Politico and Weasel Zippers

Obama Uncensored: President Caught on Open Mic at Fundraiser — President Obama had a candid, private conversation with campaign donors last night in Chicago. — Except, as it turns out, it wasn't so private. The microphone in the room that was on for the part of his remarks that reporters …
Discussion:
Fox News, Mediaite, The Immoral Minority, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Wonkette


Political Circus: Barney Frank in Playboy
Discussion:
Washington Post and Mediaite

Boehner responds to Obama's ‘hot mic’ jab
Discussion:
Yahoo! News and Taylor Marsh

How Democrats Railroaded Republicans Into Almost Passing A Budget Too Conservative For Them
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Daily Kos

Chaos on House floor as Democrats try to unsettle GOP budget
Discussion:
TPMDC

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — GOP and Tea Party deserve kudos …
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Note, National Review and AmSpecBlog


Ballots are now totaled: Prosser wins by 7,316 — By Mike Johnson and Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel — State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser emerged as the winner Friday over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in an election that drew national attention because of the fight …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Daily Kos, Scared Monkeys, Weigel, Althouse and National Review
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Canvass shows conservative wins Wis. court race — MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A conservative justice has weathered attempts to link him to Wisconsin's governor and a divisive union rights law to win re-election, according to county vote totals finalized Friday. — Tallies from each …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Cubachi and Liberty Pundits Blog

Game Over - Kloppenburg Loses to Prosser (and Truman)(and Palin)

Ultimate Spoiler Alert — President Obama and Paul Ryan are two of the smartest, most admirable and most genial men in Washington. It is sad, although not strange, that in today's Washington they have never had a serious private conversation. The president has never invited Ryan over even for lunch.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, CEPR, Yglesias, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Washington Post, TalkLeft, National Review, The New Republic, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice, The Politico and Shakesville
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Who's Serious Now? — Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, sounds upset. And you can see why: President Obama, to the great relief of progressives, has called his bluff. — Last week, Mr. Ryan unveiled his budget proposal, and the initial reaction of much of the punditocracy …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Daily Kos, neo-neocon, NewsBusters.org, Connecting.the.Dots, Prairie Weather, The Mahablog and Outside the Beltway


Will Anyone Even Insure Seniors if Paul Ryan's Medicare Plan Passes?
Discussion:
Hot Air, Yglesias, Talking Points Memo, FrumForum and The Daily Dish

Ellison Stumps Republican On House Floor By Asking Him When Paul Ryan's Plan Would Balance The Budget
Discussion:
News Hounds, Daily Kos and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

The grand compromise
Discussion:
Sadly, No!, Don Surber, Betsy's Page and Bloomberg

Trump takes the lead — Only 38% of Republican primary voters say they're willing to support a candidate for President next year who firmly rejects the birther theory and those folks want Mitt Romney to be their nominee for President next year. With the other 62% of Republicans- 23% of whom …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Crooks and Liars, Doug Ross, MyDD, Harry's Place, Wake up America, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Hot Air, GOP 12, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Balloon Juice, Left Coast Rebel, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wonkette, Taegan Goddard's …, Taylor Marsh, Ballot Box, Weigel, American Times and George's Bottom Line
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Republicans will make US ‘Third World’ nation: Obama
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Ironic Surrealism and Vox Popoli

Foolish poll finding of the day
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Wake up America


Atlas Shrugged — I feel like my arm is all warmed up and I don't have a game to pitch. I was primed to review “Atlas Shrugged.” I figured it might provide a parable of Ayn Rand's philosophy that I could discuss. For me, that philosophy reduces itself to: “I'm on board; pull up the lifeline.”
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Atlas Winced — Ayn Rand's work has been described as …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway


G.O.P.-Led House Votes to Cut Trillions Over 10 Years — WASHINGTON — House Republicans forced through a partisan budget blueprint on Friday that, if enacted into law, would pare federal spending by an estimated $5.8 trillion over the next decade while reshaping Medicare, a proposal certain to instigate a fierce clash with Democrats.
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BREAKING: House Republicans Overwhelmingly Vote To Phase Out Medicare
Discussion:
Sky Dancing and Alan Colmes' Liberaland


Three largest online poker sites indicted and shut down by FBI — The founders of the three largest online poker sites were indicted on Friday in what could serve as a death blow to a thriving industry. — Eleven executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and a number …
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FBI shuts down poker sites in major online gambling crackdown
Discussion:
FrumForum

Jon Huntsman's love letters — Jon Huntsman, President Obama's outgoing ambassador to China, is considering running against his boss in 2012 as a Republican. — But two handwritten letters from Huntsman obtained by The Daily Caller raise the question of why he's not campaigning for Obama instead.
Discussion:
Washington Wire, The Caucus, CNN, Hot Air, TPMDC, GOP 12, Ben Smith's Blog and msnbc.com

Obama Job Approval at 41%, Tying His Low — Independents' approval rating down to 35% — PRINCETON, NJ - The latest Gallup Daily tracking three-day average shows 41% of Americans approving of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. That ties his low as president …
Discussion:
The Hill, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The Atlantic Online, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Pajamas Media, theblogprof and JammieWearingFool


Security griping a red flag for TSA — Washington (CNN) — Don't like the way airport screeners are doing their job? You might not want to complain too much while standing in line. — Arrogant complaining about airport security is one indicator Transportation Security Administration officers consider …
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared, AMERICAblog News, The Consumerist, Shakesville, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Gothamist, Pajamas Media and Ron Paul 2012


Qaddafi Troops Fire Cluster Bombs Into Civilian Areas — MISURATA, Libya — Military forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, who have surrounded this city and vowed to crush its anti-Qaddafi rebellion, have been firing into residential neighborhoods with heavy weapons …
Discussion:
Truthdig and Informed Comment
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Libya's Pathway to Peace
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BBC, News Desk, Firedoglake, Danger Room, The Hill, CNN, Hot Air, The Washington Note, ABCNEWS, Mudville Gazette, Weasel Zippers, Sister Toldjah, Eunomia, JONATHAN TURLEY, New Atlanticist, Newshoggers.com, Aljazeera, The Daily Dish, AmSpecBlog, Wonkette, Questions and Observations, normblog and Reuters

President Obama Issues “Signing Statement” Indicating He Won't Abide by Provision in Budget Bill — In a statement issued Friday night, President Obama took issue with some provisions in the budget bill - and in one case simply says he will not abide by it.
Discussion:
protein wisdom and Hot Air


This Lady Liberty Is a Las Vegas Teenager — As if further proof were needed that New York is not the center of the universe. — The United States Postal Service has issued a new stamp featuring the Statue of Liberty. Only the statue it features is not the one in the harbor …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Chatter, The Consumerist, Gothamist, AOL News, Boing Boing, TPM LiveWire, Reuters, nancynall.com and National Review