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5:30 PM ET, April 18, 2011

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Middle-Class Tax Trap  —  “Let's tell the truth,” Walter Mondale said, accepting the Democratic nomination in 1984.  “Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you.  I just did.”  —  Three months later, Mondale lost 49 states, and liberal politicians learned a valuable lesson.
RELATED:
CEPR:
Douthat Makes It Up On Median Family Income  —  Ross Douthat struck another blow against fact-based arguments when he told readers that the median family of four has an income of $94,900.  Douthat warned that if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire in 24 years the median family would be paying …
Discussion: Eschaton
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
ABOUT THAT DOUTHAT COLUMN.... The New York Times' Ross Douthat, in a column about taxes, makes a claim today that's intended to be startling. … That sounds pretty dramatic, doesn't it?  It might even be an important observation if it were painting an accurate picture.
The Politico:
What's Donald Trump really after?  —  Despite an almost universal refusal by Republican establishment figures and the press to take him seriously, Donald Trump is taking very concrete steps toward forming - and announcing - a presidential campaign.  —  He has interviewed at least two people …
RELATED:
Rasmussen Reports:
Obama 49%, Trump 34%  —  President Obama leads Donald Trump by 15 percentage points in a hypothetical 2012 match-up, but the president is unable to top the 50% level of support even against an opponent some are deriding as a joke.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds …
RELATED:
The Hill:
Stocks plunge after S&P shifts rating on US debt to negative
Discussion: New York Times and FrumForum
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Let's Not Be Civil  —  Last week, President Obama offered a spirited defense of his party's values — in effect, of the legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society.  Immediately thereafter, as always happens when Democrats take a stand, the civility police came out in force.
RELATED:
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
It's Now Patriotic to Call Paul Krugman a !  @%$#%@ Hypocrite  —  For almost the entire two and one-half years I've been blogging I've had to put up with Paul Krugman accusing Republicans, conservatives and Tea Party supporters of inciting violence through heated rhetoric over policy differences, particularly Obamacare.
Jay Carney / White House.gov Blog:
President Obama and Vice President Biden's Tax Returns and Tax Receipts  —  Today, the President released his 2010 federal income and gift tax returns.  He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $1,728,096.
RELATED:
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama's 2010 return: $454K in federal taxes on $1.7M in income  —  President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama paid $453,770 in federal taxes on a gross income of more than $1.7 million in 2010, the White House said Monday.  —  The Obamas also paid $51,568 in state taxes to Illinois.
Discussion: CNN and FrumForum
Wall Street Journal:
Where the Tax Money Is  —  Obama targets the middle class while pretending to tax only the rich.  —  A dominant theme of President Obama's budget speech last Wednesday was that our fiscal problems would vanish if only the wealthiest Americans were asked “to pay a little more.”
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
How Nancy Pelosi Can Save The Day, And Regain Power, In Debt Ceiling Fight  —  Could House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) save the day in the fight over the debt limit, and in so doing return to a position of great influence on Capitol Hill?  Yes she could.  —  The House minority is the Siberia of Congress.
Discussion: Yglesias
RELATED:
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Boehner asks Pelosi to join him in cutting funds from the DoJ to defend DOMA
Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and Daily Kos
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Dem lawmaker warns GOP on debt-ceiling ploys
Discussion: The Politico, The Hill and The Note
Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
TheDC Exclusive: Conservatives hit Beck for taking content without attribution  —  A number of conservative activists and bloggers say they're furious at media magnate Glenn Beck for what they call content theft.  Over the past several years, Beck has relied on video, audio and written content …
Christian Heinze / GOP 12:
Trump: Rove “devastated” by Romney's performance  —  On Fox & Friends this morning, Donald Trump fired back at Karl Rove for calling him a “joke candidate.” … Trump then offered another reason for Rove's comments. … Trump's assertion that Romney is doing poorly in the polls is hardly air-tight …
Discussion: The Page and FrumForum
Patrick Poole / Pajamas Media:
(UPDATED) DOJ Source: Gov't Muslim ‘Outreach’ Jeopardized Active Terror Investigations  —  (UPDATE: Rep. Peter King demands answers following Poole's previous article on this topic.)  An explosive, must-read interview brings sunlight to our counterproductive “outreach” programs.
RELATED:
Steve Jones / Telegraph:
Swearing can help relieve pain, study claims  —  Swearing after hurting yourself can help numb the pain of an injury, new research suggests.  —  Scientists from Keele University found that letting forth a volley of foul language can have a powerful painkilling effect, especially for people who do not normally use expletives.
RELATED:
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:   Relieve Pain by Swearing, Study Says
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
GANG OF SIX ‘VERY CLOSE’ TO AN AGREEMENT, INTENDS TO ‘MAKE EVERYBODY MAD’.... Two months ago, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Six” deficit-reduction talks, said the group was “getting close” to striking a deal.  Two weeks ago, however, the negotiations …
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Sarah Palin's website sparks White House buzz  —  Sarah Palin rolled out a new website for her PAC on Monday with significantly more content and features, along with a vehicle for Palin to start gathering email addresses and information from her supporters.  —  The new site, sarahpac.com …
Discussion: Cubachi, CNN and Liberty Pundits Blog
Gawker:
Roger Ailes Caught Spying on the Reporters at His Small-Town Newspaper  —  The small-town newspapers in New York's Hudson Valley that Fox News chief Roger Ailes owns with his wife Elizabeth are in a staff revolt after employees caught Ailes spying on them with News Corp. security goons.  More »
Gautham Nagesh / The Hill:
Rep. Frank: Administration ‘wasting time’ with online poker crackdown  —  The Obama administration is wasting time and resources by targeting online poker sites, according to Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), the senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee.
Discussion: Don Surber and FrumForum
Arthur B. Laffer / Wall Street Journal:
The 30-Cent Tax Premium  —  Tax compliance employs more workers than Wal-Mart, UPS, McDonald's, IBM and Citigroup combined.  —  There is a lot more to taxes than simply paying the bill.  Taxpayers must spend significantly more than $1 in order to provide $1 of income-tax revenue to the federal government.
Kyle Olson / Big Government:
AFSCME Union Threatens to ‘Weaponize’ Government Jobs  —  It's becoming clearer that the “public service” mentality is quickly slipping way from government employees, if it didn't hit the exits a long time ago.  —  Instead of government employees serving the public, it's clear now their belief is that the public exists to serve them.
Discussion: The Blaze
Philly.com:
'91 report bears repeating  —  Why two journalists are reinvestigating “What Went Wrong” for the middle class. … Question: You recently announced that you will be revisiting the “America: What Went Wrong?” investigation that appeared in The Inquirer in October 1991.  Why did you decide to update the project?
WFSB-TV:
Electric Car Catches Fire, Again  —  Chevy Volt Is Believed To Have Set A Garage On Fire In Barkhamsted  —  BARKHAMSTED,Conn. — A hybrid electric Chevrolet Volt believed to have sparked an overnight blaze in a garage in Barkhamsted last week, reignited again on Monday.
Thom Shanker / New York Times:
Pentagon Inquiry Into Article Clears McChrystal and Aides  —  WASHINGTON — An inquiry by the Defense Department inspector general into a magazine profile that resulted in the abrupt, forced retirement of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal has cleared the general, his military aides and civilian advisers of all wrongdoing.
Discussion: FrumForum and The Raw Story
E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
E.J. Dionne Jr.  —  America's elites have a duty to the rest of us  —  The American ruling class is failing us — and itself.  —  At other moments in our history, the informal networks of the wealthy and powerful who often wield at least as much influence as our elected politicians accepted …
 
 
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 More Items: 
David McLaughlin / Bloomberg:
Foreclosure Probe Talks Said to Yield Some Agreements With Banks
Daily Mail:
Global warming must be true, Charles Manson believes in it. …
Bloomberg:
Texas University Takes Cue From Kyle Bass to Hold $1 Billion in Gold Bars
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
McCain fears ‘stalemate’ in Libya
First Read / msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: 2012's high stakes
Discussion: Bloomberg and Los Angeles Times
Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:
Sen. Kohl reported no fundraising activity for the first quarter
Discussion: RedState
Timothy Devine / Newsweek:
Hey, Cancer: Go Stand in the Corner
 Earlier Items: 
Max Boot / Wall Street Journal:
It's in America's Interest to Stay in Iraq
New York Times:
You Get the Judges You Pay For  —  LEGAL elites must come …
John Fund / Wall Street Journal:
Wisconsin's Election Snafu Is a National Wake-Up Call
Discussion: Betsy's Page
Boston Globe:
Celebrating Romney's true role
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

 
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