memeorandum: Obama monitors response to Joplin, Missouri tornado from abroad (Stephanie Condon/CBS News)

1:05 PM ET, May 23, 2011

Top Items:

Sen. Scott Brown / The Politico:

Why I don't back Ryan Medicare plan — As part of the 2012 budget discussions, Congress is dealing with Medicare reform. This debate is long overdue, since its increasing cost must be addressed if we are serious about the nation's growing $14 trillion debt and $1.6 trillion annual deficit.

Discussion: CNN, The Caucus, USA Today, Washington Times, The Raw Story, Daily Kos, Los Angeles Times, TPMDC, msnbc.com, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, National Review and AmSpecBlog

The Politico:

Republicans ignored warnings on Paul Ryan plan — It might be a political time bomb — that's what GOP pollsters warned as House Republicans prepared for the April 15 vote on Rep. Paul Ryan's proposed budget, with its plan to dramatically remake Medicare. — No matter how favorably pollsters …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Digby / Hullabaloo:

“The Tea Party itch has not been scratched”: How the Ryan plan went down — “The Tea Party Itch Has Not Been Scratched” — Any political observer with even a modicum of sense could see that the Ryan Plan was going to be a complete disaster. And most of us have been wondering ever since what the hell made them go for it.

Discussion: The Politico, The New Republic, pandagon.net, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Eschaton

John Cole / Balloon Juice:

Things Done Changed — Remember how it was the beltway conventional wisdom that the Ryan plan was “serious” and “adult” and that it was up to the Democrats to offer a counter and yadda, yadda, yadda. Things sure have changed in a few months, haven't they?

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Eschaton

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Scott Brown a ‘no’ on Ryan budget

Discussion: Boston Globe, Outside the Beltway, AMERICAblog News and FrumForum

Josh Margolin / New York Post:

Obama digging up dirt on potential opponent Chris Christie — President Obama's re-election campaign is trying to dig up dirt in the Garden State. — Despite New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's repeated pronouncements that he will not seek the GOP presidential nomination …

Discussion: Ballot Box, GOP 12, Verum Serum, The Other McCain, Betsy's Page and JammieWearingFool

The Politico:

Behind the Daniels family veto — On Friday, the pieces were coming together nicely for a Mitch Daniels-for-president campaign. Some top potential staffers were told they would have a job, and to keep their powder dry just a little bit longer. Several Washington Republicans expected a declaration in the next few days.

Discussion: The Note, Taegan Goddard's …, AMERICAblog Elections, ABCNEWS, The BLT, White House Dossier, Erick's blog, Wall Street Journal and FrumForum

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

The Next President Isn't Currently Running (Updated) — There's no GOP operative for whom I have higher regard than former RNC chair and senior Bush advisor Ed Gillespie. He deserves to be taken seriously when he says (according to Politico): “For all intents and purposes, the field is set.

New York Times:
Daniels Is Out, in Another Jolt to G.O.P. Field

Discussion: The Politico, ThinkProgress, Ben Smith's Blog, Wonkette, Nice Deb, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Politics, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic and Blue Mass Group

Aharding / CNN:
Huntsman steps up South Carolina campaign

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, NewsBusters.org and GOP 12

Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Some observations as Daniels bows out

Discussion: Riehl World View, Runnin' Scared, The Other McCain and Pundit & Pundette

Stephanie Condon / CBS News:

Obama monitors response to Joplin, Missouri tornado from abroad — President Obama was in Ireland Monday, kicking off a week-long tour through Europe, but he is monitoring the aftermath of the Missouri, tornado that killed at least 89 people Sunday. — The president received multiple updates …

Discussion: Politics, CBS News and HotAirPundit

A.G. Sulzberger / New York Times:
Death Toll Rises to Nearly 100 From Missouri Tornado

Discussion: The Hill, The Lede and Balloon Juice

Associated Press:
Joplin tornado death toll soars to 89

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Daley Gator, Salon, Associated Press, Gothamist, White House Dossier, The Gateway Pundit and Gawker

Randy Turner / The Huffington Post:
Death, Destruction Hit Joplin, Missouri

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and National Review

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Gingrich: 'I'm not a Washington figure' — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) said he doesn't view himself as a “Washington figure,” positioning himself as an anti-D.C. candidate in his campaign for president. — Gingrich railed against the Washington, D.C. establishment …

Discussion: The Note, Michelle Malkin, Politics, The Daily Caller, GOP 12 and FrumForum

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Newt Gingrich, citing record, says ignore record

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Richard E. Cohen / The Politico: John Boehner finds litigation suits him

Spectator:

Obama's achievement: the mouse that roared — I don't know what strategic purpose Obama had in mind for addressing the Middle East impasse when last Thursday he made the first of a series of speeches on the subject. Whatever this may have been, that speech produced one satisfactory result.

Discussion: Via Meadia, Pajamas Media, Big Peace, Left Coast Rebel and Democracy in America

Eric Cantor:
Leader Cantor's Remarks to AIPAC

Discussion: Power Line, Weasel Zippers and Capital J | JTA

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Obama double downs at AIPAC

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Questions and Observations, Nice Deb, The Reaction, Pajamas Media, Power Line, Taylor Marsh, Maggie's Farm and The Hill

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:

Pawlenty Campaign Already Dead? — Tim Pawlenty's hometown newspaper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, ran the story of his presidential campaign announcement on the Obituary page this morning, City Pages reports.

Discussion: The Blotter

Kevin Hoffman / The Blotter:
DOA: Pioneer Press runs Tim Pawlenty presidential announcement on obit page

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Biden tells donors: Keep me in mind for 2016 — Vice President Joe Biden surprised a gathering of donors in Cincinnati last week when he floated the prospect of his succeeding President Barack Obama in the White House. — Biden, who started in the Senate young and would be just 70 in 2012 …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media, Pundit Press and Politics

Will Kane / San Francisco Chronicle:

Harold Camping ‘flabbergasted’; rapture a no-show — (05-22) 19:18 PDT ALAMEDA — The man who said the world was going to end appeared at his front door in Alameda a day later, very much alive but not so well. — “It has been a really tough weekend,” said Harold Camping …

Discussion: newsfeed.time.com, Simply Left BehindThe …, Gothamist, Runnin' Scared and Gawker

ABCNEWS:
Harold Camping ‘Bewildered’ After Apocalypse Comes and Goes Quietly

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Associated Press, FrumForum and HotAirPundit

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Steele to MSNBC — This has been in the works, in retrospect, since about January 2009: — New York - May 23, 2011 - Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele has been named MSNBC political analyst. The announcement was made today by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, and is effective immediately.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Steele signs up with MSNBC

Discussion: Gawker

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

When Austerity Fails — I often complain, with reason, about the state of economic discussion in the United States. And the irresponsibility of certain politicians — like those Republicans claiming that defaulting on U.S. debt would be no big deal — is scary.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Northern Reflections, Questions and Observations and Paul Krugman

The Note:

Is Donald Trump Back in the 2012 Race? — ABC News' Sheila Marikar and Rick Klein report: Perhaps Donald Trump didn't really bow out after all. — The billionaire business mogul phoned into Fox News' “Fox & Friends” this morning to lament the state of the Republican field.

Discussion: Reuters, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, Daniel W. Drezner, Weigel, No More Mister Nice Blog and FrumForum

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Hochul continues to lead in NY-26 — Democrat Kathy Hochul continues to appear poised for an upset victory in Tuesday's special election for Congress in New York's 26th Congressional District. She is polling at 42% to 36% for Republican nominee Jane Corwin and 13% for Tea Party candidate Jack Davis.