Top Items:
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Democrat Wins G.O.P. Seat; Rebuke Seen to Medicare Plan — Democrats scored an upset in one of New York's most conservative Congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party's plan to overhaul Medicare.
Discussion:
Mediaite, RedState, New York Magazine, alicublog, Taylor Marsh, The Reality-Based Community, Gawker, Booman Tribune and Oliver Willis
RELATED:
Allen Wilson / Buffalo News:
Corwin granted court order barring certification of winner — Jane L. Corwin this afternoon obtained a court order from State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia barring a certification of a winner in the special 26th Congressional District race pending a show-cause hearing before him later this week.
Discussion:
The Reaction, Hot Air, The Batavian, Weigel, The Other McCain, TPMDC, The Daily Caller, The Caucus, The Lonely Conservative, Taegan Goddard's …, Ballot Box, CNN, Taylor Marsh and The Politico
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Hochul takes House seat in stunner — Kathleen Courtney Hochul, the Erie County clerk and longtime Democratic figure who defied political experts giving her little chance of success, ground out a stunning and surprisingly comfortable victory Tuesday in the special election for the predominantly Republican 26th Congressional District.
Discussion:
The Nation, AMERICAblog News, The Batavian, 24Ahead, Gothamist, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The New Republic
Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
With his budget plan the top issue, Rep. Ryan waded into NY-26 (updated) — Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (R) contributed to New York Republican Jane Corwin's special-election campaign. — The House Budget Committee chairman's political action committee, Prosperity PAC, sent a fundraising email …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Politico and CNN
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AP: Democrat Hochul pulls off upset in New York congressional race — The special election race was dominated by the national debate over a GOP plan to overhaul Medicare. — Democrat Kathy Hochul, shown at a campaign stop, appeared to pull of an upset Tuesday in a western New York special congressional election.
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, Washington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway and The Gateway Pundit
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Democrat Kathy Hochul Wins Upset In NY-26, Medicare Vote Key To Victory — Republicans are going to have plenty of questions about their plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program tomorrow morning after Democrats romped to an improbable victory in a special election focused almost entirely on the issue.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The New Republic, UPI, Salon, The Politico, First Draft, campaignmoney.org and Talking Points Memo
Raymond Hernandez / The Caucus:
Democrat Wins Upstate New York Congressional Race — Updated Democrats scored an upset in one of New York's most conservative congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party's plan to overhaul Medicare.
Discussion:
Liberal Values and Capital Tonight
Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
Dem campaign chief: Medicare ‘changed the climate’ in NY-26
Murphy / The Beast:
COLD CALL — Volunteering at the Corwin Phone Bank
COLD CALL — Volunteering at the Corwin Phone Bank
Discussion:
Weigel, Firedoglake, The Other McCain, The New Republic and TPMDC
The Note:
Israeli Prime Minister Gets 29 Standing Ovations in Congress, Sends Message to White House* — ABC's Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) reports: — *UPDATE: President Obama got 25 standing ovations from Congress during his 2011 State of the Union address. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got 29 today.
Discussion:
MOVEOVERAIPAC, Salon, Big Peace, Washington Post, Mediaite, Associated Press, New York Times, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Foundry, Weasel Zippers, Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, PERRspectives, Don Surber, Mondoweiss, Hot Air, Algemeiner.com, Ironic Surrealism, Israel Matzav, Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Dish, Wake up America, The Lonely Conservative and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
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Scott Wong / The Politico:
Rand Paul skips Netanyahu address — As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warm welcome from a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) skipped out on the speech, sitting quietly at his Senate desk shuffling through papers and newspapers.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Hit & Run, Nice Deb, New York Magazine, Weigel, Guardian, Little Green Footballs, FrumForum and C-SPAN Recent Events
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Speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress — I am deeply honored by your warm welcome. And I am deeply honored that you have given me the opportunity to address Congress a second time. — Mr. Vice President, do you remember the time we were the new kids in town?
Discussion:
Bad Rachel, ThinkProgress, FP Passport, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Michelle Malkin, Seraphic Secret, American Thinker, American Power and Hot Air
Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
The U.S. Congress Cheers Netanyahu's Claim That Israel Does Not Occupy The West Bank
The U.S. Congress Cheers Netanyahu's Claim That Israel Does Not Occupy The West Bank
Discussion:
COLlive.com, Booman Tribune and Elder of Ziyon
Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
Benjamin Netanyahu wows Congress
Benjamin Netanyahu wows Congress
Discussion:
YID With LID, National Review, Michelle Malkin, Ben Smith's Blog and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
House members side with Netanyahu
House members side with Netanyahu
Discussion:
Salon, Ben Smith's Blog, Washington Post and Weasel Zippers
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Palin's Secret Weapon: New Film to Premiere in June — Shortly after Republicans swept last November to a historic victory in which Sarah Palin was credited with playing a central role, the former Alaska governor pulled aside her close aide, Rebecca Mansour, to discuss a hush-hush assignment …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Big Hollywood, Conservatives4Palin, The Page and Balloon Juice
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Political Punch:
Awkward Moment During Obama Toast to Queen — The president and the orchestra at Buckingham Palace this evening were a bit out of synch. — When the president toasted the Queen the orchestra misunderstood a pause and what seemed to be a cue from the president for “God Save the Queen” to begin playing.
Discussion:
Nice Deb, Michelle Malkin and Pajamas Media
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Good news: Obama botches toast to the queen — Ah, now his “2008″ gaffe from earlier today is starting to make more sense. Turns out ... he really is brain-damaged. — No, I kid. I think he, like Frank Drebin, simply doesn't believe in silly ideas like having queens:
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Freedom's Lighthouse
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President Obama Has No Idea What Year It Is — This is how President Obama signed the guestbook at Westminster Abbey earlier today, where he got a tour from the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall and laid a wreath on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. … It was really nice until he got the date wrong by three years.
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Run, Paul Ryan, run — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' decision not to run for president is bad for Republicans. Time for Rep. Paul Ryan to ride to the rescue. — Rep. Paul Ryan explains his controversial Medicare overhaul plan at a town hall meeting in Wisconsin last month. (Mira Oberman / AFP/Getty Images)
Discussion:
Eunomia, The Daily Caller and Mother Jones
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Snowe, Collins to vote against GOP budget plan
Discussion:
The Politico, National Review and TPMDC
The Politico:
N.Y. 26 election backdrops Senate budget vote …
N.Y. 26 election backdrops Senate budget vote …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Yglesias, Mother Jones and Healthwatch
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Snowe to vote ‘no’ on Ryan budget plan
Snowe to vote ‘no’ on Ryan budget plan
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, FiveThirtyEight, National Review, FrumForum and Washington Post
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Cantor Says Congress Won't Pay For Missouri Disaster Relief Unless Spending Is Cut Elsewhere — Firefighters and rescue workers who arrived in Joplin, MO, found that the deadly tornado that hit the state Sunday had left a “barren, smoky wasteland” in its path.
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Russell Berman / The Hill:
House GOP to hold ‘clean’ vote to raise $14.3T debt ceiling
House GOP to hold ‘clean’ vote to raise $14.3T debt ceiling
Discussion:
The Politico, National Review, Transterrestrial Musings and FrumForum
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Cantor demands spending-cut ransom for Missouri aid
Cantor demands spending-cut ransom for Missouri aid
Discussion:
Examiner, The Politico, Mediaite, Firedoglake, Emptywheel and Oliver Willis
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Tornado-Damaged Joplin, From Above — The death toll in Joplin, Missouri, has now topped 118, making Sunday's catastrophe the single deadliest tornado recorded in the United States since modern record keeping began 60 years ago. Rescuers continue their work despite hazardous conditions …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Radio Iowa, CNN and Taylor Marsh
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John Edwards: US Green-Lights Prosecution for Alleged Campaign Law Violations Tied to Affair Cover-Up — Former Sen. John Edwards speaks at a campaign rally Jan. 26, 2008, in Columbia, S.C. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images) — The United States Department of Justice has green-lighted the prosecution …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Gawker
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Don't Underestimate Republicans in 2012 — The 2012 presidential race has barely begun, but it is already time to retire one of its cliches: the much-repeated claim that “the Republican field is weak.” Liberals say it with a smirk, because they think it will guarantee President Barack Obama's re-election.
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
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Brian Leiter / Leiter Reports:
Sanctimonious Jackass Brad DeLong vs. Political Philosopher Chris Bertram — Here and here. Professor Bertram's response seems to me quite apt. Professor DeLong has a real complex about those to his left. Very odd. — UPDATE: Brad Delong is not only a sanctimonious jackass, he's an underhanded and dishonest slimeball.
Discussion:
Crooked Timber and Grasping Reality …
Neil Munro / The Daily Caller:
Facebook upgrade spurs fears of political bias — Facebook's managers are deploying a new software upgrade that will dismantle myriad groups of like-minded political activists unless they get a special software-key from the company. — But Facebook manager are providing very limited information …
Discussion:
Hot Air and Atlas Shrugs
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The Bin Laden backlash: Angry Muslims demonstrate outside Downing Street as Obama visits Britain — Muslim activists descended on Downing Street today in protest at Barack Obama's state visit to London. — As the president met David Cameron in Whitehall, an angry crowd of burka clad women …
Discussion:
Doug Ross and Atlas Shrugs
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Do We Have the Congo Rape Crisis All Wrong? — We've long understood the country's horrifying rate of sexual assault — on average 48 rapes per hour — to be a function and tool of conflict, but it may be something very different — The international media lit up last week with news …