memeorandum: A surprisingly productive May for Democrats (Steve Benen/Washington Monthly)

11:40 AM ET, May 25, 2011

Top Items:

Raymond Hernandez / New York Times:

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.

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Six Months After Midterm Disaster, Hopeful Signs for Democrats — Here's what I wrote two weeks ago about the special election in New York's 26th Congressional district, which was won by the Democrat Kathy Hochul Tuesday night: … Ms. Hochul, with most of the vote counted, has 48 percent of the total, so she has met this threshold.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Monkey Cage, Examiner, Washington Post, Emptywheel, Daily Kos, The Mahablog, Blue Mass Group and Moe_Lane's blog

Chris Lee Resignation / Buffalo News:

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: Washington Examiner, The Nation, AMERICAblog News, Outside the Beltway, 24Ahead, The Batavian, Gothamist, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Hill

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:

G.O.P. on the Defensive as Voters Resist Medicare Plan — WASHINGTON — When they proposed just last month to overhaul Medicare, House Republicans were confident that the wind of budget politics was at their backs and that the country's looming fiscal problems provided justification …

Discussion: Minnesota Independent and The Reaction

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Warning shot: 4-point Dem. victory in heavily GOP district where Medicare was issue — Ryan video tries to shift debate to ‘Saving Medicare’ — Geithner's #PlaybookBreakfast livestream —RAHM MAY TESTIFY AT BLAGO II: ChiTrib p. 1 tease, “Sources: Emanuel, Blagojevich to testify …

Discussion: Healthwatch, The Daily Caller and RedState

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
After Dem win in NY special election, group eyes NH race

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blog and Taylor Marsh

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Rep. Ryan: Medicare played a role in Democrats' special-election win

Discussion: The Maddow Blog and The Gateway Pundit

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
A surprisingly productive May for Democrats

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling: NY-26 does mean something

David Weigel / Slate:
NY-26: Open Thread and Liveblog [UPDATE: Hochul Wins]

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hotline On Call and The Other McCain

Allen Wilson / Buffalo News:
Corwin granted court order barring certification of winner

Discussion: The Reaction, The Impolitic, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, The Batavian, TPMDC, The Daily Caller, Weigel, Firedoglake, Taegan Goddard's …, The Other McCain, The Beast, The Caucus and Ballot Box

Benjy Sarlin / TPMDC:
Democrat Kathy Hochul Wins Upset In NY-26, Medicare Vote Key To Victory

Discussion: Salon, UPI, The New Republic, First Draft, campaignmoney.org, ThinkProgress and The Politico

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:

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: CNN, The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Dish, TPMDC, The Last Refuge, GOP 12, msnbc.com, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway, Connecting.the.Dots, Wizbang, The Page, Conservatives4Palin and Balloon Juice

The Note:
‘Epic’ Sarah Palin Documentary Due Out in June

Discussion: Real Clear Politics and The Politico

James Hill / ABCNEWS:

John Edwards: U.S. 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: Hot Air, New York Times, The Note, Patterico's Pontifications, Michelle Malkin, The Politico, USA Today, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Pajamas Media, Don Surber, Gawker, The Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and FrumForum

CBS News:
Report: John Edwards set to be indicted

Discussion: National Review, William K. Wolfrum Chronicles and iOwnTheWorld.com

WRAL-TV:
Sources: Edwards investigation close to wrapping up

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and TalkLeft

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Obama miscues on toast — Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Barack Obama during a state banquet in Buckingham Palace, London, on Tuesday May 24, 2011. — AP Photo — LONDON - It was all going so well. — But when the time came for President Obama to deliver his toast …

Discussion: JustOneMinute and AmSpecBlog

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: The Daily What, Outside the Beltway, Nice Deb, All American Blogger, The Gateway Pundit, Michelle Malkin, Moonbattery, Sister Toldjah, theblogprof, The Lonely Conservative and Pajamas Media

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Good news: Obama botches toast to the queen

Discussion: Mediaite, Freedom's Lighthouse and Atlas Shrugs

Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:

Elizabeth Warren Called Liar At CFPB Hearing By Republicans Who Botched Facts On Agency (VIDEO) … WASHINGTON — Republicans attempting to grill Elizabeth Warren on the creation of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had to be schooled repeatedly by the former Harvard professor Tuesday …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Crooks and Liars, CNNMoney.com, Gawker, DownWithTyranny! and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Edward Wyatt / New York Times:
Decorum Breaks Down at House Hearing

Discussion: Raw Replay, Washington Wire, naked capitalism, AlterNet and Blue Mass Group

Maya Jackson Randall / Wall Street Journal:
Spat Over New Consumer Bureau

Discussion: Hot Air and Weasel Zippers

Ari Berman / The Nation:
House GOP Escalates Attack on Elizabeth Warren, Consumer Bureau

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo and Weigel

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:

FreedomWorks' Goal: Stop Mitt Romney In 2012 … WASHINGTON - A top goal of the nation's most influential national Tea Party group is to stop Mitt Romney from winning the Republican nomination for president. — Interviews with top officials at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organizing hub …

Discussion: Mediaite, Ben Smith's Blog, The New Republic, GOP 12 and Weasel Zippers

Frances Cronin / BBC:

Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images — Two new finds are at Saqqara, an older but lesser known pyramid site than Giza — Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt. — More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements …

Discussion: msnbc.com and Outside the Beltway

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

Poll: More Americans fear higher national debt than default — The debate over whether to raise the legal limit on government borrowing has riveted Americans, with a large majority worried about the potential consequences whether or not Congress votes to allow the national debt to keep rising.

Discussion: The Hill, Pew Research Center …, Weigel, Hot Air and The Foundry

Ben White / The Politico:
Dave Camp reassures Wall St. on debt limit

Discussion: Daily Kos

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate Dems might join rebuff of Obama on Israeli border issue — Senate Democrats are expected to support a resolution intended as a rebuff to President Obama's call for basing Middle East peace talks on the 1967 Israeli-Palestinian borders. — It would be a rare rebuke of the president …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Prairie Weather and JammieWearingFool

Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:

Obama skirts rule of law to reward pals, punish foes — Senior Political Analyst Follow Him @MichaelBarone — Question: What do the following have in common? Eckert Cold Storage Co., Kerly Homes of Yuma, Classic Party Rentals, West Coast Turf Inc., Ellenbecker Investment Group Inc. …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, AmSpecBlog and Sense of Events

Quinnipiac University:

Florida Voters Turn Thumbs Down On Gov. Scott 2-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Property Insurance Is Getting Worse — Florida voters disapprove 57 - 29 percent of the job Gov. Rick Scott is doing, the worst score of any governor in the states surveyed by Quinnipiac University …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Shelby Steele / Wall Street Journal:

Obama's Unspoken Re-Election Edge — This presidency flatters America to a degree that no white Republican can hope to match. — Many of the Republican presidential hopefuls should be able to beat President Obama in 2012. This president has a track record now and, thus, many vulnerabilities.

New Scientist:

Rewriting the textbooks: When science gets it wrong — THE business of gaining understanding of the world about us rarely follows a simple path from A to B. False starts, dead ends and U-turns are part of the journey. Science's ability to accept those setbacks with aplomb - to say …

Peter Wallsten / Washington Post:

Democrats join Republicans in questioning Obama's policy on Israel — Top Democrats have joined a number of Republicans in challenging President Obama's policy toward Israel, further exposing rifts that the White House and its allies will seek to mend before next year's election.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNN, The Hill, Salon, White House Dossier and The Daily Dish

James R. Healey / USA Today:

Americans say ‘no’ to electrics despite high gas prices — Nearly six of 10 Americans — 57% — say they won't buy an all-electric car no matter the price of gas, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. — That's a stiff headwind just as automakers are developing electrics …

Discussion: Right Wing News