Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Debt-Limit Harakiri — Mitch McConnell isn't selling out Republicans. — Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday he's concluded that no deal to raise the debt ceiling in return for serious spending restraint is possible with President Obama, and who can blame him?
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, americanthinker.com, Betsy's Page, TPMDC, CNN, Erick's blog, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and National Review
RELATED:
Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:
Mitch McConnell Just Proposed the “Pontius Pilate Pass the Buck Act of 2011″ — Editor's note: I decided to make the title less incendiary. — Consider the Associated Press's headline right now: “GOP Leader McConnell proposes giving Obama new power for automatic debt limit increase”
Discussion:
National Review, And So it Goes in Shreveport, The Hill, Spartanburg Tea Party, The Lonely Conservative, Politics, Say Anything, Townhall.com, Heritage Action for America, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, The Hill, Washington Wire, Booman Tribune, UNCOVERAGE.net, Right Wing News, TPMDC, Outside the Beltway, The American Independent, Gawker, Daily Pundit, The Moderate Voice, Weigel, Moe Lane and Fox Nation
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
U.S. Debt Ceiling Increase Remains Unpopular With Americans — More are concerned about higher level of spending than risk of economic crisis — PRINCETON, NJ — Despite agreement among leaders of both sides of the political aisle in Washington that raising the U.S. debt ceiling is necessary …
CBS News:
Obama says he cannot guarantee Social Security checks will go out on August 3 — President Obama on Tuesday said he cannot guarantee that retirees will receive their Social Security checks August 3 if Democrats and Republicans in Washington do not reach an agreement on reducing the deficit in the coming weeks.
Discussion:
theblogprof, The Politico, The Caucus, Mediaite, New York Times, National Review, americanthinker.com, Verum Serum, ProPublica, CBS News, Politics, The Western Experience, UNCOVERAGE.net, The Camp Of The Saints, Outside the Beltway, Michelle Malkin, NO QUARTER, The Other McCain, Swampland, No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo, The TrogloPundit, Hullabaloo, RedState, Don Surber, Say Anything, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, Crooks and Liars, ThinkProgress, Balkinization, TPMDC, The Hill, Sky Dancing, Confederate Yankee, Pundit & Pundette, Shakesville, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Wire, AmSpecBlog, The Impolitic, Washington Monthly, JammieWearingFool and New York Magazine
Washington Post:
McConnell outlines new proposal on debt ceiling — McConnell was quickly excoriated online by tea party bloggers, with Erick Erickson of the Web site RedState.com blasting the plan as “the Pontius Pilate Pass the Buck Act of 2011.” — Still, with less than three weeks left until …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and New York Times
Michelle Malkin:
Another mortifying McConnell head-banging-against-the-wall moment — Longtime readers are familiar with our time-honored tradition of marking inevitable Senate GOP sellout moments with the head-banging-against-the-wall animated gif. — Well, it is time to resurrect it again …
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
The Big Blink? McConnell Proposes Giving Obama Authority To Raise Debt Limit Alone — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has proposed creating an escape hatch for Congressional Republicans, who have put themselves in a box by threatening not to raise the national debt limit …
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Judo Flip! Boehner Agrees With McConnell That Dems Should Not Be Allowed To Take Debt Limit Hostage
Judo Flip! Boehner Agrees With McConnell That Dems Should Not Be Allowed To Take Debt Limit Hostage
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
Republicans Introduce Plan, Go On Offensive
Republicans Introduce Plan, Go On Offensive
Discussion:
Washington Post, AmSpecBlog, Erick's blog and justoneminute.typepad.com
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
McConnell outlines new proposal on debt ceiling
McConnell outlines new proposal on debt ceiling
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Swampland, Daily Kos, The Caucus, The BLT, The New Republic, Pajamas Media, Prairie Weather and msnbc.com
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Craven Reign — I just finished explaining that Mitch McConnell …
Craven Reign — I just finished explaining that Mitch McConnell …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, The Atlantic Online and Daily Kos
Jia Lynn Yang / Washington Post:
Congress hears outcry from business lobby on debt ceiling and deficit
Congress hears outcry from business lobby on debt ceiling and deficit
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Daily Kos
Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Why McConnell's debt limit proposal is a bad idea
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Why McConnell's debt limit proposal is a bad idea
Discussion:
Roll Call, National Review, AmSpecBlog, Riehl World View and Hot Air
The Politico:
Obama and DNC raise $86M, more than doubling GOP field - RNC campaign targets four swing states - Mandel brings in $2.3M for Senate bid - Hahn wins in CA-36 - Barbour camp eyes Perry - One month until — (aburns@politico.com) and (jhohmann@politico.com) — 2012 SIREN - OBAMA'S NUMBER …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Taegan Goddard's …, Hotline On Call, TPMDC and JammieWearingFool
RELATED:
Sam Youngman / Ballot Box:
Obama is winning on debt debate, but there's no room for moral victories
Obama is winning on debt debate, but there's no room for moral victories
Discussion:
The Politico and driftglass
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Obama Campaign Reports Big Fund-Raising Quarter
Obama Campaign Reports Big Fund-Raising Quarter
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Stephen Marche / Esquire:
How Can We Not Love Obama? — Because like it or not, he is all of us — Before the fall brings us down, before the election season begins in earnest with all its nastiness and vulgarity, before the next batch of stupid scandals and gaffes, before Sarah Palin tries to convert her movie …
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, iOwnTheWorld.com and Maggie's Farm
RELATED:
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Raise Taxes or Granny Gets It — The liberal media's idea of a grown-up. — President Obama is pulling out the big guns and pointing them straight at your grandmother. “Obama on Tuesday said he cannot guarantee that retirees will receive their Social Security checks August 3” …
Discussion:
americanthinker.com, NewsBusters.org, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, iOwnTheWorld.com and Washington Examiner
The Note:
Politics Aside at Betty Ford Funeral: Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush Share Intent Conversation — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf (@zbyronwolf) reports: — Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama stared quietly ahead before the funeral of Betty Ford in Palm Desert, California.
Discussion:
The Politico
RELATED:
David Catanese / The Politico:
California special election: Hahn cruises to solid victory — Democrat Janice Hahn defeated Republican Craig Huey in a bitterly contested Southern California special election marked by stinging attacks from both sides. — Hahn finished with a healthy 54.56 percent of the vote to Huey's 45.44 percent in Tuesday's vote.
Discussion:
UNCOVERAGE.net, Pajamas Media, The Other McCain and The Lonely Conservative
RELATED:
Jean Merl / Los Angeles Times:
Janice Hahn wins House seat
Janice Hahn wins House seat
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, L.A. NOW and Politics
Jean Merl / PolitiCal:
Vote-suppression complaints filed in testy congressional election
Vote-suppression complaints filed in testy congressional election
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, American Power and UNCOVERAGE.net
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
NOT GUILTY!... SEIU Thugs Cleared in Brutal Gladney Beatdown! ... Update: Gladney Reaction (Video) — NOT GUILTY- SEIU GOONS CLEARED IN GLADNEY BEATING! — I just spoke with Kenneth Gladney and his wife outside the courtroom. Here is their first reaction— “I couldn't beat them; I didn't have the resources they had.
Discussion:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Daily RFT, Cold Fury and Daily Pundit
RELATED:
Dana Loesch / Big Journalism:
No Justice: Gladney Attackers Found Not Guilty
No Justice: Gladney Attackers Found Not Guilty
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and The Other McCain
Stan Musial / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Two charged in scuffle at St. Louis County meeting found not guilty
Two charged in scuffle at St. Louis County meeting found not guilty
Discussion:
TBogg and Washington Post
Reid J. Epstein / Reuters:
Shutdown could leave Minnesota dry — The famous Minnesota niceness could all go away if residents lose access to beer due to the two-week-old state government shut down. — The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported Wednesday that bars, restaurants and stores across the state are unable …
Discussion:
KSTP-TV and Marginal Revolution
RELATED:
Eric Roper / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
One by one, bars get tapped out
Darren Goode / The Politico:
Light bulb bill goes dark in House — House lawmakers Tuesday stymied an initial effort by Republicans to put an end to infamous light bulb efficiency standards. — The bill from Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) to repeal part of a 2007 energy law requiring traditional incandescent light bulbs …
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, Gawker and The Lonely Conservative
RELATED:
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Lightbulb bill likely headed for defeat in House
Lightbulb bill likely headed for defeat in House
Discussion:
Sweetness & Light and Hot Air
Los Angeles Times:
Prison doctor gets paid for doing little or nothing — A California surgeon has mostly been locked out of his job: on paid leave, fired or fighting his termination. When he does work, it's reviewing records. He made $777,000 last year, including back pay. — A file photo of San Quentin State Prison.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, americanthinker.com and Politics
Thomas Kaplan / New York Times:
Settled in Albany, Gay Marriage Draws Opposition — Laura L. Fotusky, the town clerk in Barker, N.Y., a small community north of Binghamton, looked at the calendar, looked at her Bible and knew what she had to do. — She drafted a letter to the Town Board and said she would resign on July 21 …
Discussion:
Good As You
RELATED:
Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
N.Y. clerk quits over gay marriage
N.Y. clerk quits over gay marriage
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation, Gothamist, Jezebel, Towleroad News #gay, Gawker, New York Magazine, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Raw Story
JSOnline:
6 fake Democrats fall, setting stage for GOP recalls — Six fake Democratic candidates put up by the Republican Party to buy time for Republican state senators subject to recalls accomplished that job Tuesday, but none of them did the unexpected and knocked off a real Democrat.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and Althouse
NBC New York:
Fan Who Caught Jeter's 3,000th Hit May Owe IRS Thousands — The tax man may be on the hunt for the super fan who caught Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit. — Christian Lopez, 23, recovered the prized ball his father fumbled after The Captain hammered it into their section of the stands …
Discussion:
NY Daily News, REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, Say Anything, iOwnTheWorld.com, Pajamas Media and International Liberty
JSOnline:
State Supreme Court justices rule not to force recusals — By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel — Madison - State Supreme Court justices can't kick each other off cases for alleged bias, the court ruled Tuesday in a bitterly divided decision along now-familiar 4-3 lines.
Discussion:
Althouse