Top Items:
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:
James Pethokoukis, The Caucus, CBS News, The Western Experience, Verum Serum, The Camp Of The Saints, Say Anything, Talking Points Memo, Michelle Malkin, NO QUARTER, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, Swampland, The Other McCain, UNCOVERAGE.net, RedState, The TrogloPundit, Weasel Zippers, The Enterprise Blog, The Lonely Conservative, Prairie Weather, Sky Dancing, Crooks and Liars, ThinkProgress, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Don Surber, AmSpecBlog, TPMDC, National Review, Washington Wire, The Impolitic, Confederate Yankee, JammieWearingFool, Pundit & Pundette, Shakesville and CBS Minnesota
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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”
The Politico:
Senate GOP mulls new debt strategy — Trying to get out of the political box which they have helped to create, Senate Republicans are actively discussing a new plan under which the debt ceiling would grow in three increments over the remainder of this Congress unless lawmakers approve a veto proof resolution of disapproval.
Discussion:
CNN, The Note, Healthwatch, Hot Air, msnbc.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, PERRspectives, Jared Bernstein, TalkLeft, Politics, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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 …
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 …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, New York Magazine, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Reuters, TPMDC, Riehl World View and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
Republicans Introduce Plan, Go On Offensive — The debt ceiling debate continues. — Senate Republicans mounted a bold offensive today against President Obama's effort to force them to accept a tax hike as part of a bipartisan agreement to raise the debt limit.
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, JustOneMinute, Erick's blog, National Review and Pundit & Pundette
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 …
Discussion:
Balkinization, Swampland, Top of the Ticket, Poll Watch Daily, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and AMERICAN FUTURE
Andrew Stiles / National Review:
Norquist: Time to Force Obama's Hand — Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, says he supports Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's “contingency plan” designed to force President Obama to assume nearly all of the responsibility for raising the debt ceiling.
Discussion:
Americans for Tax Reform RSS, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Cold Fury and TPMDC
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:
Daily Kos
Rich Lowry / National Review:
McConnell's Contingency Plan
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Craven Reign — I just finished explaining that Mitch McConnell …
Craven Reign — I just finished explaining that Mitch McConnell …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Wall Street Journal:
Debt-Limit Harakiri — Mitch McConnell isn't selling out Republicans.
Debt-Limit Harakiri — Mitch McConnell isn't selling out Republicans.
Discussion:
Hot Air and National Review
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, AmSpecBlog, Riehl World View and Hot Air
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Tea Party group tells McConnell to ‘find his spine’
Corey Boles / Wall Street Journal:
McConnell Says ‘Real Deal’ Not Possible With Obama
McConnell Says ‘Real Deal’ Not Possible With Obama
Discussion:
Calculated Risk, MyFox Philadelphia, Wizbang, Pajamas Media, The Hill and And So it Goes in Shreveport
Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
New McConnell Plan: We Get Everything We Want On Debt Ceiling, Plus 12 Opportunities To Bash Obama
New McConnell Plan: We Get Everything We Want On Debt Ceiling, Plus 12 Opportunities To Bash Obama
Discussion:
National Review, The Caucus, Hullabaloo, City Room and Balkinization
The Politico:
Angry John Boehner rallies GOP troops on debt limit
Angry John Boehner rallies GOP troops on debt limit
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, Firedoglake, Healthwatch, Washington Monthly, Swampland, USA Today, The Note, Gawker and Gothamist
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
McConnell's debt disapproval plan
McConnell's debt disapproval plan
Discussion:
The Page and A plain blog about politics
Guy Benson / Townhall.com:
Guy Benson — BREAKING: McConnell Proposes Alternative Debt Ceiling Deal
Guy Benson — BREAKING: McConnell Proposes Alternative Debt Ceiling Deal
Discussion:
Hot Air, Heritage Action for America, Pajamas Media, The Politico and Politics
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Dem strategist: Obama should invoke 14th Amendment powers to raise debt limit
Dem strategist: Obama should invoke 14th Amendment powers to raise debt limit
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and The Daley Gator
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell fallback plan would leave debt-ceiling hikes to Obama
McConnell fallback plan would leave debt-ceiling hikes to Obama
Discussion:
The Politico, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly and The Hill
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
EXCLUSIVE: McConnell to Obama: Eat your own darn peas
EXCLUSIVE: McConnell to Obama: Eat your own darn peas
Discussion:
Fox News, Pajamas Media, REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, Indecision Forever and The Maddow Blog
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Mitch McConnell to Obama: You want debt ceiling raised? Then raise it yourself!
Mitch McConnell to Obama: You want debt ceiling raised? Then raise it yourself!
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News, Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, TPMDC and Balloon Juice
Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:
APNewsBreak: Romney rejects gay marriage pledge — DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign said Tuesday that he will not sign a conservative Iowa Christian group's far-reaching pledge opposing gay marriage, making him the first Republican presidential candidate to reject it.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Hot Air, The Raw Story and Towleroad News #gay
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Frank Newport / Gallup:
Sarah Palin Evokes Strong Emotions Among Republicans
Sarah Palin Evokes Strong Emotions Among Republicans
Discussion:
Washington Wire, MyFox Philadelphia, Conservatives4Palin and The Nation
Justin Elliott / Salon:
The man behind the Marriage Vow
The man behind the Marriage Vow
Discussion:
The American Independent, The Daily Caller, TPMDC and ThinkProgress
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
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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
Nicholas Ballasy / CNSNews:
Sebelius: Obamacare's Penalty on Small Businesses a ‘Great Incentive’ for Growth — (CNSNews.com) - Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius told CNSNews.com on Monday that a provision in President Barack Obama's health-care law that requires small businesses …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and Say Anything
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Fresh doubt cast on Obama's health care story
Fresh doubt cast on Obama's health care story
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, iOwnTheWorld.com, JustOneMinute, The Camp Of The Saints, Hot Air, Say Anything and The Lonely Conservative
John Tompkins / Brazosport Facts:
Ron Paul won't seek congressional term in 2012 — LAKE JACKSON — After serving almost 24 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Ron Paul told The Facts this morning he will not be seeking another term for the District 14 seat. — Paul, 75, will instead focus on his quest for the presidency in 2012.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Hill, Trail Blazers Blog, The TrogloPundit, Hot Air, The American Independent, Off the Kuff, UrbanGrounds, Mediaite, The Atlantic Online, Top of the Ticket, Wonkette, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Moderate Voice, REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, Gawker, Real Time Economics, New York Magazine, Greg's Opinion, MarketBeat, Washington Wire, The Note, CNN, Pajamas Media, Outside the Beltway, Weasel Zippers, Proof Positive, Taegan Goddard's …, Politics, The Raw Story, Daily Kos, TPMDC, Hit & Run, Hotline On Call and GOP 12
JSOnline:
Ruling on bias has Supreme Court judges bickering again — By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel — Madison - State Supreme Court justices can't kick each other off cases for bias, the court ruled Tuesday in a bitterly divided decision along now-familiar 4-3 lines.
Discussion:
Althouse
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Star-Ledger Guest / NJ Voices Guest blog:
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer shows progressive streak
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer shows progressive streak
Discussion:
Concurring Opinions and The Volokh Conspiracy
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Lightbulb bill likely headed for defeat in House — House Democrats on Monday indicated strong opposition to a controversial bill to repeal federal lightbulb standards, which could lead to the defeat of the measure in an expected Tuesday vote. — The Better Use of Light Bulbs Act …
Discussion:
Sweetness & Light and Hot Air
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Jeremy Scahill / The Nation:
The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia — Nestled in a back corner of Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport is a sprawling walled compound run by the Central Intelligence Agency. Set on the coast of the Indian Ocean, the facility looks like a small gated community, with more than a dozen …
Discussion:
Salon, Weasel Zippers, Lawfare, Information Dissemination, Emptywheel and ThinkProgress
Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
N.Y. clerk quits over gay marriage — A rural New York town clerk has resigned her post rather than grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. — “I would be compromising my moral conscience by participating in licensing same-sex couples,” Laura Fotusky, the clerk of the Town of Barker, told POLITICO.
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay, Jezebel, Gothamist, Gawker, The Raw Story, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Capital Tonight and New York Magazine
Carl Campanile / New York Post:
Blow against O in Weiner race — In “a shot across President Obama's bow,” Democratic former Mayor Ed Koch yesterday urged voters in Queens and Brooklyn to make “history” by voting for the Republican candidate to replace randy ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner in the Sept. 13 special election …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative, Nice Deb, The Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and Israel Matzav