memeorandum: 7 Blocks to Walk, Brooklyn Boy Never Got Home (James Barron/New York Times)

1:15 PM ET, July 14, 2011

Top Items:

President Obama abruptly walks out of talks — President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of a stormy debt-limit meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, a dramatic setback to the already shaky negotiations, according to GOP sources. — “He shoved back and said 'I'll see you tomorrow' and walked out …

The Hill:

Obama warns Cantor: 'Don't call my bluff' in debt-ceiling talks — Republicans said tense negotiations over raising the $14.3 trillion debt limit at the White House ended when President Obama stormed out of the meeting with a stern warning to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.): “Don't call my bluff.”

Political Punch:

Obama: ‘This May Bring My Presidency Down, but I Will Not Yield’ on No Short-Term Extensions — ABC News' Jake Tapper and Ann Compton report: — It was, sources from both parties say, the most tense of the deficit reduction meetings yet. — After a period of what was described …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Firedoglake, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, Erick's blog, The Gateway Pundit, Verum Serum, Hot Air, Front Row Washington, The Note and Gallup

Stuart Rothenberg / Roll Call:

Debt Ceiling Stalemate Not About Numbers — There is an old joke, attributed to both Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. It goes something like this: — Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for 5 million pounds? — Woman: My goodness, Mr. Churchill ... Well, I suppose …

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:

McCaskill: GOP looks like ‘hot, sloppy mess’ — Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) slammed Republicans, claiming their internal divisions were impeding the ongoing debt-ceiling negotiations. — “I don't know what [House Speaker John] Boehner (R-Ohio) has going on in his caucus,” she said on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday.

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, The Note, Washington Examiner, Esquire, Weasel Zippers and Reuters

Josiah Ryan / The Hill:

Reid: Cantor acted ‘childish’ and shouldn't be at the negotiation table — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) acted “childish” in the debt talks. — He is the the latest Democratic leader to accuse Cantor of impeding progress …

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Owns the Debt-Ceiling Fiasco

Discussion: Washington Post and The Atlantic Online

Neil Irwin / Washington Post:
Top Democrats laud GOP debt-limit move; Fed chief warns of ‘calamity’ if U.S. defaults

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Online, TPMDC, Washington Times, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Los Angeles Times, The Politico, Washington Wire, Prairie Weather, Daily Kos, msnbc.com and White House Dossier

The Note:
Harry Reid Says ‘Childish’ Eric Cantor Shouldn't Be At The Negotiating Table

Discussion: Raw Replay and Political Punch

Wall Street Journal:
Raters Put U.S. on Notice

Discussion: The Politico, Global Public Square, National Review, Politics, Bloomberg, New York Magazine, The Page and The Lonely Conservative

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Obama Warns Cantor 'Don't Call My Bluff' As Debt Talks Stall

Bloomberg:
Obama Said to Consider Camp David Summit for Deficit Talks

Discussion: The Agonist

Jay Newton-Small / Swampland:
Obama vs. Cantor: Tempers Flare As Debt Ceiling Negotiations Take a Dramatic Turn

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Darren Goode / Reuters:
House light bulb debate returns as amendment

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Politico

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Quinnipiac poll finds more voters would blame GOP on debt

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Eric Cantor Is the Democrats' New Bogeyman

Discussion: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Dan Hirschhorn / The Politico:

Ron Paul ads hitting airwaves in Iowa, N.H. — Ron Paul is hitting the airwaves for the first time in Iowa and New Hampshire with a spot that warns ominously against raising the federal debt limit, POLITICO has learned. — The 60-second spot, made with all the flare of a Hollywood movie preview …

Discussion: CNN, Moral Hazard, The Atlantic Online, The Note, The American Independent, msnbc.com, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, Taylor Marsh, Hotline On Call and National Review

New York Post:
The comedian-in-chief — Here's a joke for you: President …

Discussion: National Review

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
U.S. credit rating not worth saving, Ron Paul says

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog

Scott Wong / The Politico:

Graham: GOP has no one ‘to blame but ourselves’ — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham conceded Wednesday that he and his fellow Republicans are now eating their own words as they try to convince the country they are working to stave off a federal default. — “Our problem is we made a big deal about this for three months.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Balloon Juice

Al Hoffman Jr / New York Times:
The Republican Case for Compromise

Discussion: The Politico

Paul Krugman:
Obama, Moderate Republican

Discussion: Modeled Behavior, AMERICAblog News and The Confluence

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
G.O.P.'s No-Tax Stance Is Outside Political Mainstream

Discussion: CNN, The New Republic, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, Poll Watch Daily, msnbc.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Gallup, Balkinization, Daily Kos, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice and New York Times

The Note:

Michele Bachmann Gains Momentum, Surges in Polls — ABC News' Jonathan Karl and Amy Bingham report: — Rep. Michele Bachmann is proving to be a force to be reckoned with as she picks up momentum in early caucus states and surges in the polls. — A national Quinnipiac University poll …

Discussion: The Politico, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh and CNN

Andy Birkey / Minnesota Independent:
Religious right rushes to Bachmann's defense following ‘ex-gay’ reports

Discussion: CNN, Taylor Marsh, NOM Blog, Right Wing Watch, Firedoglake, Holy Bullies …, Truth Wins Out and The Brody File

Andrew Harmon / Advocate:
15 Minutes of Franken — Last month, when The Advocate reached …

Discussion: The Hill, Equality Matters, Weasel Zippers, Breaking news and opinion … and ThinkProgress

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:

Michele Bachmann's Weak Command Of Yiddish — The GOP continues its oft-troubled Jewish outreach efforts by having Michele Bachmann try and fail to pronounce “chutzpah.” — Meanwhile, her church says the Pope is the Antichrist, so she's sure to break out of the Evangelical bubble any day now.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, GOP 12 and The Awl

Joshua Green / The Atlantic Online:
Michele Bachmann's Church Says the Pope Is the Antichrist

Discussion: Eunomia, National Review, The Daily Caller, Connecting.the.Dots, The Raw Story, The Daily Dish, TigerHawk, TPMDC, New York Magazine and Right Wing News

Bloomberg:

Reinhart and Rogoff: The Economy Can't Grow — As public debt in advanced countries reaches levels not seen since the end of World War II, there is considerable debate about the urgency of taming deficits with the aim of stabilizing and ultimately reducing debt as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Discussion: AMERICAN FUTURE

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

The Bain of Mitt Romney's campaign — A company that laid off hundreds of employees. A federal “bailout” to rescue a failing bank. Mitt Romney, at the center of it all. — It's a story line from a tough Democratic ad that was teed up for use against Romney in his 1994 Senate campaign in Massachusetts.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Erick's blog and Daily Kos

Kevin Sack / New York Times:

Book Challenges Obama on Mother's Deathbed Fight — The White House on Wednesday declined to challenge an account in a new book that suggests that President Obama, in his campaign to overhaul American health care, mischaracterized a central anecdote about his mother's deathbed dispute with her insurance company.

Discussion: Althouse, The Politico, NO QUARTER, New York Magazine and Riehl World View

Rasmussen Reports:

55% Oppose Tax Hike In Debt Ceiling Deal — As the Beltway politicians try to figure out how they will raise the debt ceiling and for how long, most voters oppose including tax hikes in the deal. — Just 34% think a tax hike should be included in any legislation to raise the debt ceiling.

Discussion: The Politico, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, Heritage Action for America and Speaker

MyFox Twin Cities:

Gov. Dayton Agrees to Republican Budget to End Minnesota Shutdown — Special session could be called within three days — ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton sent a letter Thursday to House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, saying he “reluctantly” …

Discussion: Power Line and Hot Air

Peter Orszag / Bloomberg:

About Peter R Orszag — Hard Slog — the Real Future of the U.S. Economy: Peter Orszag — The continuing weakness in the labor market and the saga of the debt limit highlight the dual problems we face: low economic growth right now and an unsustainable amount of debt for the future.

Discussion: Politics, Via Meadia and Daily Pundit

ESPN:

Mistrial ruled in Roger Clemens case — WASHINGTON — The judge presiding over Roger Clemens' perjury trial declared a mistrial over inadmissible evidence shown to jurors. — U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said Clemens could not be assured a fair trial after prosecutors showed jurors evidence …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Lynn Sweet:

Obama hits Chicago for 50th birthday fund-raisers at the Aragon — Logo for the Obama Aug. 3 birthday fund-raiser. — follow Lynn Sweet on Twitter: @lynnsweet — Rahm Emanuel headlined Obama fund-raiser Wednesday in Chicago. — WASHINGTON—President Obama returns to Chicago on Aug. 3 …

Discussion: White House Dossier, Weasel Zippers, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and JammieWearingFool

Jess Bravin / Wall Street Journal:

A Gun Activist Takes Aim at U.S. Regulatory Power — MISSOULA, Mont.—With a homemade .22-caliber rifle he calls the Montana Buckaroo, Gary Marbut dreams of taking down the federal regulatory state. — He's not planning to fire his gun. Instead, he wants to sell it …

Discussion: Law Blog and The BLT