memeorandum: Paul Krugman Calls for Space Aliens to Attack Earth Requiring Massive Defense Buildup to Stimulate Economy (Noel Sheppard/NewsBusters.org blogs)

12:00 PM ET, August 15, 2011

Top Items:

Warren E. Buffett / New York Times:

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich — OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched. — While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan …

The Politico:

Buffett: I beg you to raise my taxes — Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man in the world with a net worth of around $80 billion, is demanding the U.S. government make the rich like him pay higher taxes and says they should no longer be protected like endangered “spotted owls.”

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, CNN and JammieWearingFool

The Politico:

Rick Perry schools Michele Bachmann in Waterloo — WATERLOO, Iowa — Rick Perry came to Michele Bachmann's home town Sunday evening and schooled the newly minted Iowa front-runner in her native state's demanding retail political culture. — The day after Perry announced his candidacy …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Boston Globe, Online NewsHour, Balloon Juice, msnbc.com, NY Daily News, The Caucus, Campaign 2012, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Magazine, GOP 12, CNN, The Note, Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, The Hill and Real Clear Politics

Wall Street Journal:

Bachmann-Perry Overdrive — GOP voters are still searching for a unifying candidate. — The fight for the Republican Presidential nomination is finally getting underway in earnest, with Texas Governor Rick Perry bull-riding his way into the race and Michele Bachmann winning Saturday's straw poll in Iowa.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, GOP 12, Don Surber, The New Republic and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Rick Perry / The Daily Beast:

Rick Perry's Ruthless Drive to Win — Rick Perry has called Social Security unconstitutional and presided over the execution of a man who was probably innocent. But as Paul Begala argues, that's just the beginning. — I first met Rick Perry in 1985. He was a Democratic freshman state rep …

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Let Freedom Ring Blog, Taylor Marsh, Connecting.the.Dots, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, The Reality-Based Community and NO QUARTER

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

Chris Christie's Cue — This has been a clarifying week for the 2012 election. Thursday's Republican debate reminded everyone why Mitt Romney is the front-runner, as his rivals left the former Massachusetts governor more or less untouched. Saturday's Ames straw poll disposed of Tim Pawlenty …

Discussion: msnbc.com

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:
The Ten Weirdest Ideas In Rick Perry's Fed Up

Discussion: Paul Krugman

New York Times:
After Iowa, Republicans Face a New Landscape

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Washington Monthly, CNN, Hot Air, The Caucus, The Daily Dish and The Politico

TBogg:
Rick Perry Is Now Sorry He Banned Parental Honor Killings

Discussion: New York Magazine, LifeNews.com and Eschaton

David Paul Kuhn / Real Clear Politics:

At 39 Percent, Obama's Reminded the Worst Could Lie Ahead — There it was: 39 percent. Floor broke. Threshold crossed. The close of Barack Obama's awful week. One more awful August. On Sunday, for the first time in his presidency, Obama's public approval rating dipped below 40 percent in the Gallup Poll.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Scared Monkeys and Hot Air

CBS News: With dismal approval polls, Obama hits the road

Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama returns to the campaign trail with Midwest bus tour

Discussion: CNN, The Maddow Blog and The Heritage Foundation

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Obama approval rating hits new low in latest Gallup tracking poll

Discussion: TPMDC, Political Punch, The Caucus, The Daily Caller, Truthdig and New York Magazine

Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
Pawlenty realizes he wasn't what GOP voters were looking for

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Mario Piperni dot Com, The Nation, CBS News, Swampland, Bloomberg, msnbc.com, The Politico, The BLT, Washington Times and AmSpecBlog

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Texas Unmiracle — As expected, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has announced that he is running for president. And we already know what his campaign will be about: faith in miracles. — Some of these miracles will involve things that you're liable to read in the Bible.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Paul Krugman, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos and Prairie Weather

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Miracles, myths, and mirages

Discussion: The Mahablog

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:

A Businessman in Congress Helps His District and Himself — VISTA, Calif. — Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos and The Page

Reuters:

Pakistan gave China access to secret U.S. aircraft involved in bin Laden raid, paper says — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan gave China access to the previously unknown U.S. “stealth” helicopter that crashed during the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May despite explicit requests …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit and Financial Times

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
U.S. Aides Believe China Examined Stealth Copter

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Online NewsHour

The Note:

Mitt Romney Dubs Obama's Trip the ‘Magical Misery Bus Tour’ — ABC News' Emily Friedman (@EmilyABC) reports: — A new web video and harsh criticism emerged from the Mitt Romney camp today as President Barack Obama launched his three-day bus tour that will make stops in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.

Discussion: Don Surber and Political Punch

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Tea Party's heyday may be coming to an end, say political experts — The reign of the Tea Party may be coming to an end in Washington, according to academic political experts who say polls show a backlash against the conservative movement. — Two national polls released this month by CNN …

Discussion: Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, The Other McCain, The Reality-Based Community, The Gateway Pundit, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Don Surber, Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Impolitic

CNN:

Steady job or healthy environment: What would you choose? — Editor's Note: Soledad O'Brien's documentary “Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America” airs at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET Sunday, August 14, and 8 p.m. ET Saturday, August 20. Follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #battleforblair.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Speakeasy

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org blogs:

Paul Krugman Calls for Space Aliens to Attack Earth Requiring Massive Defense Buildup to Stimulate Economy — Oh those whacky liberals. — On Sunday's “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” New York Times columnist - and, ahem, Nobel laureate - Paul Krugman actually advocated space aliens attack earth thereby requiring …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Michelle Malkin, National Review and Pajamas Media

The Official Google Blog:

Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility — Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide …

Discussion: Bloomberg, TechCrunch, AllThingsD, CNET News, Clusterstock, Globe and Mail, New York Magazine and FT Alphaville, more at Techmeme »

Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:

Democrats urge Obama to be more aggressive on jobs — Many want the president to stand up to Republicans and push for bigger, more ambitious programs to boost the economy. — Job seekers attend a job fair in San Jose. With the national unemployment rate still above 9% …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Suburban Guerrilla

John Stevens / Daily Mail:

Bernie Madoff ditched by his wife of 52 years as she seeks reconciliation with son — The wife of Bernard Madoff has severed ties with the disgraced Wall Street financier and not seen him for more than six months, it has been revealed. — Ruth Madoff, who has been married to the convicted fraudster …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Clusterstock