memeorandum: Obama dares Republicans to block his coming jobs package (James Oliphant/Los Angeles Times)

2:35 PM ET, August 17, 2011

Top Items:

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Field of Dashed Dreams — The president was in “Afternoon of a Faun” mode, a rural deity playing on his panpipes in the woods. Then, suddenly, he stood very still as he sensed electoral danger. — After assuring Obama that she was a supporter, an Iowa mother named Emily asked the president …

Discussion: Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, No More Mister Nice Blog, Connecting.the.Dots and NationalJournal.com

The Note:

Rick Perry Accuses The White House Of Lecturing Him On Bernanke Comments: ‘I Got In Trouble’ — ABC News' Michael Falcone (@michaelpfalcone) and Arlette Saenz (@ArletteSaenz) report: — BEDFORD, N.H. — On his first stop as a presidential candidate in the state that holds …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, WMUR Political Scoop and TPMDC

New York Post:

A rookie mistake — On Monday, 24 hours before the Rasmussen poll would show him up 13 points on Mitt Romney after only three days in the GOP presidential race, Rick Perry made a mistake. — He answered a question in an Iowa field about the Federal Reserve with a waspish threat to Ben Bernanke …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, GOP 12 and Cagle Post

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Perry responds to Obama ‘lecture’: ‘Actions speak louder than words’

Discussion: GOP 12 and CNN

New York Times:
Perry Links Federal Reserve Policies and Treason

Discussion: CNN, msnbc.com, Associated Press, The Politico and The Caucus

Alan S. Blinder / Wall Street Journal:
A Tale of Two Downgrades — Standard & Poor's lack of confidence …

Discussion: Economist's View

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Gov. Perry comes under fire after Bernanke-treason remark

Discussion: Boston Globe and Economix

New York Times:

Crashing the Tea Party — GIVEN how much sway the Tea Party has among Republicans in Congress and those seeking the Republican presidential nomination, one might think the Tea Party is redefining mainstream American politics. — But in fact the Tea Party is increasingly swimming …

Discussion: National Review, Democracy in America, The Daily Dish, NewsBusters.org blogs, New York Magazine, AmSpecBlog, Prairie Weather, AMERICAblog News, ThinkProgress, The Awl and Rasmussen Reports

James Oliphant / Los Angeles Times:

Obama dares Republicans to block his coming jobs package — The president, visiting the Midwest, pledges to send Congress a plan in September and challenges Republicans to block it. Not all Democrats are comfortable with his hard-line stance. — Reporting from Davenport, Iowa …

Discussion: Ballot Box, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Booman Tribune, Hullabaloo and American Power

Wall Street Journal:

President Weighs Asking Panel for Stimulus Measures — President Barack Obama is considering recommending that lawmakers on a deficit committee back new measures to stimulate the lagging economy, people familiar with White House discussions said Tuesday. — The plan Mr. Obama is considering …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, americanthinker.com, PoliPundit.com and National Review

New York Times:
Obama Presses His Case in Crucial Iowa, but Perry Is Close on His Heels

Discussion: CNN, The Politico, Washington Post, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice and Hot Air

Harold Meyerson / Washington Post:

The sad facts behind Rick Perry's Texas miracle — Rick Perry's Texas is Ross Perot's Mexico come north. Through a range of enticements we more commonly associate with Third World nations — low wages, no benefits, high rates of poverty, scant taxes, few regulations and generous corporate subsidies …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Mediaite, Mother Jones, NO QUARTER, The Mahablog, ThinkProgress, Lawyers, Guns & Money, A plain blog about politics, Prairie Weather, The Atlantic Online, The TrogloPundit and Pundits Blog

Jim Forsyth / Reuters:
Confederate plates could be touchy issue for Perry

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Campaign 2012, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Political Carnival

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Pondering Perry's Electability

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, Washington Post and Riptide 2.0

Geoff Earle / New York Post:

Canucklehead Obama bus-ted! — WASHINGTON — President Obama is barnstorming the heartland to boost US jobs in a taxpayer-financed luxury bus the government had custom built — in Canada, The Post has learned. — The $1.1 million vehicle, one of two that Quebec-based Prevost sold the government …

Discussion: Hot Air, theblogprof, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Red Dog Report, The Other McCain, Fausta's Blog, iOwnTheWorld.com, Pirate's Cove and NewsBusters.org blogs

JSOnline:

Wirch, Holperin win Senate recalls; GOP retains 17-16 majority — By Tom Tolan, Patrick Marley and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel — The six-month saga that was Wisconsin's state Senate recall movement ended Tuesday with Democrats retaining two seats - and Republicans still in possession …

Discussion: The Nation, Firedoglake, Ballot Box, The Democratic Daily, Mario Piperni dot Com, americanthinker.com, Prairie Weather, New York Magazine, Shot in the Dark and First Draft

Quinnipiac University:

Christie Is Flat And Obama Is Down In New Jersey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Are Not Worried About Gov's Health — New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie stops his slide and flattens out with a 47 - 46 percent job approval rating from New Jersey voters, his best score in four months …

Discussion: Hot Air, Poll Watch Daily, Online NewsHour, Hotline On Call, The Argo Journal and JammieWearingFool

Jacob Gershman / Wall Street Journal:
Cuomo Seeks Changes to 9/11 Event

Discussion: PolitickerNY, New York Magazine and Gothamist

Michelle Malkin:

Rick Perry's bad, Obama-style medicine — Scroll for updates... Governor Gardasil, R-Merck. — Beltway types are obsessing over GOP Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign trail comments about the Fed and Ben Bernanke. — Blah x 3. — I'm far less aggravated by Gov. Perry's injudicious toss-off remarks …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, RedState, Roll Call, GOP 12, The Reaction, AmSpecBlog, Pundit & Pundette, Daily Kos, TPMDC, ThinkProgress, Rhymes With Right and Washington Post

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Rick Perry reverses himself, calls HPV vaccine mandate a ‘mistake’

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Moderate Voice, Democracy in America, msnbc.com and Washington Wire

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:

GOP Bigs Push Paul Ryan to Run — Mitch Daniels, Jeb Bush, John Boehner, Jim Jordan, and Bill Bennett encourage Ryan to run for president. — As Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan comes to a final decision about running for president, several top national conservatives are encouraging him to join the race.

Discussion: GOP 12, National Review, Hotline On Call, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post and Brilliant at Breakfast

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Newt Gingrich to campaign in Hawaii — The former House speaker is taking his campaign a long, long way from Iowa and New Hampshire: … The Hawaii trip follows a visit to California, where Gingrich and his wife will screen their film, “Nine Days that Changed the World.”

Discussion: Red Dog Report and Gawker

Domenico Montanaro / msnbc.com:
Aloha, Mr. Gingrich! — Next week, Newt Gingrich is heading …

Discussion: GOP 12 and New York Magazine

Jim Thome / Yahoo! Sports:

Renegade Miami football booster spells out illicit benefits to players — Nevin Shapiro and a second source said this photo of the booster and Kellen Winslow Jr. was taken in Shapiro's VIP section of Opium Garden nightclub in 2003. — KEARNY, N.J. - A University of Miami booster …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Riptide 2.0, emptywheel, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Scared Monkeys

Ben Wolfgang / Washington Times:

Scores show students aren't ready for college — 75% may need remedial classes — **FILE** Students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Ill., walk between buildings on campus. (Associated Press) — For many students, getting a high school diploma doesn't mark the end of a high school education.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia:
75 Percent of Students “Not Ready” For College

Discussion: Maggie's Farm

LaborUnionReport.com:

This is a developing story as police are still investigating the shooting of a non-union business owner, John King, by what appears to be a union assailant. — With around 25 employees, John King owns one of the largest non-union electrical contracting businesses in the Toledo, Ohio area.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Right Wing News and The Jawa Report

Brad Harvey / WTOL-TV:
Lambertville vandalism turns life-threatening

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Wizbang, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

CNNMoney.com:

Abercrombie to ‘Jersey Shore’: Ditch our brand — NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino may have to find some new attire for his “gym, tan, laundry” routine. — On Tuesday, clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch ( ANF) said it would offer “substantial payment” …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Atlantic Online, The Daily Caller and Gawker

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

Cantor decries brinksmanship, urges unity among House GOP on spending — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) urged rank-and-file Republicans Wednesday to avoid brinksmanship and “minimize uncertainty” surrounding 2012 spending and the deficit supercommittee in order to promote economic growth.

Discussion: ABCNEWS

Ryan Jones / Israel Today:

Obama to Israel: Apologize to Turkey, or else — Israel's largest daily newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, reported on Wednesday that the Obama Administration is threatening Israel to either apologize to Turkey over its bloody interception of a Gaza aid flotilla last year, or risk strained ties with Washington.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit