memeorandum: Bachmann reaches out to religious leaders in S.C. (Gschwarzcnn/CNN)

10:45 AM ET, August 17, 2011

Top Items:

Obama Presses His Case in Crucial Iowa, but Perry Is Close on His Heels — PEOSTA, Iowa — President Obama pulled up to a bucolic community college here in his $1.1 million black armored bus on Tuesday and spent much of the day closeted in a conference with farmers and small-business owners …

Discussion: The Politico, msnbc.com, Washington Post, The Caucus, 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: A plain blog about politics, ThinkProgress, The TrogloPundit and Prairie Weather

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

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and American Power

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

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, GOP 12 and Boston Globe

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

Discussion: CNN

Political Math:
Rick Perry And Texas Job Numbers

Discussion: Don Surber, National Review, Questions and Observations, NO QUARTER, Betsy's Page, The Daily Caller, American Power, UrbanGrounds, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Chicago Boyz, Pajamas Media, Wizbang, Marginal Revolution, The Gateway Pundit, Democracy in America, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Campaign 2012 and The Daily Dish

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

Discussion: Washington Post, Campaign 2012, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Political Carnival

Michelle Malkin:
Rick Perry's bad, Obama-style medicine

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Washington Post, Pundit & Pundette, EnviroKnow, Daily Kos, TPMDC, Rhymes With Right and ThinkProgress

NationalJournal.com:
White House Warns Perry Should Watch What He Says

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots and The Atlantic Online

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Rick Perry, the ‘no apologies’ candidate

Discussion: Race 4 2012, Yahoo! News, Political Punch, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Rasmussen Reports and Reuters

Peter Wehner / Commentary Magazine:
Re: Rick Perry's Serious Unforced Error

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, The Daily Dish, TPMDC, Mediaite, Weekly Standard, Red Racing Horses, Pundits Blog, ThinkProgress, The Caucus and The Politico

Rich Lowry / National Review:
Let the Perry Hatred Begin

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, No More Mister Nice Blog and Daily Kos

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:
Perry Points to ‘Idiotic’ U.S. Rule That Doesn't Exist

Discussion: SFGate, TPMDC, The Politico, Mother Jones and Iowa Caucuses

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, New York Magazine, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Awl and Prairie Weather

Abe Sauer / The Awl:
What I Learned in Two Years at the Tea Party

Discussion: Wonkette

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 and PoliPundit.com

Associated Press:

AP source: Obama to give major jobs speech — (AP) WASHINGTON — Seeking a jolt for a wilting economy, President Barack Obama will give a major speech in early September to unveil new ideas for speeding up job growth and helping the struggling poor and middle class, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.

Discussion: Firedoglake and The Political Carnival

Sam Youngman / Ballot Box:

Obama 2012: Return of the road warrior — Yes, President Obama is on a taxpayer-funded campaign swing. No, he's not rolling out specific economic proposals yet. — But for a wounded president, it sure is some darn good politics. — As Obama tore through the Midwest and his Republican opponents …

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, Washington Monthly, JammieWearingFool and Prairie Weather

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: Firedoglake, Ballot Box, msnbc.com, The Moderate Voice, Mario Piperni dot Com, americanthinker.com, New York Magazine, The Nation and Shot in the Dark

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
Wisconsin Recall Results // Update - Dems hold both seats

Discussion: RedState

Jacob Gershman / Wall Street Journal:

Cuomo Seeks Changes to 9/11 Event — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is quietly pushing the Bloomberg administration to give him more control over his role in the nationally televised ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, said people familiar with the discussions.

Discussion: PolitickerNY, New York Magazine and Gothamist

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: Online NewsHour, Hot Air, Hotline On Call and JammieWearingFool

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:

NBC News Caught Red Handed ‘Selectively Editing’ & ‘ Doctoring’ Video to Smear Gov Perry as Racist — Ed Schultz used a deceptive edit to misinform his audience about the content of Gov. Rick Perry's speech in Iowa yesterday. Schultz claimed that Gov. Perry was calling President Obama a …

Discussion: Hot Air, Betsy's Page, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Sundries Shack, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Campaign 2012, Patterico's Pontifications, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, UrbanGrounds, theblogprof, RedState and blogs.abcnews.com

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:
NBC News' Ed Schultz Admits Selective Edit Deception; Not False Racism Charge

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, nation.foxnews.com, RedState, Hot Air and theblogprof

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: Weasel Zippers

Dave Levinthal / The Politico:

Stephen Colbert loses treasurer to Rick Perry — No joke: Presidential candidate Rick Perry and comedian Stephen Colbert, who last week barraged Iowa voters with advertisements urging voters to support “Rick Parry,” shared the same political committee treasurer - until they didn't.

Discussion: The Note, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Gawker, Reuters and The Raw Story

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: Via Meadia and Outside the Beltway

Kerry Picket / Washington Times:

(audio) Lieberman unsure he'll support Obama in 2012 — Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told host John McCaslin on America's Morning News radio show on Tuesday morning that he had not decided if he would endorse President Obama in 2012:

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, The Daily Caller, Breitbart.tv, Doug Ross and Big Government

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:

Bachmann reaches out to religious leaders in S.C. — (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann will hold a meeting with pastors in Florence during her three-day visit to South Carolina. — The Thursday afternoon gathering with religious leaders, which is closed to reporters …

Discussion: Herald and GOP 12

Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia:

Blue Partisans Shorten The Lines — Press reaction to events in Wisconsin remains educational. The introduction of legislation curtailing union rights and activities for most public employees in Wisconsin was first billed as a victory in disguise: a triggering event that launched the flight …

Discussion: National Review

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Sentiment moving against Walker recall

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Campaign 2012, TPMDC, Hot Air, The Political Carnival, The Raw Story, Daily Kos, Firedoglake and Taegan Goddard's …

Liz Goodwin / Yahoo! News:

Silicon Valley billionaire funding creation of artificial libertarian islands — Pay Pal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has given $1.25 million to an initiative to create floating libertarian countries in international waters, according to a profile of the billionaire in Details magazine.