memeorandum: The scourge of ‘career politicians’ (Steve Benen/Washington Monthly)

3:45 PM ET, August 30, 2011

Top Items:

Josh Margolin / New York Post:

‘Jewish’ Bachmann is costing Romney — Funny, she doesn't look Jewish. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is facing a new challenge: He's having trouble raising money from some Jewish donors who mistakenly believe one of his opponents, Michele Bachmann, is Jewish.

Discussion: Boston Globe, Washington Monthly, The Caucus, Wonkette, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Liberal Values, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Althouse, msnbc.com, GOP 12, The New Republic, Indecision Forever, The Political Carnival and New York Magazine

Joanna Molloy / NY Daily News:

Molloy: Bachmann's hair getting NYC attention — Michele Bachmann's kooky comments have a lot of people wondering what's going on inside her head. — On a recent swing through Florida, she said, “I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians.” “We've had an earthquake.

Discussion: Don Surber, Althouse, iOwnTheWorld.com, Politics, Mediaite, New York Magazine and americanthinker.com

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:

Mitt Romney's ‘Career Politician’ Jab At Rick Perry Is First Sign Of ‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’ Strategy … WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney's campaign says they're in no rush to knock Rick Perry down a few notches, but Romney himself on Tuesday began the war to define his top rival …

Discussion: GOP 12, Campaign 2012 and Blogcritics

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
The scourge of ‘career politicians’

Discussion: A plain blog about politics and Washington Post

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Perry up big in South Carolina

Discussion: Hot Air and GOP 12

John Ellis / Politics:
Rick Perry Is A Lot Closer To The 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination Than You Think

Discussion: Jay Bookman, Associated Press and Balloon Juice

Ashley Parker / The Caucus:
Romney, in Perry Territory, Faults ‘Career Politicians’

Discussion: Hit & Run, CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, ABCNEWS, Philly.com, Outside the Beltway, Ben Smith's Blog and Daily Kos

New York Times:

White House Issues Guides on Sept. 11 Observances — WASHINGTON — The White House has issued detailed guidelines to government officials on how to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, with instructions to honor the memory of those who died on American soil but also to recall …

Discussion: The Politico, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Atlas Shrugs, Maggie's Notebook, Gawker, The Confluence, No More Mister Nice Blog, RedState, Daily Pundit, Pirate's Cove, Balloon Juice, iOwnTheWorld.com, New York Magazine, JammieWearingFool and Prairie Weather

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

White House takes shot at Rep. Cantor over hurricane disaster aid — White House press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday took a shot House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor for insisting disaster aid for Hurricane Irene should be offset with other spending cuts.

Discussion: The Politico, Washington Monthly, National Review, TPMDC and The Impolitic

Washington Post:
Princeton economist tapped to head Council of Economic Advisers

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, TalkLeft, msnbc.com, The Nation, The Heritage Foundation, Washington Monthly, Conservatives4Palin, The White House and New York Times

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Former FEMA head Brown says aid should be offset

Discussion: Mediaite

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
If only pollution could create jobs

Discussion: The Hill, Hot Air, Washington Post and Democratic Strategist

Bruce Bartlett / Economix:

The Case Against a Payroll Tax Cut — Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. — It's rare for Republicans to find a tax cut they don't support, but last week …

Discussion: The New Republic, TalkLeft, Cato Institute, AmSpecBlog and Eschaton

Nick Baumann / Mother Jones:

A Venn Diagram for Rick Perry: Social Security Is Not a Ponzi Scheme — On Saturday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a group of voters that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie” to younger Americans. It's not the first time the GOP presidential candidate has made such claims.

Discussion: Campaign 2012, National Review, The Maddow Blog and Hullabaloo

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
Town Hall Constituents Tell Sen. Grassley To Raise The Payroll Tax Cap: ‘We Want To Have Social Security!’

Discussion: Raw Replay

Fox News:

Sources: ATF Director to Be Reassigned Amid Fast and Furious Uproar — The acting director of the Justice Department division caught up in a firearms trafficking scandal is being removed from his post, sources told Fox News on Tuesday. — Kenneth Melson, who heads the Bureau of Alcohol …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, White House Dossier, Pajamas Media, Confederate Yankee and Landmark Report

Sharyl Attkisson / CBS News:

Gunwalker scandal: ATF director out of top job — ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson is being moved out of the top job at the Bureau, ATF Special Agents in Charge announced during a conference call with reporters today. He will transfer to the Justice Department and assume the position of senior advisor, Office of Legal Programs.

Discussion: Hot Air, Politics, Confederate Yankee and AmSpecBlog

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

Why Dick Cheney Left Office Unpopular and Reviled — As the former vice president releases his memoir, it's useful to recall the many reasons why the vast majority of Americans disapproved of his tenure — When Vice President Dick Cheney left office, his approval rating stood at a staggeringly low 13 percent.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Sky Dancing, Attackerman, Raw Replay and Newshoggers.com

Barton Gellman / Swampland:
In New Memoir, Dick Cheney Tries to Rewrite History

Discussion: Guardian, Felix Salmon, Attackerman, Oliver Willis and Outside the Beltway, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg:

Republicans to Unveil Bill to Force Major Changes at the UN — House Republicans are planning to introduce today legislation that seeks to force major changes at the United Nations, using as leverage the U.S.'s 22 percent contribution to the world body's operating budget.

Discussion: The Politico, ThinkProgress, The Hill, NewsBusters.org blogs, Pajamas Media and Politics

Tim Mak / The Politico:
House GOP targets the U.N.

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Weasel Zippers, ThinkProgress and The Political Carnival

Boston Herald:

President Obama's uncle had Social Security ID — President Obama's accused drunken-driving uncle — who was busted after a near collision with a Framingham cop — has had a valid Social Security number for at least 19 years, despite being an illegal immigrant ordered to be deported back to Kenya, the Herald has learned.

Discussion: Power Line, Wizbang, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, New York Magazine and Pajamas Media

Michelle Malkin:
Another deportation fugitive in the Obama family

Discussion: Daily Pundit and The Natural Truth

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Justice Ginsburg: If I Were Nominated Today, My Women's Rights Work For The ACLU Would Probably Disqualify Me — Justice Ginsburg During Her Time As Director of the ACLU Women's Rights Project — In a speech yesterday at Southern Methodist University law school, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg offered …

Jamie Stengle / Associated Press:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at SMU

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:

Fischer: Make Homosexuality “A Criminal Offense” — On his radio show Focal Point yesterday, American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer called on all fifty states to criminalize homosexuality. In 2003, the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas overturned anti-sodomy laws …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Good As You, ThinkProgress and Towleroad News #gay

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

The Gibson Guitar Saga Gets Steadily Curiouser — These days, you can't keep up with all the news. There is just too much going on. So inevitably, there are interesting stories that you have to catch up with when you can, like a moving train. The Justice Department's raid on four Gibson guitar factories is in that category.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, STRANAHAN dot COM, The Memphis Daily News, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, National Review, Hot Air and Midnight Blue Says

Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:

Christine O'Donnell Won't Appear After All at Tea Party Rally — UPDATE: Former U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell will not speak at a tea party event featuring former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in Indianola, Iowa, this weekend, an organizer told Washington Wire.

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TPMDC, Big Government, Wonkette, Hotline On Call, The Daily Caller, Pajamas Media, USA Today and GOP 12

Kelly Kennedy / USA Today:

Health care fraud prosecutions on pace to rise 85% — WASHINGTON - New government statistics show federal health care fraud prosecutions in the first eight months of 2011 are on pace to rise 85% over last year due in large part to ramped-up enforcement efforts under the Obama administration.

Discussion: capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org, The Politico, The Raw Story and National Review

Telegraph:

Parts of Britain suffer coldest summer for nearly two decades — Much of Britain suffered the coldest summer for almost two decades, Met Office statistics show. — As Britons return to work today after a soggy Bank Holiday weekend, official weather data reveals that average temperatures were significantly down on recent years.

Discussion: Don Surber and PoliPundit.com

John Cook / Gawker:

How Bill O'Reilly Tried to Get His Wife's Boyfriend Investigated By the Cops — Last summer, Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly came to believe that his wife was romantically involved with another man. Not just any man, but a police detective in the Long Island community they call home.

Discussion: Adweek and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:

Obama tells young reporters: Climate change a top challenge for young people — Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing young people, President Obama said in a recent interview with young reporters from Scholastic News. — “Another big challenge that your generation …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Weasel Zippers

Andrew Ross Sorkin / DealBook:

The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving — Steve Jobs is a genius. He is an innovator. A visionary. He is perhaps the most beloved billionaire in the world. — Surprisingly, there is one thing that Mr. Jobs is not, at least not yet: a prominent philanthropist.

Discussion: Felix Salmon, Cato @ Liberty and New York Magazine

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Perry at the VFW — Texas Gov. Rick Perry had not planned on going to the Texas meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Then on Aug. 22 a press release appeared on the group's Web site, criticizing the president for not attending. It also included this blast at Perry:

Discussion: Fox News, Mudville Gazette and Ben Smith's Blog