memeorandum: Memo to Mitt Romney: You Have to Attack Rick Perry, and Here's How to Do It (William Galston/The New Republic)

4:05 PM ET, August 31, 2011

Top Items:

Sarah Palin Appearance at Tea Party Rally in Iowa ‘No Longer Confirmed’ — This post has been corrected. — Sarah Palin's Saturday appearance at a tea party rally in Indianola, Iowa, is on hold, a person close to the former Alaska governor told The Wall Street Journal.

Discussion: Politics, Ben Smith's Blog, The Iowa Republican, Little Green Footballs, The Hill, TPMDC, The Political Carnival, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Gawker, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Other McCain, The Daily Caller, National Review, New York Magazine, The Powers That Be and Pajamas Media

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:

Palin appearance at Iowa tea party event now in doubt — (CNN) - Sources close to Sarah Palin told CNN Wednesday that the former Alaska governor is no longer likely to attend a tea party rally in Iowa on Saturday, an event that's been plagued by logistical issues.

Discussion: The Politico, Iowa Caucuses and The American Independent

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:
FreedomWorks to protest Romney

Discussion: TPMDC and Swampland

delawareonline:
O'Donnell dropped, re-invited to rally

Discussion: Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze.com, Politics, Crooks and Liars, TPMDC and CNN

First Read / msnbc.com:
Tea Party organizer ‘had to cancel’ Christine O'Donnell to get Palin to attend

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Talking Points Memo and Gawker

Molly Ball / The Politico: Palin still on for Iowa, organizers say

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:
Palin's Participation in Iowa Rally “On Hold”

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Wonkette and The Iowa Republican

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Obama schedules jobs address to coincide with GOP 2012 debate — President Obama has requested a joint session of Congress next week to deliver his jobs speech directly to lawmakers. — In a letter to congressional leaders requesting the Sept. 7 slot, the president said he will urge Congress …

Discussion: The Politico, Hot Air and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Obama targets GOP for fall offensive — “Kill the body, and the head will die.” — Joe Frazier — President Obama is preparing to fight a political war this fall on two fronts — the first against Republicans who want his job and the second against Republicans who want to make his job more difficult.

Discussion: The Other McCain, JammieWearingFool, Pirate's Cove, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Prairie Weather

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

Obama to go big with jobs agenda — When it comes to President Obama's new economic plan, to be unveiled next week, the three main questions are pretty straightforward: (1) what's in it; (2) how much good will it do; and (3) what will Congress do to it. — But I've been curious about one other thing: where's he going to deliver it?

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, Lemkin and Weasel Zippers

Michael Scherer / Swampland:
Team Obama Finds Hope for 2012 in a History Lesson

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Obama requests time for jobs speech

Discussion: The Hill, New York Magazine and TPMDC

Scott McGrew / NBC Bay Area:

Solyndra to Declare Bankruptcy — President Obama touted the facility only a year ago. — Solyndra — recently touted as an innovator by President Obama — is reportedly shutting its doors. Employees are being turned away this morning. … Solyndra, a major manufacturer of solar technology in Fremont …

Discussion: Hot Air, Verum Serum, theblogprof, americanthinker.com, Pajamas Media and Clayton Cramer's Blog

Scott McGrew / NBC Bay Area:

Solyndra Filing a Disaster for Obama — U.S. President Barack Obama heads inside to deliver a speech after meeting with construction workers building a new Solyndra solar panel factory May 26, 2010 in Fremont, California. President Obama toured Solyndra Inc., a growing solar power equipment facility …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Campaign 2012, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:

Solar company that received Obama administration backing closes its doors — A California-based solar company that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will shut down. — The company, Solyndra Inc., said Wednesday it would suspend …

Discussion: Energy.gov, Bloomberg, Reuters, Michelle Malkin and Swampland

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Cantor finds himself in a tricky spot on hurricane disaster aid — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's insistence that federal disaster aid be offset elsewhere in the budget runs directly counter to his position in the past when the money went to help his Virginia district.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, Sky Dancing, Paul Krugman, Daily Kos and msnbc.com

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:

Republican Revolt: Virgina's GOP Governor Splits With Cantor, Rejects Conditioning Disaster Aid On Budget Cuts — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), along with some of his House GOP colleagues, have been saying that disaster aid for the areas affected by Hurricane Irene must be offset by, in Cantor's words, “savings elsewhere.”

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Moderate Voice, The Rantings & Ravings …, Chicago Tribune and Daily Kos

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Federal Austerity Changes Disaster Relief

Discussion: Firedoglake, NewsBusters.org blogs, Media Research Center, The Confluence and No More Mister Nice Blog

Quinnipiac University:

Perry Jumps To The Top Of GOP Pack, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Perry, Romney Each Run Neck And Neck With Obama — Texas Gov. Rick Perry has zoomed to the front of the line of GOP presidential candidates with a 24 - 18 percent lead over former Massachusetts …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Ballot Box, Politics, msnbc.com, Outside the Beltway, Democracy in America, CNN, Swampland, GOP 12, Hot Air, TPMDC, The Moderate Voice, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, No More Mister Nice Blog, Taegan Goddard's …, National Review and JammieWearingFool

William Galston / The New Republic:

Memo to Mitt Romney: You Have to Attack Rick Perry, and Here's How to Do It — TO: MITT ROMNEY FROM: BILL GALSTON SUBJ: YOUR CAMPAIGN — Every successful presidential campaign faces at least one defining moment when choices spell the difference between victory and defeat.

Discussion: The Politico

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Romney camp not panicking — yet

Discussion: GOP 12, Campaign 2012 and New York Magazine

Jake Sherman / The Politico:

Andre Carson: Tea party wants blacks ‘hanging on a tree’ — A top lawmaker in the Congressional Black Caucus says tea partiers on Capitol Hill would like to see African Americans hanging from trees and accuses the movement of wishing for a return to the Jim Crow era.

Discussion: PoliPundit.com, CNN, The Natural Truth, NewsBusters.org, White House Dossier, Verum Serum, Confederate Yankee, RedState, Datechguy's Blog, Weasel Zippers, Philly.com and The Daily Caller

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Rep. Carson: Tea party wants to see African Americans ‘hanging on a tree’

Discussion: RealMReynolds, Big Journalism, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story, Politics and Raw Replay

Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
Rep. Allen West considers quitting CBC

Discussion: Campaign 2012

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Huntsman to unveil sweeping tax reform — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) will propose sweeping tax reforms Wednesday in a speech outlining his jobs plan. — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) will propose sweeping tax reforms Wednesday in a speech outlining his plans on job creation.

Discussion: The Politico, TheBlaze.com, Politics, CNN, GOP 12 and New York Magazine

Chris Cillizza / Associated Press:
Jon Huntsman's last, best shot

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air, The American Independent, Ben Smith's Blog and AmSpecBlog

James Pethokoukis:
Huntsman tax plan goes big and bold

Discussion: National Review and ThinkProgress

Tom Schoenberg / Bloomberg:

U.S. Files Antitrust Complaint to Block AT&T, T-Mobile Merger — The U.S. government sued to block AT&T Inc.'s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc., saying the deal would “substantially lessen competition” in the wireless market. — The Justice Department complaint was filed today in federal court in Washington.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, TechCrunch, L.A. Times Tech Blog, CWA Union News, Felix Salmon, ECHIDNE of the snakes, GigaOM, Hot Air, Politics, TPM Idea Lab, Gawker and New York Magazine, more at Techmeme »

New York Times:

The New Resentment of the Poor — In a decade of frenzied tax-cutting for the rich, the Republican Party just happened to lower tax rates for the poor, as well. Now several of the party's most prominent presidential candidates and lawmakers want to correct that oversight and raise taxes …

Discussion: The Caucus, Prairie Weather, Daily Kos, The Mahablog and Suburban Guerrilla

Carol Marin / Chicago Sun Times:

State Rep. Deborah Mell has legal gay marriage in Iowa — Christin Baker and State Rep. Deborah Mell reveal they got married recently in Iowa. Tuesday, August 30, 2011 | Brian Jackson~Sun-Times — State Rep. Deborah Mell (D-Chicago) quietly made Illinois history last week. — She got married.

Discussion: The American Independent, Towleroad News #gay, ThinkProgress and On Top Magazine Headlines

Mercatus Site Feed:

Did Stimulus Dollars Hire the Unemployed? — Answers to Questions about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — In an effort to boost hiring and job creation and to invest in a variety of domestic infrastructure programs, Congress passed and the president signed the American Recovery …

Discussion: National Review and Weasel Zippers

Tyler Cowen / Marginal Revolution:
Why didn't the stimulus create more jobs?

Discussion: Mother Jones, ThinkProgress and The New Republic

TheUnion.com Online News:

Babysitting bill in Calif. Legislature — Office of Sen. Doug LaMalfa — How will parents react when they find out they will be expected to provide workers' compensation benefits, rest and meal breaks and paid vacation time for...babysitters? Dinner and a movie night may soon become much more complicated.

Discussion: Independed Women's Forum, Maggie's Farm, Pajamas Media, Scared Monkeys, Wizbang and americanthinker.com

David Kocieniewski / New York Times:

Where Pay for Chief Executives Tops the Company Tax Burden — At least 25 top United States companies paid more to their chief executives in 2010 than they did to the federal government in taxes, according to a study released on Wednesday. — The companies — which include household names like eBay …

Discussion: Reuters, Felix Salmon, The Politico, Brilliant at Breakfast, Hullabaloo and The BLT

Laura Zuckerman / Reuters:

Idaho woman challenges abortion laws after prosecution — (Reuters) - An Idaho woman prosecuted for terminating her own pregnancy with an abortion pill ordered over the Internet has filed suit challenging a decades-old law under which she was charged, as well as a new state ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation.

Discussion: LifeNews.com and Shakesville

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Nevada AG Catherine Cortez Masto Destroys BofA in New Lawsuit — Masto lights a stick. (photo: Jeff Hester) — Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto's amended complaint in a lawsuit against Bank of America has so many interesting nuances, I think I need a new Internet to catalog them all.

Discussion: New York Times, Zandar Versus The Stupid and ProPublica

John Riley / Poliglot:

Choi Takes the Stand, Delivering Tense Testimony and Impassioned Speeches — Former Army Lt. Dan Choi took the witness stand today during the second day of his federal trial for failing to obey a lawful order by a police officer, where he delivered several impassioned speeches protesting …

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, This ain't Hell …, ThinkProgress, On Top Magazine Headlines and Firedoglake