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Obama ratings sink to new lows as hope fades — Public pessimism about the direction of the country has jumped to its highest level in nearly three years, erasing the sense of hope that followed President Obama's inauguration and pushing his approval ratings to a record low, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion:
Campaign 2012, Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, The Strata-Sphere, Outside the Beltway, Swampland, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, The Heritage Foundation, Prairie Weather, Taegan Goddard's …, UrbanGrounds, The Lonely Conservative, The Moderate Voice, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, AMERICAblog News, Connecting.the.Dots and Daily Kos
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They like him — There's a deluge of terrible poll numbers for the White House today, but I think this one from our Battleground Poll is the most interesting: — Obama receives particularly low marks for his economic stewardship, with only 39 percent saying they approve and 59 percent saying they disapprove.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media


Battleground Poll: Obama approval rating down amid deep economic fears
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Los Angeles Times, LifeNews.com, Campaign 2012, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com, Reuters and Trail Blazers Blog

Obama hits all-time lows, according to NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Hotline On Call and The New Republic

Perry continues to shake up GOP field, lead polls
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and TPMDC

Obama's Weakness Leading to Republican Overreach: Ramesh Ponnuru
Discussion:
Ricochet Conversation Feed and The Daily Dish

Voter Discontent Deepens Ahead of Obama Jobs Plan
Discussion:
Don Surber and MarketBeat


Welcome, Union Brothers and Sisters — In my speech on Saturday in Iowa, I said: “Between bailouts for Wall Street cronies and stimulus projects for union bosses' security and ‘green energy’ giveaways, [Barack Obama] took care of his friends. And now they're on course to raise a billion dollars …
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Wasserman Schultz attacks Fox, ducks Hoffa — In a heated exchanged, Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz repeatedly ducked questions on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday about Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa's call for workers to combat the tea party and “take these son-of-a-bitches out.”
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative, The Daily Caller and JammieWearingFool


Fox Doctors Hoffa Speech To Fabricate Call For Violence — Right-wing bloggers misled by dishonest Fox News video editing are attacking Teamsters President James Hoffa, Jr. for supposedly urging violence against Tea Party activists during a Labor Day speech.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, RealClearPolitics Video Log, Mediaite, News Hounds, Big Journalism, Althouse, Big Government, The Gateway Pundit, Bark Bark Woof Woof, TPMDC, Sky Dancing, No More Mister Nice Blog, Little Green Footballs, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org, Maggie's Notebook, Taylor Marsh, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, emptywheel, Patterico's Pontifications, Daily Kos, Pajamas Media, John Lott's Website, Osborne Ink and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


Teamsters President: ‘No Regrets’ After Fiery Speech Draws Right-Wing Criticism
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Crooks and Liars, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, RealClearPolitics Video Log, Politics, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org, Big Government, Breitbart.tv, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, Scared Monkeys, Questions and Observations, Hot Air, americanthinker.com, Big Journalism, Alternate Brain, The Washington Independent, BizzyBlog, Instapundit, The Reaction, Don Surber, Nice Deb, Business Insider, HotAirPundit and Michelle Malkin

World Ends Today; Markets to Close Early? — The news out of Europe yesterday and this morning somehow puts me in mind of the long opening sequence in the John Landis feature film rendering of The Twilight Zone, in which Dan Ackroyd says to Albert Brooks, “You want to see something really scary?”
Discussion:
americanthinker.com
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Deutsche Bank CEO Just Gave A Terrifying Speech In Frankfurt
Discussion:
The Western Experience and The Awl


Janet Napolitano: Shoes-on flight in sight — Air travelers will eventually be able to keep their shoes on to pass through security, but the restrictions on carrying liquids on board are likely to remain in place for some time, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a POLITICO Playbook breakfast Tuesday.


Exclusive Audio: Inside the Koch Brothers' Secret Seminar — Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of this report, on the GOP superstar who rocked the Koch seminar crowd. — “We have Saddam Hussein,” declared billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, apparently referring to President Barack Obama …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Wonkette, New York Magazine, Politics and Daily Kos
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Exclusive: The Koch Brothers' Million-Dollar Donor Club
Discussion:
The Politico, Crooks and Liars and The BRAD BLOG

Why are three free-trade deals languishing on Obama's desk? — According to the White House, President Obama has been huddling with advisers on a jobs plan he'll present to Congress this week. One thing he could do immediately is finalize the free-trade deals with Colombia …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, The Politico, Ricochet Conversation Feed and Daily Kos
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POTUS shows some fight in Detroit
Discussion:
White House.gov Blog, The New Republic, Daily Kos and Washington Wire

The 2012 Election Will Come Down to Seven States — National polls are nice, but Electoral College math is what matters. — Straw polls, real polls, debates, caucuses, primaries—that's the public side of presidential campaigns 14 months before Election Day.
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Western Experience, American Power, UrbanGrounds and National Review

Pelosi drops the word ‘stimulus’ — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats have dropped the word stimulus from their vocabulary. — Though the House minority leader and her caucus are still pushing an economic stimulus agenda to save the economy, they've radically changed …
Discussion:
ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Weasel Zippers, JammieWearingFool and National Review


Ron Paul to attack Rick Perry in new ad — Ron Paul is taking on Rick Perry in a new television ad blasting the Texas governor for for supporting Al Gore's 1988 presidential campaign, POLITICO has learned. — The 60-second spot, backed by a six-figure ad buy — the first negative ad attacking Perry …
Discussion:
CNN, GOP 12, Outside the Beltway and TPMDC
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About that Romney job creation record
Discussion:
BizzyBlog, The Daily Caller and Pajamas Media


Leak Offers Look at Efforts by U.S. to Spy on Israel — WASHINGTON — When Shamai K. Leibowitz, an F.B.I. translator, was sentenced to 20 months in prison last year for leaking classified information to a blogger, prosecutors revealed little about the case. They identified the blogger in court papers only as “Recipient A.”
Discussion:
Secrecy News, The Politico, Lawfare, Power Line, Mondoweiss, Israel Matzav, The Debate Link, Israpundit and Pajamas Media

Baldwin slams Washington, Madison in first campaign speech — Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) used her first conference call as a Senate candidate as a populist attack on politicians in both Washington, D.C., and Madison, her hometown, accusing them as being “tone-deaf” and ignoring issues important to middle-class voters.
Discussion:
The Politico
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Sources: Obama Administration to Drop Troop Levels in Iraq to 3,000 — The Obama administration has decided to drop the number of U.S. troops in Iraq at the end of the year down to 3,000, marking a major downgrade in force strength, multiple sources familiar with the inner workings and decisions …
Discussion:
Maggie's Notebook, Business Insider and Antiwar.com


About Jeffrey Goldberg — Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for the Atlantic, is the author of “Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror.” He was formerly a Washington correspondent and a Middle East correspondent for the New Yorker. — Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Ben Smith's Blog, The Atlantic Online, Israel Matzav and Mondoweiss

My Unfinished 9/11 Business — Ten years after the attacks, we memorialize the loss and we mark the heroism, but there is no organized remembrance of the other feelings that day aroused: the bewilderment, the vulnerability, the impotence. It may be difficult to recall with our attention …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Hit & Run, New York Magazine and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog


We Interview Vice President Joe Biden: He Owns a '67 Corvette and Loves Smoky Burnouts — America's vice president owns a '67 Corvette, and though he's not allowed to drive, he still enjoys the occasional smoky burnout. — C/D: You're the son of a car salesman? — JB: For 34 years, my dad managed dealerships in Delaware.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, New York Magazine, National Review, FishbowlDC, Weasel Zippers, Gawker and Business Insider


Europeans Talk of Sharp Change in Fiscal Affairs — As leaders in Europe try to contain a deepening financial crisis, they are also increasingly talking about making fundamental changes to the way their 17-nation economic union works. — The idea is to create a central financial authority …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, ThinkProgress, Free exchange, Business Insider, Daniel W. Drezner, Washington Post and Financial Times

EXCLUSIVE: Palin's surprise visit delights bride and groom — On the eve of Sarah Palin's speech before the Tea Party Express in New Hampshire, the former Alaska Governor shocked diners and delighted wedding guests by making an unannounced visit to The Puritan Backroom restaurant for some of their famous chicken fingers.
Discussion:
Don Surber and Conservatives4Palin

New York 9th Congressional District Special Election Survey (9/6/11) — Baton Rouge, LA - Magellan Strategies BR today released the survey results of an automated survey of 2,055 likely voters in New York's 9th Congressional District. The survey was conducted September 1st, 2011 and has a margin of error of 2.16%.
Discussion:
Campaign 2012 and National Review


Arizona's Case Against the Voting Rights Act — As ballot restrictions multiply, the state is bringing a lawsuit against the right to vote — In the past few years, the right to vote—basic to any real democratic self-government—has become controversial again.