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I am going to be honest with the American people — The first step to fixing a problem is honestly admitting there is a problem. America's goal must be to fix Social Security by making it more financially sound and sustainable for the long term. But Americans deserve a frank and honest discussion …
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TRENDING: Jindal to endorse Perry — Tampa, Florida (CNN) - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is backing Rick Perry for president, a major endorsement for the Texas governor as the campaign for the Republican nomination enters the crucial fall stretch of the primary calendar, a source tells CNN.

New CNN Poll: Perry on top when it comes to electability — Tampa, Florida (CNN) - Hours before the start of the first-ever CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, a new national survey indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is maintaining his lead in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
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Why Ron Paul scares Rick Perry — One of the cardinal rules of politics is “never attack down,” meaning a front-runner should never attack or respond to an opponent who is far behind. Yet that is what Rick Perry is doing. He is intimidated by Ron Paul, and responding to Ron Paul. Why?
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Alan Colmes' Liberaland

My Endorsement: Mitt Romney for President — Great crises often produce great leaders. Unfortunately, sometimes the timing isn't right, and neither is the leader. — Barack Obama came into office in the midst of a great economic crisis. Although hopes were high, he did not rise to the occasion.

Turner poised for big upset
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Pawlenty Announces Bid to Be Mitt Romney's Vice President
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Washington Post

Bachmann called Social Security ‘a tremendous fraud’ in 2010
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Campaign 2012, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Iowa Caucuses, Outside the Beltway and Pajamas Media

Fred Malek: ‘Too Late’ for Palin to Run; GOP Nominee Will Be Perry or Romney
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GOP 12 and Taegan Goddard's …

Perry and the Ponzis — Is Texas governor and Republican …
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RedState

Conservatives join liberals in opposing Obama's payroll tax cut extension
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The Politico, USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, iOwnTheWorld.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Mike Huckabee dings Rick Perry, says Mitt Romney more ‘electable’
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ThinkProgress, Raw Replay, Campaign 2012 and National Review


GOP grumbles about jobs plan — House Republicans may pass bits and pieces of President Barack Obama's jobs plan, but behind the scenes, some Republicans are becoming worried about giving Obama any victories — even on issues the GOP has supported in the past.
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REVEALED: Obama's Jobs Plan To Raise $400 Billion In Taxes — White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew outlined President Barack Obama's plan to pay for his $447 billion jobs plan — mostly through tax increases. — Lew said itemized tax deductions and exemptions …
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Questions and Observations, Pajamas Media and PoliPundit.com

Cantor says no to jobs bill spending — Washington (CNN) - House Majority Leader Eric Cantor continued to reach out to work with President Obama on his jobs bill Monday, but emphasized that Republicans are focused on items they support in the plan like the tax breaks and will oppose …


Obama proposes raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for $447 billion jobs bill
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Washington Monthly and Mother Jones

Obama proposes tax hikes on wealthy to pay for $447B jobs bill
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National Review and Outside the Beltway

Administration Willing to Go It Alone
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Hot Air, The Hill and Weasel Zippers

White House: Tax Hikes For The Wealthy Will Largely Pay For Jobs Bill
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Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

Why Congress Won't Pass A Jobs Bill: ‘Obama Is On The Ropes; Why Do We Appear Ready To Hand Him A Win?’
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The Mahablog, Washington Monthly and Firedoglake


Get Krugman! … - A Defense of Rap Rock. Yes, a Defense of Rap Rock. - The Strange Designs of the Earliest Typewriters - Tony Bennett on What He Wishes He Said to Amy Winehouse
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Angry Rumsfeld cancels N.Y. Times — Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Monday canceled his subscription to The New York Times after columnist Paul Krugman characterized the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as “an occasion for shame.” — Rumsfeld tweeted, “After reading Krugman's …
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Daily Kos, Mediaite, FishbowlDC, Outside the Beltway and Big Government

Paul Krugman 9/11 Blog Post Stokes Controversy … Paul Krugman drew conservative outrage on Sunday when he wrote that the anniversary of 9/11 had become a marker of “shame” for the U.S. (Scroll down for Krugman's new post on the subject.) — The New York Times columnist wrote a blog post called …
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Paul Krugman, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Verum Serum and Truthdig

An Impeccable Disaster — On Thursday Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank or E.C.B. — Europe's equivalent to Ben Bernanke — lost his sang-froid. In response to a question about whether the E.C.B. is becoming a “bad bank” thanks to its purchases of troubled nations' debt …
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TalkLeft and Prairie Weather
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Debt Crisis — Euro-Zone Exit Scenarios — Germany Plans for Possible Greek Default
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Felix Salmon and Marginal Revolution

Europe Slips As Greece Falls
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New York Times and Lawrence Person's …

Shocking Barro — People have been asking for my reaction to Robert Barro's op-ed, so I finally went and read it. And I have to say that I'm shocked by the laziness - he's not even trying to present a coherent argument. — I mean, here's the structure of what he says:
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Firedoglake, ThinkProgress, Modeled Behavior, JammieWearingFool and New York Times
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What might be Robert Barro's argument?
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Modeled Behavior, Economist's View and Grasping Reality …


Morning Joe Skirmish As Smiley Recycles ‘Bush Lied’ — A skirmish broke out on Morning Joe today as Tavis Smiley claimed President George W. Bush “lied” the USA into the war in Iraq. Joe Scarborough and—surprisingly— Jon Meacham forcefully refuted Smiley's slur.
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nation.foxnews.com and Hot Air
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The Most Nerve-Wracking Moment of George W. Bush's Presidency Was When He Threw a Ball
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Washington Post


Al Gore in 24-hour broadcast to convert climate skeptics — (Reuters) - Former President Al Gore will renew his 30-year campaign to convince skeptics of the link between climate change and extreme weather events this week in a 24-hour global multi-media event.


Veto a State, Lose an Ally — The United States must support the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations this month or risk losing the little credibility it has in the Arab world. If it does not, American influence will decline further, Israeli security will be undermined …
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Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, Attackerman, Guardian, ThinkProgress, emptywheel, The Daily Dish, The Moderate Voice and Israel Matzav

The President's Do-Over — A week after President Obama took the oath of office, Alice Rivlin, budget chief to President Bill Clinton, testified before a Congress that was about to consider sweeping stimulus legislation. In her remarks, Rivlin voiced her support for a swift …
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Betsy's Page
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We Don't Have Deficit Reduction Because Republicans Don't Want It
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A plain blog about politics and Lawyers, Guns & Money


For the First Time Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly Share Their Story with Diane Sawyer — The Diane Sawyer Special will air in conjunction with the publication of — In a landmark television event, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Space Shuttle …
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Mediaite
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Sawyer snags Giffords interview
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Associated Press and Media Decoder

MEMO: National poll on government regulations — DATE: SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 TO: PUBLIC NOTICE FROM: NICHOLAS THOMPSON & BRIAN TRINGALI RE: KEY FINDINGS FROM NATIONAL SURVEY The Tarrance Group is pleased to present Public Notice with the key findings from a survey of N=801 registered “likely” voters across the country.
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Hot Air, Money & Company, The Daily Caller, Pajamas Media and GayPatriot