memeorandum: Unrelenting Downturn Is Redrawing America's Economic Map (Michael Cooper/New York Times)

8:30 AM ET, September 27, 2011

Top Items:

Karen McVeigh / Guardian:

Occupy Wall Street: ‘Pepper-spray’ officer named in Bush protest claim — Anthony Bologna, NYPD officer named in pepper-spray incident, is accused of civil rights violations at the time of the 2004 Republican national convention protests — A senior New York police officer accused …

Discussion: emptywheel, New York Times, Balloon Juice, Runnin' Scared, Liberty Street, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, The Mahablog and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Jeanne Mansfield / Boston Review:

Why I Was Maced at the Wall Street Protests — My boyfriend Frank and I are heading toward Liberty Square to check out what's going on at the Occupy Wall Street protest, when we stumble upon the afternoon march toward Union Square. So we join up and walk along behind.

Discussion: Pastebin, Guardian, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, OccupyWallSt News, emptywheel, New York Times and The Agonist

Democracy Now:
Occupy Wall Street Protest Enters Second Week; 80 Arrested at Peaceful March

Discussion: Firedoglake

Shushannah Walshe / Politics:

Sarah Palin Threatens to Sue ‘Rogue’ Book Publisher — Sarah Palin's family attorney John Tiemessen has written a letter to Maya Mavjee, the publisher of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, that Palin may sue her, the company, and the book's author Joe McGinniss …

Discussion: Big Government, Wizbang, The Other McCain, Hot Air, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, News Hounds, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Conservatives4Palin, Business Insider, The Right Scoop and Don Surber

Burgess Everett / The Politico:

McGinniss attacks media over alleged snubs — Joe McGinniss attacked what he called the mainstream media “herd animal” on Sunday, accusing TV and radio outlets of avoiding coverage of his book, “The Rogue: Searching for Sarah Palin.” — Even before its Sept 20. release, “The Rogue” …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, CNN and Book Salon

New York Times:

In Turn to Politics, Facebook Starts a PAC — Facebook wants more friends. And it is willing to pay for them. — The Silicon Valley social media company has for the first time formed an old-fashioned political action committee and will use it to distribute cash to candidates in the coming elections.

Discussion: New York Magazine

Gautham Nagesh / The Hill:

Facebook to form its own PAC to back political candidates — Facebook confirmed it filed paperwork on Monday to start its own political action committee. — “FB PAC will give our employees a way to make their voice heard in the political process by supporting candidates who share our goals …

Discussion: Mashable!, TechCrunch, CNN, Don Surber and Gawker, more at Techmeme »

Gautham Nagesh / The Hill:
Facebook raises its game in Washington by forming its own PAC

Discussion: Guardian

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:

Huntsman Spot in Oct. 18 Debate Endangered — Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah, has been in every presidential debate since he threw his hat in the ring last June. — Now, that may change. — CNN, which is hosting a debate in Las Vegas on Oct. 18, has set criteria for participation …

Discussion: The Politico, The Page, Campaign 2012 and Politics

James Hohmann / The Politico:

NRSC ties Tester to lobbyists in new ad—Perry holds tele-town halls for Iowa, S.C. activists—Obama struggles in Colorado as he heads to Denver—Ron Paul on Jon Stewart — EXCLUSIVE - NRSC LAUNCHING ANTI-TESTER AD: As Sen. Jon Tester heads to Montana for recess, the National Republican Senatorial Committee …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Taegan Goddard's … and msnbc.com

A.Killough / CNN:

Perry moves to reassure Republicans in Iowa, South Carolina — Washington (CNN) - As he faces growing scrutiny about his conservative credentials, Texas Gov. Rick Perry called grassroots activists in the key early states of Iowa and South Carolina on Monday evening to address his record and take questions.

Discussion: GOP 12

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Perry tries to sooth worried Iowa and SC activists

Discussion: The Page

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:

Audience Member Asks Obama: ‘Would You Please Raise My Taxes?’ — President Obama is currently fielding questions from a town hall audience in Mountain View, California, hosted by LinkedIn. At one point, a man stood and asked Obama, “Would you please raise my taxes?”

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Timothy P. Carney / Campaign 2012:
Meet the Google Dem donor who wants a tax hike

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, ThinkProgress, Hot Air, nation.foxnews.com, JammieWearingFool and Weasel Zippers

Euan Mearns / The Oil Drum:

A Brief Economic Explanation of Peak Oil — The following is a guest posting by Chris Skrebowski, the ex Editor of Petroleum Review and longtime ASPO and ODAC member. Chris is the founder and Director of Peak Oil Consulting Ltd. The article was published on the ODAC website on 16th September.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Senate leaders announce bipartisan agreement to avert government shutdown — Senate leaders announced a bipartisan agreement Monday evening that would keep government agencies funded until Nov. 18, potentially ending a contentious dispute over how to pay for disaster funds.

Discussion: Fox News, Outside the Beltway, The Reaction, New York Magazine and Firedoglake

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

New gaffe: Obama confuses Jews with janitors — President Obama spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus awards banquet over the weekend. — Those folks will stick with him in 2012, of course. — But they've been somewhat miffed in recent months that the first post-partisan president …

Discussion: The Right Perspective, Hot Air, Forward.com, The Democratic Daily, The Moderate Voice, Wizbang, Power Line, Pirate's Cove, Vox Popoli and The Enterprise Blog

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Waters: Obama got ‘fired up’ and a little ‘carried away’ in Black Caucus speech

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys and The Politico

Michael Cooper / New York Times:

Unrelenting Downturn Is Redrawing America's Economic Map — When the unemployment rate rose in most states last month, it underscored the extent to which the deep recession, the anemic recovery and the lingering crisis of joblessness are beginning to reshape the nation's economic map.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo and msnbc.com

CNN:

CNN Poll: Perry still at top but Romney stronger vs. Obama — Washington (CNN) - Despite his performances in the two most recent Republican presidential debates, a new national survey indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry remains on top of the field in the race for the GOP nomination.

Frank Rich / New York Magazine:
In Praise of Extremism — What good did bipartisanship ever do anybody?

Discussion: driftglass, Booman Tribune and US Politics

Holly Yan / CNN:

Pay-by-race bake sale at UC Berkeley still on, student Republican group says — (CNN) — It's meant to be racist, and it's meant to be discriminatory. — And the controversial “Increase Diversity Bake Sale” hosted by the Berkeley College Republicans is still on, the club's president said …

Discussion: Business Insider, Wonkette, The Politico and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Nanette Asimov / San Francisco Chronicle:
UC Berkeley student senators respond to bake sale

Discussion: ECHIDNE of the snakes and The Raw Story

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:

Barack Obama Does The Impossible — Matt Miller continues to advocate for a third party in America: … Isn't Miller's position on this exactly the position of President Obama? It seems to me that 15 months ago, Miller was touting “the exciting reform energy unleashed across the country …

Discussion: Campaign 2012 and Washington Post

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The bogus ‘third party’ dodge

Discussion: Liberal Values, Bookworm Room, Outside the Beltway, Hit & Run, The Mahablog, Paul Krugman, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Washington Monthly

Jennifer Haberkorn / The Politico:

Health suit might head to SCOTUS — The Obama administration chose not to ask the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to re-hear a pivotal health reform case Monday, signaling that it's going to ask the Supreme Court to decide whether President Barack Obama's health reform law is constitutional.

Discussion: Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and JustOneMinute

William Lajeunesse / Fox News:

U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds to Buy, Sell Weapons During ‘Fast and Furious,’ Documents Show — Not only did U.S. officials approve, allow and assist in the sale of more than 2,000 guns to the Sinaloa cartel — the federal government used taxpayer money to buy semi-automatic weapons …

Discussion: UrbanGrounds, Wizbang, Sipsey Street Irregulars, Moe_Lane's blog, Hot Air and Clayton Cramer's Blog

The Nation:

Fatwa for Jihad against America — LAHORE - As many as 50 religious scholars associated with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a conglomerate of 20 Barelvi school of thought groups, have declared that Jihad against the US would be obligatory for the entire in case of aggression against the country.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

Aamer Madhani / USA Today:

Critic of Obama clean-energy loans lobbied Energy Department — WASHINGTON - The Republican lawmaker leading the charge against an Obama administration loan guarantee program for clean-energy companies wasn't always so skeptical of government attempts to boost the green economy.

Discussion: The Politico