memeorandum: TRENDING: Biden: GOP ‘strong enough to beat us’ (Dan Merica/CNN)

4:45 PM ET, October 7, 2011

Top Items:

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Confronting the Malefactors — There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear, but we may, at long last, be seeing the rise of a popular movement that, unlike the Tea Party, is angry at the right people. — When the Occupy Wall Street protests began three weeks ago …

Discussion: National Review, Weekly Standard, Business Insider, Balloon Juice, Prairie Weather, Verum Serum, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Daily Kos, TalkLeft, CNN, Shakesville, JammieWearingFool, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, TPMDC, msnbc.com, The Huffington Post and Tom Watson

Harry Siegel / Runnin' Scared:

Mayor Bloomberg: Occupy Wall Street ‘Trying To Destroy the Jobs of Working People’ — Mayor Bloomberg said Friday that the Occupy Wall Street protesters would be better off aiming their fire at government rather than the banks. And he fired a warning shot at the public sector unions who've backed …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Guardian, Wake up America, The Politico, New York Magazine, NY Daily News, CNN, msnbc.com, Dealbreaker, Mediaite, AlterNet, CBS New York, The Caucus, The Raw Story and Eyes on the Ties, more at Mediagazer »

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Cantor Smears Occupy Wall Street As A ‘Mob’ — Speaking at the social conservative Value Voters Summit today, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) maligned the Occupy Wall Street protests and the wider 99 percent movement as a “mob” that is out to “divide Americans”: … Watch it:

Discussion: Gawker, PERRspectives, Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Michelle Fields / The Daily Caller:

Organizer admits to paying ‘Occupy DC’ protesters [VIDEO] — A liberal organizer told the Daily Caller on Thursday afternoon that he paid some Hispanics to attend “Occupy DC” protests happening in the nation's capital. — TheDC attended the protest event, an expansion of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement that began in New York City.

Discussion: Instapundit, The Gateway Pundit, Datechguy's Blog, Flopping Aces, RedState, Mediaite, Michelle Malkin, Pajamas Media, The Lonely Conservative and GayPatriot

Patrick George / Austin American-Statesman:
Occupy Austin protesters air grievances without drawing police ire

Discussion: Firedoglake, UrbanGrounds and The Raw Story

Evan McMorris-Santoro / TPMDC:
White House: Cantor's ‘Mob’ Criticism Of Occupy Wall Street Is ‘Hypocrisy Unbound’

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Wonkette, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Protests Offer Obama Opportunity to Gain, and Room for Pitfalls

Discussion: The Politico, Wall Street Journal, Hit & Run, newsfeed.time.com, AlterNet, American Power, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, ABCNEWS, Prairie Weather, National Review and Runnin' Scared

James Plummer / The Daily Caller:
‘Kill the cops!’ shout reported during ‘Occupy New Orleans’ protest

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:

Exclusive: Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet — A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America's Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots' every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones. — The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, msnbc.com, MyFox New York, Lawfare and The Raw Story, more at Techmeme »

Sarah Binder / The Monkey Cage:

Did the Senate Just Go Nuclear? — I sat down tonight to read a little of Mr. Speaker!, Jim Grant's new, breezy biography of House Speaker Thomas Reed. “Czar Reed” was the author of “Reed's Rules”—the package of House rule changes that broke the back of minority party obstruction in the late 19th century.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The New Republic, The Atlantic Online and A plain blog about politics

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Reid's ‘nuclear option’ changes rules, ends repeat filibusters — In a shocking development Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered a rarely used procedural option informally called the “nuclear option” to change the Senate rules.

The Huffington Post:
Harry Reid Busts Up Senate Precedent

Discussion: Brennan Center for Justice, Roll Call, Open Congress, New York Times and The Moderate Voice

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Nuclear Option?! What Really Happened On The Senate Floor, And Why It Matters

Discussion: The Politico and Talking Points Memo

Motoko Rich / New York Times:

After Adding Some Jobs, U.S. Economy Still Uncertain — As an increasing number of economists have warned of a possible dip back into recession, the Labor Department said Friday that American employers added 103,000 net new jobs in September, indicating that the economy is at least not weakening for now.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, CNBC, Economix, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Gawker, JammieWearingFool, The New Republic and Prairie Weather

Bob Willis / Bloomberg:
U.S. Payrolls Rise More-Than-Expected 103,000

Discussion: Salon.com, Gothamist, Sense of Events, The Lonely Conservative, The Page and Scared Monkeys

Washington Wire:

Text of Mitt Romney's Speech on Foreign Policy at The Citadel — Here is the text of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's speech on foreign policy as prepared for delivery Friday at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.: — Mr. Romney: It's a great honor to be in South Carolina …

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, Commentary Magazine, democracyarsenal.org, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Riehl World View and Washington Post

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
EXCLUSIVE: Mitt Romney interview

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Ben Smith's Blog and GOP 12

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf / Nobelprize.org:

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 — The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights …

Discussion: Opinio Juris, BBC and Colorlines

New York Times:

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Three Activist Women — LONDON — The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was awarded on Friday to three women from Africa and the Arab world in acknowledgment of their nonviolent role in promoting peace, democracy and gender equality. The winners were President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf …

Discussion: The Lede, Feministing, Speakeasy, FP Passport, New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared and The BLT

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Santorum unveils zero-zero-zero plan — Rick Santorum came out with his own economic plan Friday to top the 9-9-9 plan pushed by Herman Cain. — “I've got a better plan. It's the zero-zero-zero plan,” the GOP presidential candidate and former senator told the Value Voters Summit.

Discussion: CNN and Indecision Forever

James Hohmann / The Politico:
Perry ad hits Romney on environment …

Discussion: Washington Post, Iowa Caucuses, ABCNEWS and Daily Kos

Karin Tanabe / The Politico:

Moviegoing habits: Republicans vs. Democrats — In the Hollywood and politics issue of the The Hollywood Reporter, there's a piece looking at the moviegoing tendencies of Republicans and Democrats. It focuses on Morgan Freeman's recent comments about the tea party and racism …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:
Democrats vs. Republicans: Stars they Won't Pay to See; Movies They Hate and Love (Poll)

Discussion: Don Surber, Pajamas Media and Big Hollywood

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:

GOP Candidates Hardly Household Names — Interest and Coverage On Par with 2008 Campaign — OVERVIEW — As in previous Republican presidential campaigns, most Americans (54%) are able to name at least one of the GOP candidates unprompted. However, smaller percentages name …

Discussion: Wonkette, Guardian, CNN and Washington Wire

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Pew: GOP field little known to Americans

Discussion: msnbc.com and The Daily Dish

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:

The Shrinking Public Sector — I get hoarse repeating this, but I have yet to see conservatives really grapple with the fact that month after month we see a labor market that's basically treading water primarily because government employment is shrinking rather than keeping pace with population growth.

Discussion: New Deal 2.0 and Rortybomb

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
‘An unforced economic error’

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Political Correction RSS and Daily Kos

Dan Hirschhorn / The Politico:

Iowa caucus date tentatively set for Jan. 3 — Iowa Republican leaders have tentatively agreed to hold their caucus on Jan. 3, leaving New Hampshire as the only unsettled piece of the presidential nominating schedule. — Members of the party's state central committee reached a consensus agreement …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Jan. 3 is tentative date for Iowa caucus

Discussion: O.KayHenderson.com, GOP 12, Radio Iowa, The Page, National Review and The Politico

Producer Rob / CBS Sacramento:

Some ‘Occupy Sacramento’ Protesters Lash Out At Questions — SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Hundreds of protesters gathered in Cesar Chavez Park on Thursday to stand in solidarity with the growing nationwide demonstrations aimed at corporate greed, but some members of the peaceful event showed hostility …

Discussion: PoliPundit.com and The Gateway Pundit

Mj Lee / The Politico:

Sarah Palin: Hank Williams Jr. a victim of ‘hypocrisy’ — 'It's a one way street and we're always walking on eggshells, aren't we?' Palin says. AP Photo — Sarah Palin says Hank Williams Jr. is the victim of the media's double standard. — “Hank Williams and what he is going through now …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Mackenzie Weinger / The Politico:

W.H. challenging Ala. immigration law — The Obama administration filed a challenge Friday to Alabama's tough new immigration law, asking an appeals court to block enforcement of the controversial measure because it tramples on federal powers. — The Dept. of Justice filed an emergency request …

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Associated Press