memeorandum: Obama's Mythical Political Skills Won't Save Him: Ramesh Ponnuru (Ramesh Ponnuru/Bloomberg)

12:25 AM ET, October 26, 2011

Top Items:

CNN:

Romney avoids weighing in on Ohio union fight — Terrace Park, Ohio (CNN) -Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stepped into the middle of the charged battle over organized labor in Ohio on Tuesday, but he avoided weighing in on the contentious legislation that would dramatically limit …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Columbus Dispatch, Washington Wire, New York Magazine, The Page, Ben Smith's Blog, The Caucus, The Hill and Ballot Box

John Harwood / The Caucus:

10 Questions for Rick Perry — Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is seeking to jump-start his Republican presidential campaign by proposing a new tax system: a 20 percent flat rate on individual and corporate income, down from the current 35 percent top rate, and elimination of existing taxes on estates, capital gains and dividends.

Scott Johnson / Power Line:

Mr. Romney regrets — Over at Ricochet, Troy Senik draws attention to a Politico story on Mitt Romney's visit to Ohio today. Polico reports that during the visit Romney declined to state his position on a high-profile referendum there on the new state law that curtails the bargaining rights of public employee unions.

Discussion: Ricochet Conversation Feed and Chicago Boyz

Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:

“An Incredible Moment in Politics.” Mitt Romney Won't Go There. — Hey Rick Perry, if you weren't trying to have fun with birtherism, this would probably be a much bigger media story today. Peter Hamby over at CNN referred to it as “an incredible moment in politics.”

Discussion: Third Base Politics, Business Insider, The Atlantic Online, The PJ Tatler, National Review, Campaign 2012, 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com and Prairie Weather

David Weigel / Slate:
In Ohio, Mitt Romney Punts on Health Care and Union Rights

Discussion: Washington Post, Guardian, Daily Kos and Washington Monthly

CNN:
Perry takes sides in Ohio union fight after Romney dodges issue

Discussion: Pat Dollard, Austin American-Statesman and Washington Wire

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Romney refuses to defend Kasich on PEU reform? …

Discussion: 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com, Michelle Malkin, GOP 12, National Review and The Right Scoop

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Romney supported Kasich laws in June

Discussion: The New Republic and ThinkProgress

Hwilkinson / Politics Extra:
Romney visits GOP call center, sidesteps Ohio issues

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Plunderbund and The Maddow Blog

Conn Carroll / Campaign 2012:
Romney refuses to back Kasich against govt unions

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Riehl World View

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

Where are the anti-Semites of Occupy Wall Street? — Reckless Jew that I am, I muscled my way into the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Lower Manhattan despite multiple reports of virulent and conceivably lethal anti-Semitism. Projecting an unvarnished Semitism, I circled the place …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, CANNONFIRE, The Week, Big Journalism and Daily Kos

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

It's on: Republicans slam Elizabeth Warren for embracing Occupy Wall Street — Wow, this is going to be good: Occupy Wall Street is now officially an issue in what may be the highest-profile and most polarizing Senate race in the country. — National Republicans are now attacking Elizabeth Warren …

Discussion: Daily Kos, TBogg, Talking Points Memo and Campaign 2012

John Doyle / NY Daily News:

Three men wanted for threatening to kill a 24-year-old Occupy Wall Street protester — Three men are wanted for threatening to kill a 24-year-old Occupy Wall Street protester because she was pressing charges over an assault at the group's Zuccotti Park encampment.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and Verum Serum

The Daily Beast:
Who's Afraid of Elizabeth Warren?

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Smoking Gun, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, The Hill, techPresident and Pew Research Center …

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Elizabeth Warren takes credit for the Occupy Wall Street protests

Discussion: Hot Air and Washington Post

New York Times:

New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government — With Election Day just over a year away, a deep sense of economic anxiety and doubt about the future hangs over the nation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, with Americans' distrust of government at its highest level ever.

Discussion: The Caucus, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, Business Insider, ThinkProgress and Questions and Observations

CBS News:

Herman Cain tops Mitt Romney in latest CBS/NYT poll — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Businessman Herman Cain is now atop the field of Republican White House hopefuls, squeaking past former Massachusetts …

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
81 Percent of GOP Primary Voters in Play

Discussion: American Spectator, Eunomia, Race 4 2012 and Pat Dollard

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

EXCLUSIVE: GOP governors blast birther gambit — Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision to delve back into birtherism — on CNBC and on the day he is rolling out an economic plan — has struck a nerve with responsible GOP officials and insiders. Two prominent governors have now gone on record with Right Turn to express their displeasure.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Business Insider and Los Angeles Times

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
EXCLUSIVE: Jeb Bush denounces birtherism

Discussion: The Hill, Naked Politics, Riehl World View and Booman Tribune

The Huffington Post:
Haley Barbour To GOP Field: Drop The Birther Talk

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, The PJ Tatler, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Business Insider and CNN

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Rick Perry's worst nightmare: Jennifer Rubin — The Washington Post's official conservative blogger, Jennifer Rubin, has written 60 columns on the would-be conservative favorite, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, eight of them Tuesday. — Rubin tends to write long, for a blogger …

Discussion: Riehl World View and Balloon Juice

Geneva Sands-Sadowitz / The Hill:

Wasserman Schultz blasts Perry's flat tax plan as ‘definition of insanity’ — Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wassserman Schultz slammed Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's tax plan, saying his flat tax proposal would benefit the wealthiest Americans at the expense …

Discussion: CNN and Weasel Zippers

John Harwood / CNBC:
Rick Perry: 'I Don't Care' If Tax Plan Helps the Rich

Discussion: USA Today, Ben Smith's Blog, ThinkProgress and National Review

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:
Flat Tax Outpaces 9-9-9 in Poll, Notably Among Conservatives

Discussion: Daily Kos

CBO's Latest 10 Documents:

TRENDS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME BETWEEN 1979 AND 2007 — Text-only. The full version of the summary may include tables, charts, and footnotes. — AFTER-TAX INCOME GREW MORE FOR HIGHEST-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS — After-tax income for the highest-income households grew more than it did for any other group.

Discussion: Director's Blog, Real Time Economics, Political Mojo, Business Insider and Reuters

Susan Walsh / ABCNEWS:

Obama: If We Lose in 2012, Government Will Tell People 'You're on Your Own' — At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses the 2012 election it could herald a new, painful era of self-reliance in America.

Discussion: Say Anything, Weasel Zippers and National Review

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

White House backs Republican measure repealing 3% tax rule — The White House announced Tuesday that it supports passage of a House Republican bill intended to boost job creation and due up for a vote on Thursday. — The bill repeals a requirement that the federal government withhold 3 percent …

Discussion: The Politico

insideBayArea:

Ousted protesters marching back to Frank Ogawa Plaza — OAKLAND — Hours after they were rousted from their tents and pushed out of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, several hundred members of the Occupy Oakland movement began marching again in downtown Oakland, vowing to continue their protest.

San Francisco Chronicle:
Cops arrest Occupy Oakland protesters

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:

Obama's Mythical Political Skills Won't Save Him: Ramesh Ponnuru — Last year, President Barack Obama issued a warning to Republicans. They had been “politicking” instead of “governing,” he said. “Well, we can politick for three months,” he said. “They forgot I'm pretty good at politicking.”

Discussion: neo-neocon

Rich Lowry / National Review:
Obama's Latter-Day McGovernism

Discussion: Eunomia

Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:

Televangelist Pat Robertson Calls GOP Field Too ‘Extreme’ To Win General Election — You know you've hit rock bottom when one of the most radical, hate-spewing figures in America calls you “extreme.” That's how televangelist Pat Robertson described the field of GOP candidates, Right Wing Watch reports.

Discussion: Liberal Values, Mediaite, Mario Piperni dot Com, Crooks and Liars, Right Wing Watch, Wonkette, The Reaction, The Raw Story and Outside the Beltway

Josh Hafner / Iowa Caucuses:

Cain's Mark Block says ‘no subliminal message’ in new ad, discourages smoking — Mark Block in Cain's new ad. (thehermancain/YouTube.com) — Herman Cain's chief of staff, Mark Block, is still buzzing from a viral campaign ad on YouTube featuring some quick camera work …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Post and The Raw Story

John Berman / ABCNEWS:
'It's a Phenomenon!' Why Herman Cain's Campaign is Smoking

Discussion: Gawker and CBS News

Rolling Stone:

OWS's Beef: Wall Street Isn't Winning - It's Cheating — I was at an event on the Upper East Side last Friday night when I got to talking with a salesman in the media business. The subject turned to Zucotti Park and Occupy Wall Street, and he was chuckling about something he'd heard on the news.