memeorandum: Obama Backs Student in Furor With Limbaugh on Birth Control (Jonathan Weisman/The Caucus)

11:45 AM ET, March 3, 2012

Top Items:

The GOP can no longer avoid its Rush Limbaugh problem. — IN A DEMOCRACY, standards of civil discourse are as important as they are indefinable. Yet wherever one draws the line, Rush Limbaugh's vile rants against Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke crossed it.

Discussion: Latest Open Salon Blog and Palm Beach Daily News

Rush Limbaugh / CNN:

Initially silent, Romney addresses Limbaugh ‘slut’ remarks — Cleveland, Ohio (CNN) - Mitt Romney steered clear of the Rush Limbaugh controversy until Friday evening, even avoiding a CNN reporter earlier in the day, when he addressed the issue after an event in Cleveland.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Hullabaloo, Politico, The Hill, TBogg, Hot Air, The Reality-Based Community, The Moderate Voice, The Page and Washington Monthly

Dana Loesch / Big Journalism:

Republicans Fall For Manufactured Story — The Obama administration withered for several weeks under the intense criticism from Catholic leaders regarding the forced violation of religious liberty within the HHS mandate. In an effort to turn the tables, Democrats suggested that the GOP …

Discussion: Doug Ross, CNN, Jay Bookman, Cold Fury, Mediaite, NewsBusters.org blogs and Swampland

Adam Peck / ThinkProgress:

Rush Limbaugh's Advertisers Facing Social Media Firestorm — Rush Limbaugh's latest misogynistic tirade against Georgetown University Law Student Sandra Fluke may be the last straw for many of the shock jock's corporate sponsors. Thousands of angry customers have been inundating dozens …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, The Raw Story, Brilliant at Breakfast and Dependable Renegade

Jonathan Weisman / The Caucus:

Obama Backs Student in Furor With Limbaugh on Birth Control — WASHINGTON — The election-year fight over the administration's birth control policy escalated Friday, with two unlikely figures — a Georgetown University law student and the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh …

Discussion: Politico, Swampland, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Media Decoder and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Rush Limbaugh:

The Democrats are Desperate: Obama Calls Sandra Fluke, the 30-Year-Old Victim — RUSH: “A Missouri House member frustrated with recent legislative debates over birth control and reproductive health is proposing to restrict vasectomies. Legislation sponsored by Democrat Stacey Newman …

Discussion: Althouse, msnbc.com, USA Today and The Gateway Pundit

Maggie Haberman / Politico: Romney on Rush: Not the language I'd have used

Rick Santorum / CNN:
Santorum calls Limbaugh comments ‘absurd’

Discussion: Mediaite, Informed Comment, Washington Post, Politico, NO QUARTER, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Business Insider, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Right Scoop, The Agonist, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Political Carnival, Firedoglake, GOP 12, Daily Kos, News Desk and Indecision Forever

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
Why Does Rush Limbaugh Get Away With Calling a Young Woman a ‘Slut’?

Discussion: Politico, Crooks and Liars, BuzzFeed, CBS News and Outside the Beltway

CNN:
Democrats, Republicans face off over energy in weekly address

Discussion: Reuters

Angela Morabito / TheCollegeConservative:
Sandra Fluke Does Not Speak for Me

Discussion: Angry Bear, NewsHounds blog, Mediaite, Swampland, Rush Limbaugh, The Huffington Post, Washington Post and Politicker

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Is Rush Limbaugh hurting Republicans?

Discussion: Balloon Juice, CNN, The New Republic, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars and CBS News

Sam Baker / The Hill:
Issa blames Dems for tone of contraception debate

Discussion: Daily Kos and Hullabaloo

Lucy Madison / CBS News:
Obama calls Sandra Fluke to offer support over Limbaugh comments

Discussion: L.A. NOW, TalkLeft, BuzzFeed and ThinkProgress

Fox News:
White House enters controversy over Limbaugh comments on Georgetown student

Discussion: Washington Post and ECHIDNE of the snakes

Michelle Malkin:
Sandra Fluke is not a “slut.” She's a femme-agogue tool; DCCC, Emily's list fund-raise off of Rush

Craig Crawford's Trail Mix:
Rush Doubles Down on “Slut” Speech

Discussion: Washington Post, The Reality-Based Community, The New Republic, The Moderate Voice, The Confluence, The Political Carnival and The Huffington Post

Emily Schultheis / Politico:

Republicans sing the home-state blues — CARROLLTON, Ga. —For presidential candidates, it's not necessarily safe to come home again. — On Tuesday, Newt Gingrich is staking his entire presidential race on winning Georgia — a state he represented in Congress for over 10 terms.

Discussion: CNN

Stephen Koff / Metro:

Rick Santorum faces bigger Ohio problem than previously known (updated) — WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum was already known as starting from a deficit, delegate-wise, in Ohio. He failed to qualify for any district delegates in three Ohio congressional districts because he didn't turn in delegate names there.

Discussion: Toledo Blade, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway and pandagon.net

ABCNEWS:

Rick Santorum's Ohio Delegate Problems Pile Up — ABC News' Michael Falcone reports: — UPDATED: COLUMBUS, Ohio — Even if Rick Santorum wins Ohio on Super Tuesday, he won't be able to claim all of its delegates. In fact, he is at risk of forfeiting more than one-quarter of them.

Discussion: americanthinker.com

Detroit Free Press:

Volt production on hold for 5 weeks — General Motors has told 1,300 employees at its Detroit Hamtramck that they will be temporarily laid off for five weeks as the company halts production of the Chevrolet Volt and its European counterpart, the Opel Ampera.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Scared Monkeys, Jammie Wearing Fools, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Weasel Zippers, Doug Ross, americanthinker.com, Cold Fury, GigaOM, Michelle Malkin, The Gateway Pundit, Ed Driscoll, American Spectator and The Daily Caller

Joel Gehrke / Campaign 2012:
GM laying off 1300 due to low Volt sales

Discussion: MLive.com, Wintery Knight, Right Wing News, New York Times, ThinkProgress, NewsBusters.org, nation.foxnews.com and The Right Scoop

Keith Laing / The Hill:
GM temporarily halts production of Volt

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Free Beacon and Don Surber

Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:

BREAKING: Mitt Romney Urged Obama to Embrace the Individual Mandate — Had Michigan not been as close, the Democrats would have waited to spring this on us in the general election. Luckily we have it now and I hope Ohio voters are paying attention. — In July 2009, Mitt Romney wrote …

Discussion: Cold Fury and Doug Ross

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Mitt Romney's Advice For ObamaCare: Look At RomneyCare

Discussion: JustOneMinute, National Review, Mitt Romney Central, Hot Air, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Daily Kos, The Gateway Pundit and The PJ Tatler

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

Judge may throw Rep. Altmire off primary ballot for lack of signatures — Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) may be barred from running in the Democratic primary against fellow Rep. Mark Critz (D-Pa.), a move that would make it all but impossible for him to return to Congress next fall.

Discussion: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Reuters:

Libya's Muslim Brotherhood sets up political party — TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's Muslim Brotherhood teamed up with other Islamists on Friday to establish a new political party that is set to be a leading player in the country's first elections since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

today.yougov.com News:

Santorum Leads in Three of Five YouGov Super Tuesday Polls — Romney and Gingrich lead in their home states, but trail Santorum in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. — Five days before the crucial Republican primaries on “Super Tuesday” (March 6), former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum holds narrow leads …

Discussion: Liberal Values

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times: ‘Super PACs,’ Not Campaigns, Do Bulk of Ad Spending

USA Today:

Deadly storms roar across Midwest, South — LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A series of tornadoes that cut a swath of death and destruction across at least 10 states left stunned residents digging through rubble Saturday, looking for survivors and bodies. — The death toll stood at 32 early Saturday …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Suburban Guerrilla