memeorandum: First Thoughts: Damaged goods? (msnbc.com)

12:05 PM ET, March 5, 2012

Top Items:

I've spent the past 2 days trying to convince my 16 y/o she is not a “slut” **Updated x 3 — I can hardly type, can hardly put this into words! I have been writing and rewriting this because if I don't break down in tears, I get so angry that I can't think straight!

Discussion: Latest Open Salon Blog, Balloon Juice, Riehl World View, Questions and Observations, pandagon.net, Booman Tribune, Pirate's Cove, The Last Tradition, Addicting Info, Hullabaloo and The Reality-Based Community

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Limbaugh Advertisers Flee Show Amid Storm — Emboldened by Rush Limbaugh's public apology over the weekend to a law school student whom he had called a “slut” and a “prostitute,” critics of the radio talk show host are intensifying their online campaign against his advertisers.

Discussion: Washington Post, Indecision Forever, Media Decoder, The Impolitic, Michelle Malkin, The Maddow Blog, Runnin' Scared, Althouse, Poynter and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs:

Pamela Geller Spews Hatred at Sandra Fluke: ‘Banging It Five Times a Day’ — Rush Limbaugh may have “apologized” (disclaimer: not a real apology) for his caveman comments about Sandra Fluke, but the right wing blogosphere continues to spew torrents of venom at her.

Discussion: The Mahablog, The Huffington Post, Towleroad News #gay, Balloon Juice and The Raw Story

Jennifer H. Cunningham / NY Daily News:

Cardinal tweaks Limbaugh, urges fight against birth control policy to stay civil — Dolan to Catholics: Be firm but not ‘pugnacious’ — Timothy Cardinal Dolan leads morning mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on — Timothy Cardinal Dolan chided Rush Limbaugh on Sunday …

Discussion: CNN, ThinkProgress and Joe. My. God.

Tommy / The Right Sphere:
Is This Why Carbonite Dumped Rush But Not Ed Schultz?

Discussion: Datechguy's Blog and The PJ Tatler

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
Welcome to total political war

Discussion: protein wisdom and Cold Fury

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
Slutgate: Contact Carbonite — Drop Ed Schultz UPDATE: 7 Companies to Boycott

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, American Spectator, Washington Post, thump whip, Wall Street Journal, Riehl World View, The Other McCain, The Jane Dough, Betsy's Page, The Lonely Conservative and iOwnTheWorld.com

Will Dunham / Reuters:
Ron Paul unimpressed with Limbaugh apology

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Balloon Juice and NewsBusters.org

Tim Mak / Politico:
Timothy Dolan to Rush Limbaugh: ‘Do it civilly’

Discussion: CNN

Tali Arbel / Associated Press:
A 7th advertiser pulls out of Limbaugh's show

Discussion: Villainous Company, The Other McCain, The Week, Sky Dancing, The Mahablog, ABCNEWS and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

State-by-State Analysis: Romney Could Win Majority of Super Tuesday Delegates — Although the Super Tuesday states are a mix of favorable and unfavorable terrain for Mitt Romney, his situation has improved enough that he could be on track to win an outright majority of the delegates on the night.

Discussion: Hit & Run, americanthinker.com, PJ Media, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Philly.com

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Split decision for Super Tuesday — The news is good for Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich and bad for Rick Santorum in PPP's final polls of the three biggest Super Tuesday states. — In Ohio Romney leads with 37% to 36% for Santorum, 15% for Gingrich, and 11% for Ron Paul.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Politico, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice, Guardian, Daily Kos, CNN, Marist Poll and msnbc.com

Quinnipiac University:

Romney Has Momentum In Ohio GOP Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Presidential Primary Too Close To Call — The Ohio Republican presidential primary remains too close to call, but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has the momentum, and 34 percent of likely Republican primary voters …

Discussion: GOP 12, New York Post, Metro, The Caucus, American Research Group, weaskamerica.com, Tucson Citizen, NY Daily News, The Week, Hot Air, Business Insider and Washington Post

Michael Falcone / ABCNEWS:
Romney, The Inevitable? (The Note)

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Reuters and Daily Oklahoman

Mj Lee / Politico:
Newt Gingrich blasts ‘rich enough’ Mitt Romney on gas

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jonathan Easley / Ballot Box:
Polls show Romney gaining nationally, pulling ahead in Ohio

Discussion: Shakesville and Rasmussen Reports

Justin Sink / The Hill: Gingrich: Romney's ‘rich enough’ to not have to worry about high gas prices

Andrew Breitbart / BREITBART.COM:

THE VETTING, PART I: BARACK'S LOVE SONG TO ALINSKY — Prior to his passing, Andrew Breitbart said that the mission of the Breitbart empire was to exemplify the free and fearless press that our Constitution protects—but which, increasingly, the mainstream media denies us. — “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”

Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs:

Everything Is Different Now - the Breitbartocalypse Is Upon Us — Before his death, Andrew Breitbart had been promising a true BOMBSHELL revelation about Barack Obama, a STUNNER that would finally put an end to Obama's reign of terror. Some whispered darkly that this may have been the reason …

Discussion: Pat Dollard

Mark Murray / msnbc.com:

NBC/WSJ poll: Primary season takes ‘corrosive’ toll on GOP and its candidates — As another round of voting takes place this week in the Republican presidential race - with 11 states holding Super Tuesday contests - a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that the combative …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Moderate Voice, ThinkProgress, The Maddow Blog, Zandar Versus The Stupid, No More Mister Nice Blog, American Power, National Confidential and Taegan Goddard's …

Neil King Jr / Wall Street Journal:

Romney Advances as Obama Gains — Mitt Romney has regained the lead in the Republican presidential contest thanks to new support from conservatives, while evidence emerges that the bitter nomination fight has damaged the GOP candidates' standing among the wider public, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

Discussion: American Prospect, CNN, Hot Air and Daily Kos

msnbc.com:

First Thoughts: Damaged goods? — Damaged goods? New NBC/WSJ poll shows the primary season has taken a toll on GOP and its candidates... Romney's image — right now — is worse than McCain's, Kerry's, and Dole's at this point in the race... But he's also in a stronger position of capturing …

Discussion: New York Times, Macon Telegraph, The Political Carnival and ABCNEWS

John Bresnahan / Politico:

White House to Congress Dems: Expect no money — President Barack Obama has a bleak message for House and Senate Democrats this year when it comes to campaign cash: You're on your own. — Democratic congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi …

Discussion: Don Surber, Weasel Zippers, americanthinker.com, Hotline On Call, Taegan Goddard's … and Right Wing News

Marc Israel Sellem / Jerusalem Post:

Likud politicians mock Obama AIPAC speech — Labor's Yacimovich calls the speech “unquestionably pro-Israel”; Livni blames Netanyahu for tensions. — Israeli reactions to US President Barack Obama's speech at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington on Sunday were divided along party lines.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Israel Matzav

NBC's Garrett Haake / msnbc.com:
Romney: If Obama is reelected, Iran will get a nuclear weapon

Discussion: Guardian and The Raw Story

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Obama Tells Aipac He Won't Tolerate a Nuclear Iran

Discussion: Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, Swampland, The White House, Washington Post, Mother Jones, White House.gov Blog, Campaign 2012 and Politico

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

States of Depression — The economic news is looking better lately. But after previous false starts — remember “green shoots”? — it would be foolish to assume that all is well. And in any case, it's still a very slow economic recovery by historical standards.