Top Items:
Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:
Rush Limbaugh's show targets jerks, judging from the latest ads — Advertisers learned something about Rush Limbaugh's demographic this week. — “Here we thought lots of pleasant, upstanding people were listening to and enjoying the rational things Rush had to say,” dozens of companies said.
RELATED:
Media Matters for America:
Rush Limbaugh Closes First Hour With Dead Air — Rush Limbaugh closed the first hour of his radio show on his flagship station, WABC, with 1:03 of dead air Monday. — From WABC's online feed of the final commercial break of the first hour: — While advertisers have fled Limbaugh's show since …
The Atlantic Wire:
Rush Scrubs ‘Slut’ Comment, Demand for Fluke Sex Tapes — RushLimbaugh.com appears to have removed parts of his radio transcripts from February 29 and March 1 in which he called Sandra Fluke a “slut” and demanded a sex tape as a thank you to taxpayers for subsidizing her birth control.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Jezebel and Addicting Info
Gloria Goodale / Christian Science Monitor:
For Rush Limbaugh advertisers, backlash could hit hard in social media age
For Rush Limbaugh advertisers, backlash could hit hard in social media age
Discussion:
The Inactive Activist, The Reaction and The Moderate Voice
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Armed Forces Chairman Levin wants Limbaugh dropped from military radio
Armed Forces Chairman Levin wants Limbaugh dropped from military radio
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Jammie Wearing Fools and Outside the Beltway
Simon Maloy / Media Matters for America:
It's Always A Conspiracy: Derrick Bell Edition — Yesterday, the Breitbart empire stepped up to the plate, called their shot, swung, missed, hit themselves in the face with the bat, then took a triumphant trot around the bases as spectators looked on with piteous and mocking wonder.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Telegraph, BREITBART.COM, americanthinker.com, ACS Blog, New York Magazine and Seeing the Forest
RELATED:
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Video: CNN beclowns itself painting Breitbart editor-in-chief as racist — Soledad O'Brien and her CNN panel manage to stumble into Contessa Brewer territory in this appearance by attempting to paint Breitbart.com editor-in-chief Joel Pollak as a racist for making a point about Barack Obama's support …
Charles C. Johnson / BREITBART.COM:
OBAMA FORCED HIS STUDENTS TO READ BELL AT UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL — Barack Obama made his own students at the University of Chicago Law School read some of Derrick Bell's most radical and racially inflammatory writings. — In 1994, Barack Obama taught a course at the University …
Discussion:
The Heritage Foundation, The Right Scoop, YID With LID, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Weasel Zippers, Nice Deb, Atlas Shrugs and Verum Serum
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
How Would Santorum Do Without Gingrich? — One of the reasons to be skeptical that Rick Santorum could win the Republican nomination is that we now have a pretty good idea of how the vote will play out from state to state — and the coalition that he is building seems short of a majority.
Discussion:
The Hill, Swampland, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Politico, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Daily Dish, The Hill and The Other McCain
RELATED:
George Talbot / Breaking News from the Press-Register:
New poll shows Rick Santorum leading in Alabama GOP primary — A new poll released on the eve of Rick Santorum's first campaign visit to Alabama shows the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania leading in the state Republican Party presidential primary. — The statewide poll conducted …
Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:
Gingrich Takes a Break
Gingrich Takes a Break
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, The Hill and msnbc.com
Eric Gay / ABCNEWS:
Rick Santorum Will Face More Ballot, Delegate Problems
Rick Santorum Will Face More Ballot, Delegate Problems
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, Mad Kane's Political Madness and Taegan Goddard's …
Jesse McKinley / New York Times:
Pat Robertson Says Marijuana Use Should be Legal — Of the many roles Pat Robertson has assumed over his five-decade-long career as an evangelical leader — including presidential candidate and provocative voice of the right wing — his newest guise may perhaps surprise his followers the most: marijuana legalization advocate.
Erica Martinson / Politico:
Senate rejects move to fast-track Keystone — The Senate on Thursday rejected an attempt to fast-track the Keystone XL pipeline — barely. — The White House and Democratic leadership squeaked out a 56-42 vote on an amendment to the Senate's highway bill, winning only because 60 votes were needed for passage.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, ThinkProgress and CNN
RELATED:
Manu Raju / Politico:
Obama lobbying Dems over Keystone XL pipeline
Obama lobbying Dems over Keystone XL pipeline
Discussion:
CNN, Michelle Malkin, Associated Press, Reuters, Conservatives4Palin, Weasel Zippers, Austin Chronicle, The Lonely Conservative, ThinkProgress, Firedoglake, Washington Post, Guardian, Hot Air, Wake up America, Right Wing News, Scared Monkeys, The PJ Tatler, The Right Sphere, Tucson Citizen, Washington Free Beacon and The Huffington Post
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The Morning Plum: The question that will define Campaign 2012
The Morning Plum: The question that will define Campaign 2012
Discussion:
American Prospect, New York Times and ThinkProgress
New York Post:
US offered Israel advanced weaponry in exchange for delaying Iran attack: report — WASHINGTON — The US offered to give Israel advanced weaponry — including bunker-busting bombs and refueling planes — in exchange for Israel's agreement not to attack Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Thursday.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Right Sphere, Weasel Zippers, Pat Dollard, Hot Air, Israel Matzav, National Review, The PJ Tatler and Jammie Wearing Fools
The Gallup Organization / Gallup:
U.S. Unemployment Up in February — Underemployment is 19.1%, up from 18.7% in January — PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 9.1% in February from 8.6% in January and 8.5% in December. — The .5-percentage-point increase …
Discussion:
AMERICAN DIGEST, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Calculated Risk, msnbc.com and TheBlaze.com
Mj Lee / Politico:
Joe the Plumber blows a gasket on CNN — Samuel Wurzelbacher, who on Thursday morning accused CNN of being like TMZ and trying to trap him with “gotcha questions,” explained to POLITICO immediately following the tense interview that he is “sick of the gossip and drama.”
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Indecision Forever, CNN and TheBlaze.com
RELATED:
David Edwards / The Raw Story:
‘Joe the Plumber’: Homophobia questions are ‘gotcha’
‘Joe the Plumber’: Homophobia questions are ‘gotcha’
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay and Balloon Juice
Cincinnati.com:
William Smith, the invisible candidate — William R. Smith is the invisible candidate. — No one has seen him; no one has heard him speak. Outside of his home county of Pike, there is probably no Democrat who could recognize him on sight. — Tuesday, the Waverly resident won …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and Hotline On Call
RELATED:
Deirdre Shesgreen / Politics Extra:
Mystery group made calls for mystery candidate in 2nd District
Mystery group made calls for mystery candidate in 2nd District
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and Wonkette
Ann Friedman / Ann Friedman's RSS:
International Slutty Women's Day: A Story in GIFs — The year was 2012. Women were basically just hanging out. — You know, doing lady stuff. — We'd gotten used to the fact that, for decades, people have been trying to tell us what to do. — That we should pay attention …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Sister Toldjah, Taylor Marsh, Feministing, Jacobin + blog and Hullabaloo
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Mitt: Pay for Your Own Damn College! — And get off my lawn while you're at it. — Earlier this week, a pretty interesting and telling exchange took place at a Mitt Romney town hall meeting. A student asked Romney what he would do to make college more affordable for students who struggle to pay for it.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Firedoglake
Bill Bumpas / OneNewsNow.com:
OMM done with JC Penney — The leader of a pro-family advocacy group says only time will tell whether JC Penney's decision to have a high-profile homosexual entertainer as its spokesperson was a good business decision. — Despite opposition from the American Family Association's advocacy …
Discussion:
GLAAD, Mediaite, Gay Star News, ThinkProgress and Human Rights Campaign
Gail Collins / New York Times:
Dogging Mitt Romney — I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but Mitt Romney once drove to Canada with the family Irish setter on the roof of the car. — Seamus, the dog-on-the-roof, has become a kind of political icon. You cannot go anywhere without running into him.
Discussion:
News Desk, Brilliant at Breakfast, the daily howler, Business Insider and Daily Kos
Dan Springer / Fox News:
Wind farms in Pacific Northwest paid to not produce — Wind farms in the Pacific Northwest — built with government subsidies and maintained with tax credits for every megawatt produced — are now getting paid to shut down as the federal agency charged with managing the region's electricity grid …
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Warns Apple, Publishers — Justice Department Threatens Lawsuits, Alleging Collusion Over E-Book Pricing — The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, according to people familiar with the matter.
George Bennett / Post on Politics:
From Penthouse publisher to U.S. House candidate? Boca's Marc Bell considers campaign — Boca Raton investor Marc Bell, CEO of the company that owns Penthouse magazine, is considering a run for Congress. Bell is registered with no party affiliation but says he'd run as a Democrat.
Discussion:
Politico and Taegan Goddard's …
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Did Health-Care Reform Cost Democrats the House? — House Democrats march to their doom. — Some of my favorite bloggy political scientists have a new paper out about the political effects of health-care reform. The paper argues, “health care reform may have cost Democrats their House majority.”
Discussion:
Enik Rising, Ezra Klein, Brendan Nyhan and The Monkey Cage
Ezra Klein / New York Review of Books:
Our Corrupt Politics: It's Not All Money — Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption from America's Most Notorious Lobbyist — WND, 303 pp., $25.95 — Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It — Twelve, 317 pp., $26.99
Discussion:
Brennan Center for Justice and Election Law Blog
Liz Robbins / New York Times:
Baby's Death Renews Debate Over a Circumcision Ritual — Prosecutors are investigating the death of a newborn boy who died in September after contracting herpes through a controversial practice of ritual circumcision, reviving a debate in New York over safety and religious freedom.
Discussion:
Gothamist
Stephen D. Foster Jr / Addicting Info:
Arizona Senate Passes Bill Allowing Doctors To Not Inform Women Of Prenatal Issues To Prevent Abortions — It's called a “wrongful birth” bill and it's all about preventing women from having an abortion, even if it kills them. The Arizona Senate passed a bill this week that gives doctors …
Jonathan Weisman / The Caucus:
Senate Democrats Ask I.R.S. for More Scrutiny of Nonprofit Political Groups — Senate Democrats on Friday will ask the Internal Revenue Service to institute a “bright line test” to ensure that tax-exempt organizations devote less than half their activities to politics and to prevent corporate donors …
Discussion:
New York Times
Charles Murray / New York Times:
Op-Ed Contributor: Reforms for the New Upper Class — THERE'S been a lot of commentary from all sides about my recently published book, “Coming Apart,” which deals with the divergence between the professional and working classes in white America over the last half century.
Discussion:
The New Republic, Eunomia, EconLog and Marginal Revolution