memeorandum: Obama: 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon' (CNN)

1:10 PM ET, March 23, 2012

Top Items:

Media Matters / Media Matters for America:

Fox's Geraldo Rivera: “I Think The Hoodie Is As Much Responsible For Trayvon Martin's Death As George Zimmerman” — On the March 23 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera reacted to the killing of 17-year-old, unarmed Florida resident Trayvon Martin …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, American Prospect, TalkLeft, No More Mister Nice Blog, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, The Maddow Blog, Washington Post, Gawker and CBS News

Byron Tau / Politico:

Obama: 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon' — President Obama weighed in Friday on the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, calling it a national tragedy - and saying that the young man reminded him of his own children. — “When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids,” Obama said in Rose Garden remarks.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, WLS-TV, Campaign 2012, Weasel Zippers and americanthinker.com

CNN:

Obama: 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon' — For more on the investigation into the Florida teen's shooting death, watch “Trayvon Martin Killing” at 7 ET Saturday night on CNN. — Sanford, Florida (CNN) — President Barack Obama spoke out Friday for the first time on the growing national controversy …

Discussion: The Caucus, Hot Air, Hullabaloo, BuzzFeed, This Just In, Connecting.the.Dots and Campaign 2012

Alex Alvarez / Mediaite:

Geraldo Rivera: 'The Hoodie Is As Responsible For Trayvon Martin's Death As George Zimmerman' — Geraldo Rivera stopped by Fox & Friends Friday morning, where he gave his take on the Trayvon Martin shooting — particularly on the hoodie the teen was wearing the night he was shot.

Discussion: Firedoglake, DISSENTING JUSTICE and Gothamist, more at Mediagazer »

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:

Trayvon Martin Updates — First, Sanford police chief Bill Lee is done—for now. — Second, here is an absolutely disgusting clip from Geraldo Rivera, who essentially blames Trayvon Martin's death on the fact that he was wearing a hoodie. In the rain:

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Mj Lee / Politico:

Geraldo Rivera: Trayvon Martin killed due to ‘hoodie’ — Fox News host Geraldo Rivera said Friday he would “bet money” that Trayvon Martin wouldn't have been fatally shot by a neighborhood watch captain if the teenager hadn't been wearing a hoodie and he called on parents to stop their kids from going out in public dressed that way.

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Huffington Post

msnbc.com:
Florida governor appoints new prosecutor in Trayvon Martin case

Discussion: Washington Post, Shakesville, Reuters, ThinkProgress and Booman Tribune

Carrie Budoff Brown / Politico:

5 things Dems got wrong on health care — President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies thought their political assumptions were airtight during the yearlong battle to overhaul the health care system. — Voters would reward them, they thought, even if Democrats muscled a bill through without Republican support.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice and ABCNEWS

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:

It's Not About the Law, Stupid — Forget precedent. Ignore Scalia's musings. Next week's health care argument before the Supreme Court is all about optics, politics, and public opinion. — Next week the Supreme Court will hear arguments over the Affordable Care Act, what many people know as Obamacare.

Discussion: American Prospect, Ezra Klein, The Huffington Post, ACS Blog and ThinkProgress

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

The Ineffective Greenhouse — A liberal legal legend's ludicrous ObamaCare defense. — Linda Greenhouse is something of an institution of legal journalism. She became the New York Times's Supreme Court correspondent in 1978. Thirty years later, when she accepted an early-retirement package …

Discussion: Don Surber, The Volokh Conspiracy, American Power, National Review, Hit & Run, RADAMISTO, Opinionator and Prairie Weather

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

Obamacare: The reckoning — Obamacare dominated the 2010 midterms, driving its Democratic authors to a historic electoral shellacking. But since then, the issue has slipped quietly underground. — Now it's back, summoned to the national stage by the confluence of three disparate events …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, Power Line, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Betsy's Page, Swampland and Washington Free Beacon

Sarah Kliff / Ezra Klein:
Health reform at 2: Why American health care will never be the same

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post and THEROOT.COM

WSJ Blogs - WSJ: Missing From Obama Health-Care Anniversary: Obama

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Santorum leads in LA and other notes... Rick Santorum is headed for a commanding win in Louisiana on Saturday. We find him with 42% to 28% for Mitt Romney, 18% for Newt Gingrich, 8% for Ron Paul, and 2% for Buddy Roemer. — It's interesting to look at these numbers in the context of last week's results in Alabama and Mississippi.

Discussion: Firedoglake, GOP 12, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Politico, Booman Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Atlantic Online, Guardian and JSOnline

Alex Wong / ABCNEWS:

As Santorum Fires Gun, Woman Shouts 'Pretend It's Obama' — WEST MONROE, Louisiana - At a campaign stop at a firing range, while Rick Santorum was firing off some rounds, a woman shouted, “pretend it's Obama.” — Santorum, who was far from the woman, couldn't hear the comment as he proceeded with his target practice.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, americanthinker.com and American Spectator

Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway:
Santorum: People May As Well Vote For Obama If Romney Is The Nominee

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Hot Air, ABCNEWS, Eunomia and Mother Jones

msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: Health care takes center stage

Discussion: NPR, Business Week and Prairie Weather

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Santorum up 14 points in latest Louisiana poll

Discussion: CNN and Political Watch

NBC's Andrew Rafferty / msnbc.com:
Santorum: GOP better off with Obama than ‘Etch A Sketch’ Republican

Michael A. Memoli / Los Angeles Times:
Santorum suggests Obama preferable to ‘Etch-A-Sketch’ Romney

Discussion: msnbc.com, Erick's blog, Don Surber, Campaign 2012, Shakesville, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, CNN and Bangor Daily News, more at Mediagazer »

Julie Pace / Associated Press:

AP sources: Obama taps Jim Yong Kim for World Bank — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank, a surprise pick for the international financial institution's top job, senior administration officials said.

Discussion: Washington Post, Firedoglake, Los Angeles Times and Mashable!

Don Lee / Los Angeles Times:
Obama nominates Dartmouth's Jim Yong Kim to be World Bank chief

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Ezra Klein, Outside the Beltway and Booman Tribune

Mike Allen / Politico:
Playbook: America's seniors

Discussion: Economist, Political Watch and Daily Kos

Washington Wire:
Meet World Bank Nominee Jim Yong Kim

Discussion: The New Republic

Josh Boak / Politico:
Obama taps new World Bank head

Discussion: CNN

Maureen O'Connor / Gawker:

James O'Keefe's Panty-Stealing ‘Rape Barn’ Sex Scandal — It's a right-wing rabble-rouser showdown! Jazz-handed pimp impersonator James O'Keefe is at “#WAR” with a former Project Veritas colleague who is now blogging an O'Keefe tell-all involving stolen panties, drugged beers, a “rape barn …

Discussion: IvyGate

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
Former James O'Keefe ‘Accomplice’ Reveals ‘Barn Incident’ And Harassment Complaint

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, Firedoglake, NADIA NAFFE, Crooks and Liars and Daily Kos

Laura Bassett / The Huffington Post:

Richard Hanna, GOP Congressman, Tells Women To Give Their Money To Democrats … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Video, Equal Rights Amendment, GOP War On Women, Carolyn Maloney Equal Rights Amendment, Rep. Richard Hanna, Richard Hanna Equal Rights Amendment, Richard Hanna Women, Politics News

Discussion: The Raw Story and Taegan Goddard's …

Baltimore Sun:

Individual mandate is constitutional — Supreme Court should find that key aspect of Obama's signature law is a legitimate exercise of Commerce Clause power — On Monday, the Supreme Court will commence a nearly unprecedented six hours of oral argument concerning the constitutionality …

Discussion: Balkinization

New York Times:

U.S. Inches Toward Goal of Energy Independence — MIDLAND, Tex. — The desolate stretch of West Texas desert known as the Permian Basin is still the lonely domain of scurrying roadrunners by day and howling coyotes by night. But the roar of scores of new oil rigs and the distinctive acrid fumes …

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, The Caucus, CNNMoney.com, Green, Prairie Weather and InsideClimate News

Meenal Vamburkar / Mediaite:

Pres. Obama To Heckler: 'You Can Hold Your Own Rally. You're Being Rude' — During a rally Ohio State University on Thursday, President Obama's speech about energy was interrupted by a heckler. Pausing, Obama directly addressed the man, asking him not to interrupt. “You're being rude,” he said.

Discussion: CBS News