memeorandum: A record amount of money spent on Wisconsin recall (CBS News)

2:35 AM ET, June 8, 2012

Top Items:

Noonan: What's Changed After Wisconsin — The Obama administration suddenly looks like a house of cards. — What happened in Wisconsin signals a shift in political mood and assumption. Public employee unions were beaten back and defeated in a state with a long progressive tradition.

Discussion: Power Line and The Impolitic

CNN:

Clinton: 'I'm very sorry' — (CNN) - Bill Clinton regrets the swirl over comments he made earlier in the week in which he appeared to suggest he would be open to extending the so-called Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, the former president said Thursday. — “I'm very sorry about what happened …

Discussion: American Thinker, Hot Air, Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, Firedoglake, Politico and ABCNEWS

Mark Halperin / Time:

Between the Lines: By Mark Halperin — FILE - In this June 4, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in New York. President Barack Obama and Democrats awoke Wednesday to the cruel reality of June, the political blows from the bitter loss in Wisconsin's gubernatorial recall election …

Discussion: Power Line and No More Mister Nice Blog

Detroit Free Press:

Poll: Barack Obama in dead heat with Mitt Romney in Michigan as popularity slips — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, left, and President Barack Obama / AP — President Barack Obama's popularity in Michigan has slipped in recent months, leaving him in a dead heat …

Discussion: Boston Globe, The Caucus, Washington Post, Wizbang, Weasel Zippers, New York Magazine, Quinnipiac University, GOP 12, CNN, The Rightnewz, National Review, Hot Air, msnbc.com, Vodkapundit and TheBlaze.com

Alex Pareene / Salon:

An urgent plea to political reporters — Let's all stop pretending imaginary “gaffes” are real — Let's all agree to just not pretend the president made an “oral sex joke” at his gay fundraiser last night, because that's stupid. It's stupid, and most of the people with jobs …

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times, The Awl, Guardian, Washington Post, Weasel Zippers, CANNONFIRE and Outside the Beltway

Rasmussen Reports:
Colorado: Obama 45%, Romney 45%

Discussion: Hot Air, About.com Conservative …, GOP 12 and BuzzFeed

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Clinton's team throwing him under Obama's bus?

Discussion: CNN, Datechguy's Blog, The Daily Caller, Washington Post and Jammie Wearing Fools

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Clinton ‘very sorry’ for suggesting extension of Bush tax cuts

Discussion: The Hope For America

U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant:

Marchant Stands for Free Speech and with Conservative Bloggers Under Attack — Congressman Kenny Marchant (TX-24) today issued a statement in strong support of free speech and conservative bloggers who are being targeted in dangerous “SWAT-tings” and asked Attorney General Holder to investigate …

Discussion: The Camp Of The Saints, The Lonely Conservative, “The Lid” and The Jawa Report

Ali A. Akbar / Facebook:

My mistake, Brett Kimberlin, and attacks on my mother... Never doubt that God works in mysterious ways. Especially in our failures and mistakes. — Like too many Americans nowadays, I grew up in a single-mother home. I helped raise my two little brothers while my mother worked and went …

Discussion: Examiner and Patterico's Pontifications

American Center for Law and Justice ACLJ:
Bloggers' Free Speech Rights Under Attack

Discussion: Examiner, National Review, Popehat, Wizbang, The Mental Recession, The Camp Of The Saints, The Lonely Conservative, NoisyRoom.net, protein wisdom and Datechguy's Blog

Michelle Malkin:
ACLJ steps up to defend bloggers targeted over Brett Kimberlin coverage

Discussion: The Daley Gator, The Other McCain and RedState

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Election Forecast: Obama Begins With Tenuous Advantage — The first look at the 2012 FiveThirtyEight presidential forecast has Barack Obama as a very slight favorite to win re-election. But his advantage equates to only a two-point lead in the national popular vote, and the edge …

Discussion: Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, Business Insider, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Midwest Democracy and ABCNEWS

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
The Romney Campaign's ‘Route to 270’ Doesn't Get to 270

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Althouse and Politico

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Left pushes for $10 minimum wage, but House Democratic leadership balks — The House Democrats pushing for a steep hike in the minimum wage could face an unlikely foe: their own leadership. — Behind Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (Ill.), almost two dozen liberal Democrats endorsed legislation …

Discussion: Politico and Weasel Zippers

Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times:
Las Vegas labor dispute could harm President Obama and fellow Democrats

Discussion: CBS News, Marathon Pundit, The PJ Tatler, The Lonely Conservative and Hotline On Call

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:
House Democrats Propose Increasing Minimum Wage To $10

Discussion: The Hill, The Hope For America and The Impolitic

John Ruberry / Marathon Pundit:

(Video) AFSCME boss gives race-baiting speech at Occupy Milwaukee rally — On Wednesday, the day after Governor Scott Walker's recall election victory, Occupy Milwaukee held a rally in Pere Marquette Park, A march followed, which was at times was violent. But the ugliest occurrence yesterday …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and MacIver Institute

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Rand Paul endorses Romney — File this under signs the Ron Paul campaign is really, truly over: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul threw his support tonight to Mitt Romney. — The endorsement came in an appearance on “Hannity,” a little less than 24 hours after the elder Paul acknowledged in an email …

Discussion: CNN and Hit & Run

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

Rand Paul endorses Mitt Romney — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential bid, throwing his weight behind the presumptive GOP nominee even as his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), has yet to fully terminate his White House bid. — Rand Paul made the move in an appearance on Fox News Channel's “Hannity.”

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and New York Magazine

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org blogs:

Jon Stewart Slams MSNBC's Coverage of Walker Recall Election: ‘MSNB-Sad’ — How bad was MSNBC's coverage of Republican Governor Scott Walker winning his recall election in Wisconsin Tuesday? — Well, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart on Wednesday renamed the network “MSNB-Sad” saying that it …

Discussion: Hot Air and MacIver Institute

CBS News:
A record amount of money spent on Wisconsin recall

Discussion: National Review and The Recall Elections Blog

Daniel Doherty / Townhall.com:

Jeb Bush: Man, I Regret Not Running For POTUS … I'm sure Jeb Bush himself isn't the only conservative wishing he had heeded his brother's advice. … I suppose there's at least one good reason Jeb Bush ultimately decided not to run for president in 2012: his last name.

Discussion: Indecision Forever, Politico and New York Magazine

CBS News:
Unshackled, Jeb Bush offers light praise, advice for Obama

Discussion: The TV Guy, The Huffington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Raw Story

Joe Conason / The National Memo:

Did Young Mitt Romney Impersonate A Police Officer? Another Witness Says Yes — Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy — When Mitt Romney was a college freshman, he told fellow residents of his Stanford University dormitory that he sometimes disguised himself …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, TBogg, The New Civil Rights Movement, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo and Pirate's Cove

Frances Martel / Mediaite:
Lawrence O'Donnell Breaks New Mitt Romney Scandal: He Maybe Had A Police Uniform?

Discussion: The Daley Gator and The Hope For America

Matt Cover / CNSNews:

Holder Claims Emails Using Words ‘Fast and Furious’ Don't Refer to Operation Fast and Furious — (CNSNews.com) - Attorney General Eric Holder claimed during congressional testimony today that internal Justice Department emails that use the phrase “Fast and Furious” do not refer …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Randy's Roundtable, nation.foxnews.com, Rush Limbaugh and The Lonely Conservative

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Holder and lawmakers spar over Fast & Furious

Discussion: Mediaite

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Romney Just Making Stuff Up Now — I read a book today, oh boy. — A couple weeks ago, Mitt Romney quoted Noam Scheiber's book about the Obama administration's economic rescue, “The Escape Artists,” in a highly misleading way. Yesterday he did it again, only this time Romney altered …

Discussion: The New Republic, Mother Jones, The Raw Story, The Maddow Blog, livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com, Washington Post, The Caucus and The Hill

Ezra Klein:
Health reform: What if Obama hadn't tried it?

Discussion: Bloomberg, Mother Jones, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Campaign 2012

Patricia Zengerle / Reuters:

Romney, Republicans raise $76.8 million in May — (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republican groups raised more than $76.8 million in May, his campaign said on Thursday, topping the $60 million President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies hauled in.

Discussion: CNN and Weasel Zippers

The Huffington Post:
Mitt Romney, RNC Raise $76.8 Million In May

Discussion: The New Republic and Mediaite

New York Post:

Stuyvesant HS students hold ‘Slutty Wednesday’ to protest school's strict dress code policy — Nearly 100 smarties at the city's top-performing high school bared their bodies in “risque” outfits yesterday to denounce their school's conservative dress code — which bans the exposure of shoulders, midriffs, lower backs, bras and undies.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, Gawker and New York Times

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

Boehner shuffles office with new chief of staff — House Speaker John Boehner's chief of staff, Barry Jackson, is taking on a new role as senior counselor to the Speaker and handing the day-to-day management of the office to veteran Boehner aide Mike Sommers.

Discussion: Politico and Reuters