memeorandum: Video: Obama campaign now pretending it didn't know details of steelworker's story — after featuring him in two ads (Allahpundit/Hot Air)

8:50 PM ET, August 8, 2012

Top Items:

Kevin Robillard / Politico:

Romney spokesperson cites Massachusetts health law — A Mitt Romney spokesperson offered an unusual counterattack Tuesday to an ad in which a laid-off steelworker blames the presumptive GOP nominee for his family losing health care: If that family had lived in Massachusetts …

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:

Team Obama denies knowing story of man in its TV ad, call — When President Obama's aides said they weren't familiar with former Missouri steelworker Joe Soptic's life story, all they had to do was check their own campaign archives. — Soptic, laid off from Bain Capital-owned GST Steel …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Mediaite, Michelle Malkin, Moe Lane, National Review, CNN, The Hill, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Examiner

Erick Erickson / RedState:

The Moment All the Doubts About Romney Resurfaced on the Right — Priorities USA was damaging itself and Barack Obama over its mind numbingly insane ad painting Mitt Romney as a killer. — Then the Romney campaign decided to sabotage itself with a mind numbingly bit of spin that may mark the day the Romney campaign died.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, USA Today, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post, Smartypants, Daily Kos, Erick's blog, The Other McCain, iOwnTheWorld.com, The PJ Tatler, Althouse and Politico

Pema Levy / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Team Romney Scares Conservatives By Touting ‘Romneycare’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Maddow Blog

Olivier Knox / ABCNEWS:
Obama campaign: Don't blame us for ad blaming Romney for cancer death

Discussion: Politico, CNN, The Page and Michelle Malkin

Allahpundit / Hot Air: Video: Obama campaign now pretending it didn't know details of steelworker's story — after featuring him in two ads

The 1600 Report:
Ad linking Romney to death of the wife of a laid off steelworker not accurate

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama: Mitt Romney wants to take women back to policies of the '50s — President Obama on Wednesday accused Republicans of wanting to take the nation “back to policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century” during a campaign stop aimed at securing support from women.

Discussion: CNN, Politico, JOSHUAPUNDIT and The Reaction

Gregory Simmons / ABCNEWS:
VP Shortlister Rob Portman Comes Out Swinging in Colorado

Discussion: Washington Post and ABCNEWS

First Read:
From left, Sen. Rob Portman, Rep. Paul Ryan & Former Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty

Discussion: Power Line, ABCNEWS, The Maddow Blog, Politico, Vox Popoli and Washington Wire

Quinnipiac University:
Wisconsin, Virginia, Colorado White House Races Close, Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Hotline On Call, Guardian, Business Insider, GOP 12, Firedoglake, First Read, USA Today and Public Policy Polling

New York Times:
Polls See Sharp Divide in 3 Swing States

Discussion: The Caucus, CBS News, Rasmussen Reports, American Prospect, Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, The Confluence, CNN, USA Today, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and Taylor Marsh

NationalJournal.com:
Expect Romney to Surprise With Running Mate Pick

Discussion: Hot Air, The Atlantic Online, The Hill, 2012 Decoded and GOP 12

Reuters:
Paul Ryan veep prospects split GOP

Discussion: National Review, Los Angeles Times, PERRspectives, Daily Kos, Politico, Washington Wire, Althouse, Hot Air, ABCNEWS, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog and msnbc.com

Shushannah Walshe / ABCNEWS:
Pawlenty Says 'We'll Know Soon Enough'

Discussion: CNN, First Read and ABCNEWS

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

Economists to Romney campaign: That's not what our research says — On Tuesday, the Romney campaign responded to the fire it's taking from economic analysts by unleashing some artillery of their own. They released a paper by four decorated economists associated with the campaign …

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Taking Note

Dylan Matthews / Washington Post:
The Romney campaign says stimulus doesn't work. Here are the studies they left out.

Discussion: Ricochet Conversations Feed and AEIdeas

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

Report: Rep. Steve King mulling bill to repeal everything Obama has signed — Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an outspoken critic of just about everything President Obama supports, is considering introducing a bill that would repeal everything Obama has signed into law.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Raw Story and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Bill Shea / Messenger News:
King plans immigration order lawsuit

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Examiner and The PJ Tatler

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

Why the Reaction Is Different When the Terrorist Is White — Atrocities like the attack on the Sikh congregation in Wisconsin introduce terrifying dissonance into America's post-9/11 mindset. — Members of the Sikh congregation mourn their dead. / Reuters

Discussion: The Awl, Booman Tribune, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Dish, Daily Kos and Mother Jones

TwinCities.com:
Wisconsin shooting suspect urged white supremacist action

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and rightwingwatch.org

Matthew Jaffe / ABCNEWS:
Alleged Wisconsin Gunman Wade Michael Page's Ex-Girlfriend Arrested

Discussion: The Jawa Report, JSOnline, The Hinterland Gazette, The Other McCain, New York Magazine and Newsy

TechPresident:

GAME OVER: WIKIPEDIA LOCKS DOWN POTENTIAL VP PAGES IN RESPONSE TO COLBERT MISCHIEF-MAKING — The act of observing something can sometimes change the thing being observed. Case in point: my observation on Monday that we might be able to get useful clues as to the identity …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, USA Today, Little Green Footballs and New York Magazine

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Wikipedia locks possible VPs' pages

Discussion: New York Magazine, AEIdeas, Washington Post, ABCNEWS and BuzzFeed

Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:

Let's Have a Maximum Income — Rich people across the Western world are anxiously watching France, where president Francois Hollande is vowing to raise the top tax rate—on earnings over $1.2 million a year—to 75 percent. Tres bien, Mr. Hollande. The problem with this otherwise fine idea …

Discussion: Business Insider and Vodkapundit

Liz Alderman / New York Times:
‘Les Riches’ in France Vow to Leave if 75% Tax Rate Is Passed

Discussion: CNBC, National Review, Via Meadia, americanthinker.com, The Lonely Conservative and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

BuzzFeed:

Romney Chased By Jewish Wedding Party On Harrowing Drive Through New Jersey — Reporters are taken for an exciting ride — including 90+ MPH speeds and an Orthodox Jewish wedding. This bride is pissed. — Image by Charles Dharapak / AP — Mitt Romney's motorcade took a harrowing drive through New Jersey this afternoon.

Discussion: Politicker and Indecision Forever

New York Post:

Jewish gal shows up IOC with a gold salute to Munich 11 — It wasn't a gloved-fist salute from the medal stand, but Jewish-American gymnast Aly Raisman made quite a statement yesterday by winning a gold medal and invoking the memory of the Israeli athletes killed 40 years ago in Munich.

Discussion: JOSHUAPUNDIT, Swampland, Taylor Marsh and Althouse

Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post:

Ron Haskins, GOP Welfare Reform Architect, Blasts Mitt Romney Ad … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Election 2012, Romney Campaign, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney Welfare, Mitt Romney Welfare Reform, Ron Haskins, Ron Haskins Welfare …

Discussion: NPR, Associated Press, Politifact.com Truth …, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post: Obama's welfare debacle

Steve Erickson / American Prospect:

The GOP's Kamikaze Candidate — I spent most of July in the upper Midwest and was reminded that not everyone in America passes the summer fixated on politics. They go to the beach, catch fish, grill burgers, eat ice cream, try to stay cool, see The Dark Knight Rises without recognizing …

Discussion: TBogg and Booman Tribune

Deborah Charles / Reuters:

Obama's lead over Romney grows despite voters' pessimism — (Reuters) - Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the future but voters do not seem to be holding it against Democratic President Barack Obama, who slightly expanded his lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney this month, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll says.

Discussion: Ballot Box, Business Insider, theGrio and The Moderate Voice

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

How Romney's Pick of a Running Mate Could Sway the Outcome — We haven't had that much to say about Mitt Romney's choice of a vice-presidential nominee — mostly because it just isn't something that lends itself to rigorous analysis. — But let's focus on the part of the problem where our tools …

Discussion: Swampland, Outside the Beltway and Booman Tribune

Chris Moody / Yahoo! News:

One night in Rob Portman's haunted hotel — LEBANON, Ohio—The sun is setting on this small town in southwest Ohio, and when darkness reigns, strange things happen at the Golden Lamb Inn. Or so I'm told. — The Inn, owned by the family of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman for the better part of the last century …

Discussion: FishbowlDC and Mediaite

Alexandra Zawia / Hollywood Reporter:

Harry Belafonte on Capitalism, Media Moguls and His Disappointment With Jay-Z and Beyonce (Q&A) — At the Locarno Film Festival to pick up the Golden Leopard Honor Award, the singer and actor also talks about his fears of a Fourth Reich and why Mitt Romney shouldn't be president.

Discussion: theGrio, Associated Press, Mediaite and The Hinterland Gazette