memeorandum: Cooke distances himself from national Dems on gay marriage, abortion (Robert Gehrke/Salt Lake Tribune)

10:05 AM ET, August 14, 2012

Top Items:

GOP pros fret over Paul Ryan — You've heard them on television and read them on POLITICO — cheerful, defiant statements from Republican political professionals about Mitt Romney's bold masterstroke in tapping Paul Ryan as his running mate, and turning the 2012 presidential race into a serious …

Discussion: The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, New York Times, Washington Post, Ballot Box, Mediaite, Booman Tribune, Taylor Marsh and Wall Street Journal, more at Mediagazer »

Guy Benson / Townhall.com:

Brutal: CNN Torches DWS on Medicare Falsehoods — Let me say this right up front: Congratulations to Wolf Blitzer for being a relentless, responsible journalist. If you value the truth, this interview is a pleasure to watch. If you have even an ounce of human compassion for the in-over-her-head target …

Discussion: Wake up America, The Other McCain, Washington Examiner, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, UrbanGrounds and AEIdeas

Susan Page / USA Today:

Gov. Chris Christie to deliver keynote at GOP convention — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will deliver the keynote address that launches the Republican National Convention in two weeks, telling USA TODAY he plans to make an “emphatic” argument on behalf of GOP approaches and shared sacrifice to face the nation's biggest challenges.

Discussion: Washington Wire, First Read, Outside the Beltway, NBC New York, Weekly Standard, Scared Monkeys, americanthinker.com, New York Times, GOP 12, New York Magazine and Associated Press

Emily Goodin / Ballot Box:

GOP concerned Ryan could cost party House and Senate seats — Republicans strategists are worried that Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) addition to the presidential ticket will cost their party House and Senate seats this fall. — Their concern: Democrats will successfully demonize Ryan's budget plan …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, CNN, Politico, ThinkProgress, Swampland, Booman Tribune, The Caucus, Connecting.the.Dots and The Hill

David A. Stockman / New York Times:

Paul Ryan's Fairy-Tale Budget Plan — PAUL D. RYAN is the most articulate and intellectually imposing Republican of the moment, but that doesn't alter the fact that this earnest congressman from Wisconsin is preaching the same empty conservative sermon. — Thirty years of Republican apostasy …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, p m carpenter's commentary, Business Insider and Prairie Weather

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
A strong solo debut for Ryan — with Romney's script

Discussion: ABCNEWS, New York Times, Boston Globe and ABCNEWS

Richard Danielson / Tampa Bay Times:
Marco Rubio to introduce Mitt Romney at RNC

Discussion: Politico, First Read, GOP 12, USA Today and ABCNEWS

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
The Paul Ryan Origin Story Is a Heaping Pile

Discussion: 2012 Decoded, Politico, New York Times and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Niels Lesniewski / Roll Call:
Ron Wyden Takes Issue With Mitt Romney Linking Him to Paul Ryan

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Maddow Blog

CNN:
Rubio to introduce Romney at Republican convention

Discussion: Hot Air

Politico:
Paul Ryan's voting record: Big-spending conservatism

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

WRAL-TV:
Biden attacks Romney, Ryan positions in Durham visit

Discussion: Power Line, Betsy's Page, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and The Lonely Conservative

BuzzFeed:
New Senior Romney Advisor Called Ryan Entitlement Reform Plans “Irresponsible...A Bad Idea”

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, New York Times, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Colorlines, PoliticusUSA, The Hinterland Gazette, The New Republic and Washington Post

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney's constitutional amendment would bar Paul Ryan from the presidency

Discussion: Truthdig, Liberal Values, BuzzFeed, Daily Kos and The Raw Story

Erick Erickson / RedState: More on the Winning Argument — In USA Today, Instapundit …

Krissah Thompson / Washington Post:
Janna Ryan steps lightly into national spotlight

Discussion: The Caucus, Hotline On Call, Outside the Beltway, ABCNEWS, GOP 12, USA Today and Politico

BuzzFeed:
Romney Won't Say Where He Disagrees With Ryan On Medicare

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Maddow Blog and his vorpal sword

Evan McMorris-Santoro / livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com:

Boehner's Office Says Obama Avoiding Personal Responsibility For Drought — On its website and in an email Monday, House Speaker John Boehner's office said President Obama needs to take personal responsibility for the drought ravaging the Midwest. — Obama, “continues to blame anyone …

Discussion: Financial Times, Balloon Juice, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Dependable Renegade and New York Magazine

Speaker.gov:
Why Doesn't President Obama Urge Senate Dems to Pass Urgently-Needed Drought Relief?

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, The Hill, Firedoglake and Daily Kos

David Shepardson / detroitnews.com:

Treasury: U.S. to lose $25 billion on auto bailout — Washington -The Treasury Department says in a new report the government expects to lose more than $25 billion on the $85 billion auto bailout. That's 15 percent higher than its previous forecast. — In a monthly report sent to Congress on Friday …

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation and Weasel Zippers

Jason Lange / CNBC:

U.S. Treasury increases auto bailout cost estimate — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department has said the auto industry bailout will cost taxpayers $3.4 billion more than previously thought. — Treasury now estimates the 2009 bailout will eventually cost the government $25.1 billion …

Discussion: The Hill and Politico

Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun Blogs:

McCain rebuts Reid on Romney, says “nothing in his tax returns shows he did not pay taxes” — Arizona Sen. John McCain said today that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is wrong about his assertion that Mitt Romney did not pay taxes for 10 years, saying his team that vetted the presumptive GOP nominee in 2008 found no such thing.

Discussion: Politico and Outside the Beltway

Zack Colman / Ballot Box:
White House touts wind energy against Romney

Discussion: Politico

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

Hey Paul Ryan haters, your congressional insider trader suspect actually is Sheldon Whitehouse — Paul Ryan falsely was accused today by left-wing bloggers, most notably Matthew Yglesias (formerly of Think Progress now of Slate), of insider trading based on confidential information provided …

Discussion: naked capitalism, New York Magazine, Slate and The Other McCain

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Paul Ryan Insider Trading Rumor Quickly Debunked

Discussion: Wake up America, Cognitive Dissidence, Business Insider, Brad DeLong, Guardian, Firedoglake, JOSHUAPUNDIT and The Daily Dish

Robert Gehrke / Salt Lake Tribune:

Cooke distances himself from national Dems on gay marriage, abortion — Democratic candidate for governor cleaves to LDS Church position. — | The Salt Lake Tribune — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Cooke launched a pre-emptive strike Monday, distancing himself …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Box Turtle Bulletin and Towleroad News #gay

Francisco Alvarado / Riptide 2.0:

Mitt Romney is Stumping In Miami at Eatery Owned By Convicted Coke Smuggler … Today, Mitt Romney is foregoing a Miami political campaign tradition by skipping over Versailles restaurant in Little Havana. Instead, Mittens will be hobnobbing with a convicted cocaine smuggler.

Discussion: New York Magazine, UrbanGrounds, The Buzz Florida Politics Feed, The Hinterland Gazette, Balloon Juice and Naked Politics

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

‘Four More Beers!’ Chant Greets Obama; Buys Beers for 10 People, Save Romney Supporter — In Iowa last night, a chant of “four more beers!” broke out for President Obama, and he offered to buy beers for 10 people, but not for a supporter of Mitt Romney. Via the pool report:

Babak Dehghanpisheh / Washington Post:

Syria rebels claim shoot-down of fighter jet; government disputes report — View Photo Gallery — This image made from an amateur video purports to show a Syrian plane downed over the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, Syria, on Aug. 13, 2012. Click through to see more photos of the violence …

Discussion: New York Times, Guardian and Via Meadia, more at Mediagazer »

ProPublica:

Two Dark Money Groups Outspending All Super PACs Combined — Two conservative nonprofits, Crossroads GPS and Americans for Prosperity, have poured almost $60 million into TV ads to influence the presidential race so far, outgunning all super PACs put together, new spending estimates show.

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org and Daily Kos