memeorandum: Romney Campaign Chair Contradicts Candidate, Says Romney's Medicare Plan Is ‘Very Different’ From Ryan's Plan (Igor Volsky/ThinkProgress)

10:45 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: Washington Post, The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, New York Times, americanthinker.com, Mediaite, Booman Tribune, Ballot Box, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Hinterland Gazette, 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: Washington Examiner, Scared Monkeys, Wake up America, The Other McCain, Weekly Standard, UrbanGrounds and AEIdeas

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

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, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, NBC New York, Scared Monkeys, americanthinker.com, CNN, Washington Examiner, New York Times, About.com US Politics, 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, Washington Post, Politico, ThinkProgress, Swampland, Booman Tribune, The Caucus and Connecting.the.Dots

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Romney Campaign Chair Contradicts Candidate, Says Romney's Medicare Plan Is ‘Very Different’ From Ryan's Plan — Just a day after Mitt Romney told reporters, “my plan for Medicare is very similar to [Paul Ryan's] plan for Medicare,” former New Hampshire governor and Romney campaign chair …

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, BuzzFeed and The Political Carnival

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

A strong solo debut for Ryan — with Romney's script — Popular in Politics — On Monday afternoon, in his first solo appearance as Mitt Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., answered a question troubling more than a few Republican strategists: Will his campaign be more about the Romney plan …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ABCNEWS, New York Times, Boston Globe, ABCNEWS and Washington Post

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

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

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

Allahpundit / Hot Air: Video: Lifelike talking-points robot doesn't like being reminded that Ryan's Medicare plan won't affect seniors

Suzy Khimm / Washington Post:
Paul Ryan's biggest budget cuts are to Medicaid, not Medicare

Discussion: FT Alphaville, National Review, The Incidental Economist, Forbes, Washington Monthly, PoliticusUSA and Mother Jones

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

Discussion: 2012 Decoded, Politico, New York Times and The Atlantic Online, more at Mediagazer »

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

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

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

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

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

Discussion: The Hill and Politico

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, The Maddow Blog, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Speaker.gov, The Hill, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Dependable Renegade

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, New York Times and GOP 12

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Biden Invokes Paul Ryan's Deceased Father to Question VP Candidate's Values — Vice President Joe Biden invoked Paul Ryan's deceased father to question the Republican vice presidential candidate's values: — “My dad used to have another saying, for real,” Biden said.

Discussion: Wonkette, Speaker.gov, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Politico, Marooned In Marin, JOSHUAPUNDIT and NewsBusters.org blogs

Orlando Sentinel:
Romney campaign cancels Monday visit to Orlando

Discussion: CNN, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Politico, Booman Tribune, The Political Carnival, p m carpenter's commentary, ABCNEWS and The Hill

ABCNEWS:

Twice-Jilted Pawlenty Sat on VP Secret — REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK by SHUSHANNAH WALSHE (@shushwalshe) — Tim Pawlenty was passed over as a presidential running mate twice. But to a reporter sitting on his front lawn during what must have been a difficult time — getting passed …

Discussion: BuzzFeed and ABCNEWS

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

Whistle-blower, documents: Ill. state workers forced to attend Pelosi, Jesse Jackson Jr. event on taxpayer dime — Documents and a whistle-blower affidavit obtained by The Daily Caller charge that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. …

Discussion: Hot Air, The Jawa Report and The Gateway Pundit

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

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

Lisa de Moraes / Washington Post:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu protests NBC reality series ‘Stars Earn Stripes’ — Cast of “Stars Earn Stripes” (NBC - CHRIS HASTON/NBC) Nine Nobel Peace Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have demanded NBC scrub its new reality series “Stars Earn Stripes” because, “war isn't entertainment.”

Discussion: Guardian, normblog, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Hinterland Gazette, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Mediaite

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: