memeorandum: The Spinal Tap Presidency (John Hinderaker/Power Line)

12:35 AM ET, August 20, 2012

Top Items:

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Republican Senate Nominee: Victims Of ‘Legitimate Rape’ Don't Get Pregnant — This post has been updated. — Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri who is running against Sen. Claire McCaskill, justified his opposition to abortion rights even in case of rape …

Charles Jaco / FOX2now.com:

The Jaco Report: August 19, 2012 — (KTVI)-The race for the United States Senate in Missouri is one of the most closely watched in the nation. Republican hopes for regaining control of the Senate heavily depend on republican Congressman Todd Akin defeating incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill.

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo, BREITBART.COM, News Desk, Mother Jones, ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Hinterland Gazette, The Gateway Pundit, 2012 Decoded, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Newsy, Sky Dancing, Little Green Footballs, Business Insider, Hotline On Call and TBogg

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Akin On ‘Legitimate Rape’ Comment: ‘I Misspoke’ — Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) said late Sunday that he “misspoke” when he claimed that women who are victims of “legitimate rape” have biological defenses that fend off a pregnancy and therefore do not need legal abortion rights.

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement, First Read, ThinkProgress, Crooks and Liars, New York Magazine and Little Green Footballs

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Akin Outburst Will Put Pressure On Romney-Ryan — Missouri Republican Senate nominee Todd Akin's claim that women who are victims of “legitimate rape” have biological defenses to prevent pregnancy — and therefore don't need the legal right to have an abortion — is already shaking up the Senate race in the Show Me State.

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement, The Maddow Blog and Balloon Juice

CNN:

Romney and Ryan disagree with Akin rape remark, says campaign — (CNN) - A spokeswoman for Mitt Romney wrote late Sunday that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, did not share Rep. Todd Akin's sentiments on rape.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and The Political Carnival

Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times:

Rep. Todd Akin: No pregnancy from ‘legitimate rape’ — Rep. Todd Akin's controversial comments on “legitimate rape” made during an interview with KTVI-TV have sparked a massive backlash. — If there is something everyone can agree on, it would seem that the idea that rape can result …

Discussion: The Page

David Cohen / Politico: Todd Akin: ‘Legitimate rape’ victims rarely get pregnant

Aaron Blake / The Fix:
Todd Akin, GOP Senate candidate: ‘Legitimate rape’ rarely causes pregnancy

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin, The PJ Tatler, Midwest Democracy and Jammie Wearing Fools

Politico:

Exclusive: GOP scolded after drinking, nudity in Israel — The FBI probed a late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee that involved drinking, numerous GOP freshmen lawmakers, top leadership staff - and one nude member of Congress, according to more than a dozen sources, including eyewitnesses.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Booman Tribune, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post, Algemeiner.com, The Political Carnival, Balloon Juice and Newsy

Niall Ferguson / The Daily Beast:

Niall Ferguson: Hit the Road, Barack — The president has broken his promises, and Romney-Ryan's path to prosperity is our only hope. — I was a good loser four years ago. “In the grand scheme of history,” I wrote the day after Barack Obama's election as president, “four decades is not an especially long time.

Discussion: Politico, Paul Krugman, The Right Scoop, The Gateway Pundit, American Power, Business Insider, The Moderate Voice, The Lonely Conservative, The Hinterland Gazette, NO QUARTER, NewsBusters.org blogs, Weasel Zippers, Lawyers, Guns & Money, iOwnTheWorld.com and The Daily Beast

BuzzFeed:

Ohio Republican Stands By Jab At Black Turnout “Machine” — “I said I believe that there's a line of how far that taxpayers should have to go to match a specific political operation, and that's what I mean,” Preisse tells BuzzFeed. Democrats cry suppression. — Source: @dougpreisse

Darrel Rowland / The Columbus Dispatch:
Voting in Ohio | Fight over poll hours isn't just political

Discussion: The Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Brilliant at Breakfast and Plunderbund

Aviva Shen / ThinkProgress:
Ohio GOP Election Board Member: Our Voting Process Shouldn't Accommodate Black Voters

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Jeremy W. Peters / The Caucus:

Obama Opens Up to ‘Moneyball’ Writer for Vanity Fair — The White House has granted Michael Lewis, the best-selling author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short,” extensive access to President Obama for an article in the October issue of Vanity Fair. — The magazine confirmed that Mr. Lewis …

Discussion: Politico and New York Magazine

Kerry Picket / Washington Times:

Obama camp - We are intentionally limiting crowd size at rallies — The presumptive GOP presidential and vice presidential nominees Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan are attracting thousands of supporters to their campaign rallies since Mr. Romney named Mr. Ryan to the bottom of the ticket.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Doug Ross, RedState, Deep Fried Manatees, Wake up America, The Other McCain, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers and Jammie Wearing Fools

John Hinderaker / Power Line: The Spinal Tap Presidency

Andrew Malcolm / Investor's Business Daily:

The amazing little story that didn't happen on Obama's big bus trip — President Obama was back in Iowa for several days this past week. He has winning memories there. But the fact that an incumbent president feels it necessary to invest three of only 79 precious remaining days there says how close the presidential race now is.

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Dem. Senator: Obama Led SEALs Mission to Kill Bin Laden — Yesterday, when introducing President Obama at a campaign event in New Hampshire, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, said that the president “led the mission that brought Osama bin Laden to justice”:

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, Doug Ross and The Right Scoop

Sal Gentile / Up with Chris Hayes:

VIDEO: Paul Ryan defended stimulus in 2002, when George W. Bush wanted it — Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy — Long before he became one of the right's most vocal critics of the idea that government spending could help boost the flagging economy …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, Business Insider and Balloon Juice

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Paul Ryan Supported Economic Stimulus Under Bush: ‘You Have To Spend A Little To Grow A Little’

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Mediaite and The Impolitic

Kathleen Hennessey / Los Angeles Times:

Rep. Paul Ryan fought to bail out GM plant in Wisconsin district — Conservatives view Mitt Romney's running mate as a symbol of fiscal austerity and Democrats see him as a radical ideologue. Neither characterization fits his effort to save the GM plant. — The shuttered General Motors plant …

Discussion: Firedoglake and Mother Jones

Emily Schultheis / Politico:

Giuliani questions whether Biden has the ‘balance’ to be president — Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Sunday questioned whether Vice President Joe Biden has the “balance” to be president. — “Oh, no, I don't think he's nuts. I'm just saying I wonder if he's got the kind of balance …

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette and New York Magazine

Carlo Muñoz / The Hill:
Biden not a ‘liability’ despite recent gaffe, says Obama campaign

Discussion: Hot Air and Wake up America

CNN:
Obama team defends People, ET interviews

Discussion: Politico and Outside the Beltway

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Gibbs: Ryan should ‘thank’ Obama for strengthening Medicare — Senior Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs defended the administration's record on Medicare from GOP attacks on Sunday, saying that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) should “thank President Obama” for strengthening the program.

Discussion: Instapundit, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, Politico and Jammie Wearing Fools