memeorandum: Carlson Chief Steps Down To Take Best Buy's Top Job (Wall Street Journal)

7:30 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 …

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: ThinkProgress, Show Me Progress, The New Civil Rights Movement, First Read, Connecting.the.Dots, Crooks and Liars and Little Green Footballs

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.

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, New York Magazine and Politico

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

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

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and The New Civil Rights Movement

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

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin, The PJ Tatler, Prairie Weather, Washington Post, 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: Booman Tribune, The Fix, Washington Post, New York Magazine, ABCNEWS, TBogg, Algemeiner.com, KNXV, The Moderate Voice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Balloon Juice, NewsBusters.org 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: NO QUARTER, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, American Power, The Moderate Voice, The Hinterland Gazette, The Lonely Conservative, NewsBusters.org blogs, The PJ Tatler, iOwnTheWorld.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Paul Krugman:
Unethical Commentary, Newsweek Edition

Discussion: Chicago Boyz

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

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

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

Discussion: DavidMixner.com, The Hinterland Gazette and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

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

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

Romney Campaign Works Feverishly to Project Relaxed Image — TAMPA, Fla. — They hail from the Broadway stage, the control rooms of NBC and the design studios that created sleek sets for Oprah Winfrey and Jon Stewart. — Their craft is slick packaging and eye candy that audiences consume by the millions.

Discussion: GOP 12, USA Today, The Caucus and Balloon Juice

Justin Sink / The Hill:

New Romney ad decries Obama welfare changes as ‘nuts’ — Mitt Romney's campaign released a new ad Monday citing a newspaper editorial that decries President Obama's recent change to welfare policy as “nuts,” doubling down on the presumptive Republican nominee's tough attacks on the shift.

Discussion: CNN

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: Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, 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: Informed Comment, Mediaite, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Impolitic

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

The Spinal Tap Presidency — Large and enthusiastic crowds greet Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan wherever they go. You can get a better sense of this if you check out local media sources rather than the constantly-spun national news. To take just one example, The Villages Daily Sun in Florida:

Discussion: Betsy's Page