memeorandum: While a teacher, 11th District candidate Bentivolio's behavior was a problem, records show (Kathleen Gray/Detroit Free Press)

10:05 AM ET, August 23, 2012

Top Items:

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Team Obama breaks precedent to try to spoil Romney's convention — Bucking protocol, President Obama and the Democrats are planning a full-scale assault on Republicans next week during their convention. — Bucking protocol, President Obama and the Democrats are planning a full-scale assault …

Discussion: CNN, Taylor Marsh, Jammie Wearing Fools and Pirate's Cove

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Are the Democrats Delusional On Abortion? — The Democrats apparently think they have hit the jackpot with Todd Akin's moment of stupidity, but I'm not so sure. How, exactly, are they going to take advantage of Akin's blunder? By talking ceaselessly about abortion.

Discussion: Weekly Standard and New York Times

Katie Glueck / Politico:

RNC: We have plan for Isaac — The Republican National Committee has “contingency plans” should tropical storm Isaac impact the GOP convention in Tampa next week but a spokesman on Thursday wasn't revealing details. — “We do have contingency plans to deal with weather-related …

Discussion: Riptide 2.0 and Towleroad News #gay

Deroy Murdock / National Review:
Akin: Face the Wrath of the GOP Convention

Discussion: Mediaite, Conservatives4Palin and The New Civil Rights Movement

CNN:
Agencies warn of possible anarchist activity at conventions

Discussion: Politico and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed

Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:
GOP takes tough platform approach

Discussion: ThinkProgress, his vorpal sword, Campaign Stops and New York Times

Ann Coulter / Official:
MISSOURI: THE ‘SHOW ME ANOTHER G.O.P. CANDIDATE’ STATE

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller and Barack Obama

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Dem Convention becomes anti-Akin affair

Discussion: Politico, Instapundit, Ballot Box, The Lonely Conservative, American Power, Weekly Standard, CatholicVote.org, Althouse, Hot Air, ABCNEWS, Weasel Zippers, American Vision and The PJ Tatler

Sharon Otterman / New York Times: New York Archbishop Will Give Closing Prayer at G.O.P. Meeting

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Paul Ryan stands by his anti-abortion record while running away from it

Discussion: First Read, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune and Firedoglake

New York Times:

Polls Say Medicare Is Key Issue in 3 Swing States — The Romney-Ryan proposal to reshape Medicare by giving future beneficiaries fixed amounts of money to buy health coverage is deeply unpopular in Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to new polls that found that more likely voters …

Discussion: CNN, Politico, ABCNEWS, Taegan Goddard's …, Election 2012, The Caucus, USA Today, The BLT and Prairie Weather, more at Mediagazer »

Quinnipiac University:

Ryan Micro-Bump In Florida, Wisconsin, But Not Ohio, Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll Finds — FLORIDA: Obama 49 - Romney 46, compared to Obama 51 - 45 percent August 1 — OHIO: Obama 50 - Romney 44, unchanged from August 1 — WISCONSIN: Obama 49 - Romney 47, compared to Obama 51 - 45 August 8

Discussion: GOP 12, The Fix, theGrio, Post on Politics, USA Today, Riptide 2.0, First Read, Hotline On Call, Washington Examiner and FiveThirtyEight

Jammie Wearing Fools:
Battleground States Poll: Curiously, So-Called War on Women Not an Issue

Discussion: GOP 12, CBS News and Hot Air

myFOXlubbock.com:

Lubbock Co. Judge warns of potential danger if Obama is re-elected — Lubbock County Judge Tom Head and Commissioner Mark Heinrich went into great detail Monday night on FOX 34 News @ Nine about why it is necessary to raise the tax rate by 1.7 cents the next fiscal year.

Discussion: The Raw Story, theGrio, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Balloon Juice, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wonkette, Zandar Versus The Stupid and Business Insider

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Texas Judge Suggests He Will Join ‘Civil Unrest, Civil Disobedience, Civil War Maybe’ If Obama Is Reelected

Discussion: US Politics, The Maddow Blog, Applesauce and nation.foxnews.com

Nick R. Martin / Talking Points Memo:
Texas Judge Warns Of ‘Civil War, Maybe’ If Obama Wins

Discussion: Stinque and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

WMUR:

Sheriff candidate says he wouldn't reject deadly force to stop abortions — Candidate says he believes elective, late-term abortions aren't lawful — Candidate's abortion comments draw criticism — A Republican candidate for Hillsborough County Sheriff said Wednesday …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CBS Boston, No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Balloon Juice and The Raw Story

Ryan O'Connor / bedford-nh.patch.com:
Szabo Compares Abortions to Slavery, Condones Use of Deadly Force

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Hinterland Gazette

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Michelle Obama: ‘Get to the Polls on November the 2’ — Michelle Obama, speaking yesterday at a campaign event in Florida: … The presidential election this year is November 6.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Obama: Team Romney coming on strong, playing dirty, time to ‘put them away’ — President Obama joined a group of former NBA stars at a fundraiser at New York's Lincoln Center Wednesday night. With Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and other basketball legends sitting nearby …

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and CatholicVote.org

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
President Obama: Todd Akin ‘Somehow Missed Science Class’

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily, The Raw Story, Politicker and Outside the Beltway

Pew Social & Demographic Trends:

The Lost Decade of the Middle Class — Fewer, Poorer, Gloomier — CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW — As the 2012 presidential candidates prepare their closing arguments to America's middle class, they are courting a group that has endured a lost decade for economic well-being.

Discussion: American Prospect, The Agonist, The Demos Blog, Real Time Economics, BBC, Connecting.the.Dots, Economix, Business Insider and Newsy

Matt Higgins / CBS St. Louis:

Cops: Lesbian Fakes Attack In Which She Carved Anti-Gay Slurs Into Skin — LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former University of Nebraska women's basketball star faked an attack in which she allegedly carved anti-gay slurs into her skin because she felt it would spark change, police said Tuesday.

Discussion: JONATHAN TURLEY

Christina Ng / ABCNEWS:
Police Accuse Nebraska Woman of Faking Anti-Gay Hate Crime

Discussion: The Other McCain and Riehl World News

Mitt Romney for President of the United States …:

MITT ROMNEY SETS GOAL OF NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE BY 2020 — A crucial component of Mitt Romney's Plan for a Stronger Middle Class is a comprehensive energy strategy to achieve North American energy independence by 2020 and establish America as an energy superpower in the 21st century.

Discussion: Right Wing News, First Read and Talking Points Memo

Washington Post:
Mitt Romney says plan will achieve North American energy independence by 2020

Discussion: New York Times and Election 2012

Christopher Maloney / Twitchy:

‘O-I-H-O’: Barack Obama's Dan Quayle moment — President Barack Obama finally found the 57th state, and it's spelled O-I-H-O. — To be fair, Obama and his pals finally got it right here: … Some can't believe the President would be so stupid: … Great point! Except, not really:

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Riehl World News and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Rachel Weiner / Twitchy:
Bias: WaPo ‘real reporters’ falsely claim Obama ‘O-I-H-O’ pic was photoshopped

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, National Review and American Power

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Team Romney calls out Obama for misspelling ‘Ohio’ at campaign stop

Discussion: Questions and Observations, Jammie Wearing Fools and The Ulsterman Report

Stephen Braun / Associated Press:

AP Exclusive: Energy loan watchdog an Obama donor — WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran Wall Street executive who performed an independent review that exonerated the Obama administration's program of loans to energy companies contributed $52,500 to re-elect President Barack Obama in the months since completing …

Discussion: protein wisdom and Hot Air

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:

Fear of a Black President — As a candidate, Barack Obama said we needed to reckon with race and with America's original sin, slavery. But as our first black president, he has avoided mention of race almost entirely. In having to be “twice as good” and “half as black,” …

Eric Lipton / New York Times:

Ties to Obama Aided in Access for Big Utility — WASHINGTON — Early in the Obama administration, a lobbyist for the Illinois-based energy producer Exelon Corporation proudly called it “the president's utility.” And it was not just because it delivers power to Barack Obama's Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago.

Discussion: American Power and Washington Free Beacon

Mark Oppenheimer / New York Times:

Dan Savage and Brian Brown Debate Gay Marriage Over the Dinner Table — THE ancient Greek symposium, which combined drinking with elevated discussion, was often held in a private house; at Parisian salons, conversation frequently took place in the bedroom. Once upon a time …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Good As You, Towleroad News #gay, Advocate, The New Civil Rights Movement and Joe. My. God.

Bill Clinton / CNN:

Clinton stars in new Obama ad — (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton takes center stage in a new ad released by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign on Thursday. — The former president, who's been a top surrogate for Obama this year, largely praises Obama in the spot and attempted …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Politico, Outside the Beltway, ABCNEWS and www2.timesdispatch.com

Ramsey Cox / The Hill:

GOP lawmakers rip ATF double dip — Two key Republicans ripped the Obama administration on Wednesday for allowing an official involved in Operation Fast and Furious to draw a six-figure salary from JPMorgan even as he received a regular government paycheck.