memeorandum: Todd Akin in Tampa with top social conservatives (Kate Nocera/Politico)

3:10 PM ET, August 23, 2012

Top Items:

Missouri Senate: McCaskill (D) 48%, Akin (R) 38% — What a difference one TV interview can make. Embattled Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill has now jumped to a 10-point lead over her Republican challenger, Congressman Todd Akin, in Missouri's U.S. Senate race.

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Team Obama breaks precedent to try to spoil Romney's convention in Tampa — Bucking protocol, President Obama and the Democrats are planning a full-scale assault on Republicans next week during their convention. — Presidential candidates have traditionally kept a low profile during …

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

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

Akin mess could be watershed moment for conservative movement … Missouri Rep. Todd Akin's insensitive and ignorant comments about rape and pregnancy could cost Republicans a majority in the Senate. But in time, the episode may be remembered as an important development for the conservative movement.

Discussion: Power Line, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly and A plain blog about politics

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

The Morning Plum: The Obama campaign's theory of the presidential race — Should President Obama be trying to persuade voters that the economy is recovering? — Some Democratic strategists think that could jar against public perceptions that things aren't really getting better.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, American Prospect, The Maddow Blog, Brad DeLong, Prairie Weather and The Fix

Matt Higgins / CBS Tampa:

Mayor: ‘Absolutely Prepared To Call Off’ GOP Convention If Isaac Threatens Tampa — TAMPA (CBS Tampa/AP) — Tampa's mayor warns that the Republican National Convention could be canceled if Tropical Storm Isaac heads for the city. — Mayor Bob Buckhorn told CNN that he is more concerned …

Kate Nocera / Politico:
Todd Akin in Tampa with top social conservatives

Discussion: CNN, Little Green Footballs, afa.net, Washington Post and Election 2012

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
DNC's agenda — Sandra Fluke is now officially on the Obama …

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air, Nice Deb, LifeNews.com, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler

Bill Clinton / CNN:
TRENDING: Clinton stars in new Obama ad

Discussion: Salon, Politico, Washington Free Beacon, ABCNEWS, Outside the Beltway, Taylor Marsh and Washington Wire

CNN:
Republicans say they'll nominate Romney, despite potential storm

Discussion: Election 2012

Caitlin Huey-Burns / Real Clear Politics:
GOP Recasts Path to Senate Majority — Without Missouri

Discussion: Washington Monthly, About.com Conservative … and Power Line

Katie Glueck / Politico:
RNC: We have plan for Isaac

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Riptide 2.0, Religion Dispatches, Fausta's Blog and Towleroad News #gay

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

Discussion: Stinque, Ann Coulter, Mediaite, Ballot Box, Conservatives4Palin, ABCNEWS, The New Civil Rights Movement and Hot Air

John Cook / Gawker:

The Bain Files: Inside Mitt Romney's Tax-Dodging Cayman Schemes — Mitt Romney's $250 million fortune is largely a black hole: Aside from the meager and vague disclosures he has filed under federal and Massachusetts laws, and the two years of partial tax returns (one filed and another provisional) …

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, Guardian, Business Insider, The Raw Story, The Political Carnival, The Hinterland Gazette, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, naked capitalism, Joe. My. God. and CBS DC

John Cook / Gawker:
The Bain Files: The Documents

Discussion: FT Alphaville, Business Insider and Little Green Footballs

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Gawker posts 950 pages of confidential Bain documents

Discussion: CNN, Salon and Gawker

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: CBS News, CNN, Washington Wire, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, ABCNEWS, The Caucus, The Moderate Voice, The Future of Capitalism, Outside the Beltway, ABCNEWS, AEIdeas, Politico, USA Today, Election 2012 and The BLT

Colby Itkowitz / Morning Call:

Morning Call/Muhlenberg Poll: Paul Ryan doesn't move race in Pennsylvania — The first poll of Pennsylvania voters since Mitt Romney made Paul Ryan his running mate found the pick did nothing to move the race. — President Barack Obama maintains his lead in the lean-blue state …

Discussion: Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and Election 2012

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: Ballot Box, First Read, GOP 12, Firedoglake, Hotline On Call, The Fix, theGrio, USA Today, Post on Politics, Riptide 2.0, Washington Examiner, The Hinterland Gazette, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and FiveThirtyEight

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

Discussion: Hot Air, CBS News and GOP 12

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Do Conservatives Now Want Social Issues “Truce?” Let Them Go First. — A big chunk of the conservative commentary on L'Affaire Akin has been devoted to the idea that ol' Todd is spoiling the laser-like focus of the GOP on Obama's economic policy failures, and/or enabling a liberal effort to “distract” voters from same.

Discussion: Mother Jones

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Are the Democrats Delusional On Abortion?

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weekly Standard, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Scared Monkeys, National Review, American Power, Instapundit, The Gateway Pundit and CatholicVote.org

Pema Levy / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Denies Akin Controversy Will Cost The Party Women Voters

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Politico and The Daily Beast

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: Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, protein wisdom and americanthinker.com

Donald Douglas / American Power:
'The President's Utility' — Chicago Energy Behemoth Exelon Corporation Scored $200 Million …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and The Lonely Conservative

Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Ties to Obama Aided in Access for Big Utility

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, The Caucus and Washington Free Beacon, more at Mediagazer »

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

Rebecca Trounson / Los Angeles Times:
Eroding middle class falls to 51%, survey finds

Discussion: The Political Carnival, News Desk and Gawker

Justin Fishel / Fox News:

EXCLUSIVE: Bin Laden raid tell-all author revealed, questions raised whether ex-Navy SEALs have freedom of speech — The author of a recently announced insider account of the raid that killed Usama bin Laden has been identified to Fox News as a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL Team 6 member …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Guardian, Wonkette, Business Insider, Gawker, Media Decoder, Mother Jones and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

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: JustOneMinute, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller and Daily Pundit

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,” …

Discussion: American Prospect and The Other McCain

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: CatholicVote.org and The Lonely Conservative

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

Discussion: Guardian, The Raw Story, Election 2012, Politicker and Outside the Beltway

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: The Atlantic Online, Good As You, Gay Politics, Althouse, ThinkProgress, Towleroad News #gay, Advocate, Balloon Juice, Joe. My. God. and The New Civil Rights Movement

Thomas Burr / Salt Lake Tribune:

Romney says his Mormon tithing shouldn't be public — • Mitt Romney says in a new interview that one of the reasons he's distressed about disclosing his tax returns is that everyone sees how much money he and his wife, Ann, have donated to the LDS Church, and that's a number he wants to keep private.

Discussion: The Hill and Election 2012