memeorandum: How immigration threatens to tear the GOP apart (Chris Cillizza/The Fix)

2:55 PM ET, February 21, 2013

Top Items:

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:

If No Deal is Struck, Four-in-Ten Say Let the Sequester Happen — Deficit Reduction: Focus Mostly on Spending But Keep Taxes in Mix — OVERVIEW — After a series of fiscal crises over the past few years, the public is not expressing a particular sense of urgency over the pending March 1 sequester deadline.

Discussion: New York Times, Firedoglake, PoliticusUSA, Washington Wire, The Fix, AMERICAblog, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill, The Maddow Blog and Prairie Weather

USA Today:

On issues, public is more aligned with Obama than GOP — SETTING A NATIONAL AGENDA: WHAT NEEDS TO GET DONE THIS YEAR? — In a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll, Americans were asked how urgent it was for President Obama and Congress to pass major legislation on some top issues this year.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The National Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mother Jones, ABCNEWS, Taylor Marsh and Balloon Juice

Mike Dorning / Bloomberg:

Obama Rated at 3-Year High in Poll, Republicans at Bottom — President Barack Obama enters the latest budget showdown with Congress with his highest job- approval rating in three years and public support for his economic message, while his Republican opponents' popularity stands at a record low.

Discussion: msnbc.com, Taegan Goddard's …, Politico, Business Insider, The National Memo, Daily Kos, Shakesville, The Hill, The Reaction, Taylor Marsh, Prairie Weather, The Moderate Voice and alan.com

Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:

Republicans Coalesce Around Clever Plan To Make Looming Spending Cuts Much Less Draconian — The GOP's emerging legislative fix to the sequester is both counterintuitive and clever. But it probably won't force Democrats to abandon their insistence that the coming automatic cuts be replaced in part by new revenue.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, National Review and nation.foxnews.com

Steve Benen / msnbc.com:

Americans aren't buying what GOP is selling — A new Bloomberg National Poll shows President Obama's approval rating reaching a three-year high and public approval of Republicans reaching a three-year low. The same poll found that a plurality of Americans blame the congressional GOP, not Democrats, for “what's wrong in Washington.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Hinterland Gazette, The Week and Daily Kos

Karl Rove:

A Better Republican Sequester Strategy — Congressional Republicans are simultaneously united, divided and confused about the $85 billion of cuts in defense and domestic discretionary spending that begin on March 1 when the budget sequester takes effect. — Republicans are united …

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
The Morning Plum: On issues, GOP is badly out of step with America

Discussion: Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Ballot Box, PoliticusUSA, NBC Southern California and Booman Tribune

Eric Fleischauer / Decatur Daily:

Sen. Shelby: budget cuts ‘draconian’ — HARTSELLE — U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby said automatic budget cuts scheduled to take effect March 1 are “draconian” but don't reduce spending enough. — The Tuscaloosa Republican voted against the 2011 deal designed to resolve a debate over whether Congress …

Discussion: Slate, Hot Air and Post Politics

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
EXCLUSIVE: Cornyn asks president to withdraw Hagel [Updated]

Discussion: Israel Matzav

Aaron Blake / Post Politics:
15 GOP senators call for withdrawal of Hagel nomination

Discussion: News Desk, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, Weekly Standard and American Spectator

Luke Johnson / The Huffington Post:
Richard Shelby Plans To Vote For Chuck Hagel Confirmation

Discussion: The Rightnewz

John Stanton / BuzzFeed:

Ed Markey Compares Campaign Finance Ruling To Decision Upholding Slavery — “The Dred Scott decision had to be repealed, we have to repeal Citizens United,” Massachusetts Democrat says days after meeting with black clergy. — Image by Josh Reynolds / AP — WASHINGTON — Rep. Ed Markey …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Berkshire Eagle Online, Union-News, The Daily Caller, Post Politics, National Review and Washington Free Beacon

Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box:
Rep. Markey compares campaign finance ruling to Dred Scott decision on slavery

Discussion: Power Line

T.W. Farnam / Washington Post:
McCutcheon case could give Citizens United a run for its money in Supreme Court

Discussion: The Fix and PostPartisan

Talking Points Memo:

McCain Jeered At Town Hall After Opposing Mass Deportation — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) got an earful from his constituents in his home state while defending his bipartisan immigration plan at a town hall. — According to the Associated Press, an “angry crowd” reacted negatively as McCain described …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Post Politics

Christine LaCroix / KASW-TV:
McCain responds to ‘jerk’ comment at town hall meeting

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and The Raw Story

Rachelle Younglai / Reuters:
Majority of U.S. citizens say illegal immigrants should be deported

Discussion: Boston Herald, NBC Latino, The Daily Caller, Shakesville, National Review, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers and American Power

Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:
Republican senator John McCain is still raising questions and hackles

Discussion: Althouse and Booman Tribune

Maggie Haberman / Politico:

Sensing weakness, Karl Rove's critics pounce — For the first time in a dozen years, Karl Rove's critics smell blood. — After his electoral wipeout in November — and motivated by years of resentment that's spilling over — Rove's credibility within his own party is at an all-time low.

Discussion: Hot Air, msnbc.com, Daily Kos and The Huffington Post

Michael Tackett / Bloomberg:
Republicans Seeking Better Returns Reject Kingmaker Rove

Discussion: Booman Tribune and TheBlaze.com

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Oops: Top Republican Senator Inadvertently Embraces Roe v. Wade — CHARITON, Iowa — During a town hall on Wednesday, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee embraced the reasoning behind the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing a woman's choice to get an abortion …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Steven Nelson / US News:

Joe Biden's Shotgun Advice Could Land Jill Biden in Jail — Felony aggravated menacing, reckless endangering charges could result from shooting gun in air — Vice President Joe Biden might want to have a talk with his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, before he makes another public statement about guns.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers, Sense of Events and National Review

CNN:

Laura Bush: Take me out of pro-gay marriage ad — (CNN) - Former first lady Laura Bush, who is one of three prominent Republicans featured in a new ad supporting same-sex marriage, has asked the spot's creator to remove a clip of her espousing support for equal marriage rights.

Discussion: The Hill

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

Rand Paul returns more money to Treasury — (CNN) - Sen. Rand Paul cut another six-figure check to the United States Treasury Wednesday, taking the money he said he didn't need from his office's budget to make a tiny dent in the nation's massive federal debt.

Discussion: The Hill

Kevin Bogardus / The Hill:

Business and labor make breakthrough in immigration talks — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO on Thursday announced a breakthrough in talks on immigration reform, releasing joint principles for a temporary worker program. — The nation's largest labor federation …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Glenn Thrush / Politico:

John Kerry: The un-Hillary Clinton — John Kerry is no Hillary Clinton — and he's OK with that. — In the three weeks since Kerry succeeded Clinton as secretary of state, he's already sent unmistakable signals of his independence with a more assertive, proactive and risk-taking stewardship …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Paul Colford / ap.org:

New entry in the AP Stylebook: husband, wife — The following entry was added today to the AP Stylebook Online and also will appear in the new print edition and Stylebook Mobile, published in the spring: — husband, wife Regardless of sexual orientation, husband or wife is acceptable …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Politico, AMERICAblog, Back2Stonewall, Towleroad News #gay and Joe. My. God.

Olivier Knox / Yahoo! News:

Drones have killed 4,700, U.S. senator says — Just how many people have America's drones killed? Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has put the death toll at 4,700—the first time an American official has publicly put a figure on the impact of strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles.

Quinnipiac News + Events:

Release Detail — February 21, 2013 - Donor Controversy Takes Toll On NJ Senator, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Booker Tops Rivera 2-1 In 2014 Senate Race — New Jersey voters disapprove 41 - 36 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is doing, a 15-point drop in less than a month …

Discussion: CNN, Politico, The Daily Caller, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, NBC Latino, The Rightnewz and Capital New York

Jim DeMint / Politico:

DeMint to Cruz critics: Cork it — Imagine a new senator who ran a campaign of “no more business as usual.” No more special interest politics, no more backroom deals — and he won. He came to Washington, and he delivered. He didn't stay quiet, he spoke passionately for what he believed in …

Discussion: CNN, The Atlantic Online, Trail Blazers Blog, First Read, msnbc.com and The Heritage Foundation

Sandra Jones / WTVR-TV:

Whistleblower says he was fired for talking to CBS 6 — RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The Richmond Police officer who blew the whistle on fellow officers accused of making inappropriate comments about harming President Obama and the First Lady was fired from the Richmond Police Department.

Discussion: The Raw Story and Pressing Issues

USA Today:

Preschool debate obscures core problem: Our view … ‘Fragile families’ harm children's development. — In the eyes of many parents and most educators, starting a child's schooling before kindergarten is an indisputable virtue. Your kid acquires learning and social skills that give him or her an advantage.

Discussion: TheBlaze.com and National Review

Investor's Business Daily:

Jackson Graft Case Further Indicts Black Caucus — Corruption: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s guilty plea to fraud charges raises fresh questions about the Congressional Black Caucus. It's a group with many laudable goals, but why do so many in it succumb to corruption?

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit