memeorandum: Why Oscar Will Snub ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (Timothy Egan/Opinionator)

5:25 PM ET, February 22, 2013

Top Items:

David Brooks / New York Times:

The D.C. Dubstep — On July 26, 2011, Jack Lew, then the White House budget director, went to Harry Reid's office for a budget strategy session. According to Bob Woodward's book, “The Price of Politics,” Lew told the Senate majority leader that they had come up with a trigger idea to force a budget deal.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Plum Line, Mother Jones, The Maddow Blog, The Atlantic Online, New York Magazine, Angry Bear, American Prospect, Right Turn, Crooks and Liars, The Daily Caller, Prairie Weather, Gawker and The Hill

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Does Obama have a plan? A conversation with David Brooks — David Brooks (David Burnett/Random House) … Ezra Klein: In the column, you said that the Obama administration doesn't have a plan to replace the sequester. I feel like I've had to spend a substantial portion of my life reading …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Plum Line, Brad DeLong, The Maddow Blog, Hullabaloo and Balloon Juice

Reuters:

Is Obama overplaying sequester hand? — President Barack Obama's greatest adversary in the latest budget battle isn't the Republican leadership in Congress — it's his confidence in his own ability to force a win. — He has been so certain of his campaign skills that he didn't open a line …

Discussion: Associated Press, NationalJournal.com, Balloon Juice, The Hill, Right Wing News, The Moderate Voice, CNN, Politico, Taylor Marsh, The Democratic Daily and Hot Air

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Noonan: Government by Freakout — Obama's scare tactics aren't much of a long-term strategy. — The president's sequester strategy is like Howard Beale in “Network”: “Woe is us. . . . And woe is us! We're in a lot of trouble!” — It is always cliffs, ceilings and looming catastrophes with Barack Obama.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog and Ed Driscoll

White House Memo / New York Times:
For Obama and Team, Calm, Not Crisis, in Latest Fiscal Battle

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week and The Reaction

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:
The GOP Splits Over Pressure to Slash Defense Budget

Discussion: Washington Wire, Right Turn and The Maddow Blog

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:

As Sequester Deadline Looms, Little Support for Cutting Most Programs — OVERVIEW — As the March 1 deadline for a possible budget sequester approaches, a new national survey finds limited public support for reducing spending for a range of specific programs, including defense, entitlements, education and health care.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, Campaign for America's Future, Politico, The Hill, The National Memo, Bloomberg, The Fix and CNN

New York Times:

Why Taxes Have to Go Up — Democrats and Republicans remain at odds on how to avoid a round of budget cuts so deep and arbitrary that to allow them now could push the economy back into recession. The cuts, known as a sequester, will kick in March 1 unless Republicans agree to President Obama's demand …

Discussion: Off the Charts Blog, JustOneMinute, AEIdeas and NewsBusters blogs

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Sequester of Fools — They're baaack! Just about two years ago, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, the co-chairmen of the late unlamented debt commission, warned us to expect a terrible fiscal crisis within, um, two years unless we adopted their plan. The crisis hasn't materialized, but they're nonetheless back with a new version.

Discussion: Politico, Prairie Weather and Campaign for America's Future

Michael Scherer / TIME:
Sequester Showdown — We are facing a moment in Washington.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Wire, New York Magazine, Guardian, Politico, The Dish and The Week

Jane Mayer / News Desk:

Is Senator Ted Cruz our new McCarthy? — Last week, Texas Senator Ted Cruz's prosecutorial style of questioning Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee for Defense Secretary, came so close to innuendo that it raised eyebrows in Congress, even among his Republican colleagues.

Discussion: National Review, msnbc.com, The Maddow Blog, Daily Kos, A plain blog about politics, Hullabaloo, BREITBART.COM, Pressing Issues and Althouse

First Read / NBCNews.com:
First Thoughts: Hagel appears to have the votes for confirmation

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill and First Read

Henry J. Gomez / Plain Dealer:
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tells Cuyahoga County GOP it's time for new generation of leaders

Discussion: The Hill

Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:

Ann Coulter Battles Stossel, Calls Libertarians ‘Pussies,’ And Gets Booed By Room Full Of Students — What do you get when you invite outspoken conservative firebrand Ann Coulter to debate outspoken libertarian John Stossel in front of an audience of 1,000+ libertarian students? — Fireworks, that's what.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Salon, BuzzFeed, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hinterland Gazette and The Raw Story

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Oscar Predictions, Election-Style — Twice before, in 2009 and 2011, I sought to predict the Academy Award winners in six major categories based on a mix of statistical factors. My track record? Nine correct picks in 12 tries, for a 75 percent success rate.

Discussion: Pressing Issues, Towleroad News #gay and Poynter

Timothy Egan / Opinionator:
Why Oscar Will Snub ‘Zero Dark Thirty’

Discussion: Pressing Issues

Jen Wieczner / MarketWatch:

Why your boss is dumping your wife — Companies are dropping health coverage for spouses to cut costs … Companies have a new solution to rising health-insurance costs: Break up their employees' marriages. — By denying coverage to spouses, employers not only save the annual premiums …

Discussion: Hit & Run, Hot Air and “The Lid”

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:

The Republican Party needs a reality check — In the summer of 1999, George W. Bush chose the first major policy speech of his presidential campaign to pick a fight with Grover Norquist. Bush flatly rejected the “destructive” view “that if government would only get out of our way …

Discussion: Slate, Booman Tribune, Pundits Blog and PostPartisan

RedFlagNews.com:

DISTURBING REPORT: VETERANS ARE RECEIVING LETTERS FROM VA PROHIBITING THE OWNERSHIP OR PURCHASE OF FIREARMS... DEVELOPING... Written By Constitutional Attorney Michael Connelly, J.D. — How would you feel if you received a letter from the U.S. Government informing you that because of a physical …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, protein wisdom and Moonbattery

McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:

The Sequester Is Terrible For Traffic — Editors despair, but we can't stop writing about it. Desperation breeds Kate Upton, cute animals, and the “spendocalypse.” — Traffic for a recent BuzzFeed story on the sequester. — Not since Mitt Romney ran for president has a national political story …

Discussion: Gawker, Washington Wire and The Fix

Joe Romm / ThinkProgress:

In First Big Speech, Kerry Sounds Like A Climate Hawk With The Courage To Reject Keystone XL Pipeline — A month ago I wrote that the “confirmation of climate hawk Kerry as Secretary Of State may doom dirty Keystone XL Pipeline.” — Now John Kerry has delivered his first big foreign policy speech …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:

Can Democrats Mess With Texas in 2016? — AUSTIN, Texas — From its modest headquarters on the first floor of a local union building about five miles from the State Capitol, the Democratic Party of Texas is trying to turn demographics into destiny. — With white, non-Hispanic voters …

Discussion: Hot Air, Booman Tribune, Mediaite and The Rightnewz

John Myers / KXTV:

Democrats lose supermajority as Fresno senator resigns — Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Shafter, cited the need to spend time with his family in a statement announcing his resignation. — “My wife and I have been blessed with two beautiful daughters, from whom we have learned a great deal,” said Rubio in a written statement.

Not Larry Sabato:

Fairfax County's Nightmare Is Over!!! — Great news breaking in Fairfax County this morning. Electoral Boards are split 2-1 in Virginia, one Republican, one Democrat and one member of the Governor's party. When Bob McDonnell was elected, the Fairfax GOP placed noted voter-fraud conspiracy …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Greg Hinz / Chicago Business:

Emanuel's poll rating turns negative — Burdened by a wave of murders, dissension over proposed school closings and perhaps his own hard-ball image, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's job-approval rating has taken a big hit in recent months, according to a new Crain's/Ipsos Illinois Poll.

Discussion: nbcchicago.com, nation.foxnews.com, Washington Examiner and Taegan Goddard's …

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

Colbert hopes jokes don't ‘sully’ sister's congressional bid — Comedian Stephen Colbert said Thursday that he hopes his late-night television persona parodying conservative talk-show hosts doesn't “sully” his sister's congressional bid in South Carolina's first district.

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Obama calms fears over Supreme Court action on voting rights — President Obama said people won't lose the right to vote if the Supreme Court strikes down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. — Speaking Thursday to “The Black Eagle” radio show, Obama said listeners shouldn't worry …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Steve Hendrix / Washington Post:

At National Zoo, sequester could threaten exhibits but not animal care — A lot of federal managers are fretting about the sequester, the deep budget cuts that could take effect next week. But very few of those managers manage man-eaters. Craig Saffoe does, and he knows that even if $85 billion …

Discussion: Wonkblog, Watchdog.org, National Review and Washington Free Beacon

Megan McArdle / Asymmetrical Information:

America's New Mandarins — The paths to power and success are narrowing. So is the worldview of the powerful. — Yesterday, I wrote about the silliness of requiring a file clerk to have a college degree. This morning, a friend sent me the following note about the narrowing of opportunity in modern America:

Discussion: The American Mind and Mother Jones

Kimi Yoshino / Los Angeles Times:

Oakland rapper ‘Kenny Clutch’ killed in Las Vegas Strip shooting — One of the victims in a spectacular predawn shooting and crash on the Las Vegas Strip has been identified as Kenneth Cherry Jr., an aspiring rapper known as Kenny Clutch. — His attorney, Vicki Greco, said his death was shocking.

Discussion: The Jawa Report and Clayton Cramer's Blog