memeorandum: Government shutdown: Harry Reid spearheads Democratic strategy (Reuters)

2:55 PM ET, September 30, 2013

Top Items:

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

Key players in the shutdown debate — Washington (CNN) — If the federal government shuts down starting Tuesday because of a bitter partisan battle over the new health care law, more people say congressional Republicans rather than President Barack Obama would be responsible, according to a new national survey.

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

Countdown to Shutdown — Think 1996 was bad for the GOP? This time will be much, much worse — The year 1996, the last time the GOP took its toys and went home rather than fund the government, hasn't loomed so large in Washington since it actually was 1996.

Discussion: The Dish, Balloon Juice and The Hugh Hewitt Show

Robert Costa / National Review:

The Speaker's Slog — There were no tears, just cheers, when Speaker John Boehner announced his latest fiscal strategy on Saturday at a closed-door conference meeting. Even Boehner's longtime critics praised him for pushing a government-spending bill that also delayed Obamacare for one year and repealed the medical-device tax.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, The Plum Line, Taegan Goddard's … and The Raw Story

Bloomberg:

Republicans' Shutdown Fight Exposes Simmering Civil War — The Republican war with President Barack Obama over funding the government and the new health-care law will play out in the coming days and months. The conflict now exposed within the party may shape its future for years.

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Taylor Marsh

New York Times:

Senate Action on Health Law Moves to Brink of Shutdown — WASHINGTON — The Senate is expected to reject decisively a House bill that would delay the full effect of President Obama's health care law as a condition for keeping the government running past Monday, as Senator Harry Reid …

Discussion: American Spectator, The Week, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Reaction, The Other McCain, First Read, Business Insider, msnbc.com, The World's Greatest …, The Hugh Hewitt Show, The Blotter and NBCNews

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Associated Press Goes to Bat For the Democratic Party

Discussion: neo-neocon, Associated Press, The Lonely Conservative, The Strata-Sphere and Prairie Weather

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Republican Senator Denounces House GOP's Obamacare Strategy

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Booman Tribune and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Politico:
Government shutdown: House GOP leaders huddle

Discussion: Daily Kos and Connecting.the.Dots

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama ‘not resigned’ to shutdown

Discussion: Politico

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
John Boehner doesn't have to let the Tea Party paralyze whole government

Discussion: ABC News, Daily Kos, Democratic Policy & … and National Review

Reuters:
Government shutdown: Harry Reid spearheads Democratic strategy

Discussion: CNN, Politico, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Hot Air, National Review, BizPac Review, WJLA-TV, Pirate's Cove and Pat Dollard

Holly Yan / CNN:
(CNN) — Let's start with the obvious question: Will the government shut down this week?

Discussion: PolicyMic, Guardian, Firedoglake, Global Public Square and Shakesville

Tal Kopan / Politico:
Dow drops amid government shutdown fears

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Hill and CNN

Cecile Richards / Politico:
The House's war on women

Discussion: ThinkProgress, theGrio, LifeNews.com and ABC News

Eric Garland / The Hill:
GOP Rep. Pompeo: I'll try to enroll in ObamaCare exchange

Discussion: Politico

Politico:
Government shutdown update: Mitch McConnell weighs one-week CR

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and THEROOT.COM

Wall Street Journal:
Government Heads Toward Shutdown

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, Taegan Goddard's …, Washington Post, Daily Record, Daily Kos, Washington Wire, Speaker.gov and david-frum

Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:
POLL: Voters Are ‘Unmoved’ By Government Shutdown Drama, Still Don't Want To Delay Obamacare

Discussion: Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Taegan Goddard's … and ThinkProgress

John Dickerson / Slate:
What Will Boehner Do? — The ball is in his court.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Week, The Mahablog, The Daily Caller and Washington Examiner

ABC News:
Shutdown Showdown: Gridlock Over Obamacare as Deadline Looms

Discussion: CNN, ABC News and Politico

Charles Ferguson / The Huffington Post:

Why I Am Cancelling My Documentary on Hillary Clinton — In late 2012, CNN Films approached me about directing a documentary. We discussed a number of potential subjects, and eventually settled on Hillary Rodham Clinton. The film would be ambitious, controversial, and highly visible.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Firedoglake, Yahoo! News, CNN, Variety, The Hill, Red Alert Politics, The PJ Tatler, Gawker, BizPac Review, The Week, ABC News, Pat Dollard, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, Post Politics, BBC, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze.com

Dylan Byers / Politico:

CNN Films cancels Hillary Clinton doc, director cites pressure from Clinton aides — CNN Films has decided to cancel its highly anticipated documentary about Hillary Clinton after director Charles H. Ferguson backed away from the project on Monday, citing a lack of participants due to pressure from Clinton-world.

Discussion: Deadline.com, Talking Points Memo, National Review and The Right Scoop

Catalina Camia / Associated Press:
CNN cancels Hillary Clinton documentary

Discussion: National Review

Guardian:
CNN's Hillary Clinton film scrapped as director blames lack of co-operation

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Jack Mirkinson / The Huffington Post:
CNN's Hillary Clinton Movie Has Been Canceled, Director Says

Discussion: Spectator, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, National Review and WND, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Beutler / Salon:

Right-wing extremists “are guilty of murder,” Sen. Angus King tells Salon — In an interview with Salon, Independent senator unloads on conservatives who urge young people to remain uninsured — Tuesday begins a 6-month race to enroll as many uninsured people as possible in the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, National Review and The PJ Tatler

Gallup:
Two in Three Uninsured Americans Plan to Buy Insurance

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Politico and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:

Qaeda Plot Leak Has Undermined U.S. Intelligence — WASHINGTON — As the nation's spy agencies assess the fallout from disclosures about their surveillance programs, some government analysts and senior officials have made a startling finding: the impact of a leaked terrorist plot by Al Qaeda …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Jawa Report, Little Green Footballs, emptywheel, NPR, Hullabaloo, americanthinker.com, Daniel W. Drezner, Prairie Weather, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Hot Air and VodkaPundit

Bill Keller / New York Times:

The Right Gets Its '60s — “Something's happening here. — What it is ain't exactly clear. The right-wing campaign to sabotage the Affordable Care Act has driven a lot of normally temperate people past the edge of exasperation. Pundits have described the crusade as crazy, stupid …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, The Raw Story, The Mahablog and alicublog

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Rebels Without a Clue — This may be the way the world ends — not with a bang but with a temper tantrum. — O.K., a temporary government shutdown — which became almost inevitable after Sunday's House vote to provide government funding only on unacceptable conditions — wouldn't be the end of the world.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Washington Monthly

Roger Simon / Politico:

The frauds on the Hill target Obama — Who are these people? Of what are they made that they can say and do such things on the floor of Congress? — No nonsense is too great, no act too low. — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) leaves the floor of the House in the wee hours of Sunday morning …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Ben Child / Guardian:

Star Wars lightsabers finally invented — Scientists in America have ‘accidentally’ found a way forward to the creation of real-life weapons as used by Jedi Knights — • Star Wars pet clothing range has puppies feeling the force — Wannabe Jedi Knights rejoice …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys

Jeryl Bier / Weekly Standard:

Most Popular Question at Healthcare.gov: How to Get Exemption From Lack-of-Coverage Penalty Fee? — One day away from the launch of the Obamacare marketplaces, the question most on the minds people visiting the Healthcare.gov website is not about coverage, but rather about avoiding the penalty, or tax, for not having health insurance.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Conservatives4Palin

Jon Favreau / The Daily Beast:

House Republican Hostage-Takers Are Unfit to Govern — They're threatening an economic shutdown that will cause financial hardship and even ruin for millions of Americans. So let's call these House Republicans what they are, says Jon Favreau. — The most terrifying speech I ever wrote for President Obama was one he never gave.

Discussion: VodkaPundit