Top Items:
Manu Raju / Politico:
Ted Cruz blasted by angry GOP colleagues — Ted Cruz faced a barrage of hostile questions Wednesday from angry GOP senators, who lashed the Texas tea party freshman for helping prompt a government shutdown crisis without a strategy to end it. — At a closed-door lunch meeting …
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Robert Costa / National Review:
Boehner to GOP: Grand Bargain in the Works — House Republicans tell me Speaker John Boehner wants to craft a “grand bargain” on fiscal issues as part of the debt-limit deliberations, and during a series of meetings on Wednesday, he urged colleagues to stick with him. — The revelation came quietly.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, The Dish, Wonkblog, NPR, The Week, americanthinker.com, Daily Kos, Power Line, Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, Balloon Juice, Fix the Debt, Taylor Marsh and The Hill
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Government shutdown: Why many Republicans have no reason to deal — The prevailing wisdom ahead of the government shutdown was that tea party lawmakers who agitated for it would fold within a few days, once they got an earful from angry constituents and felt the sting of bad headlines.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plum Line and Brains and Eggs
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Out of ideas, House GOP considers Hail Mary — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE PAUL RYAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REPUBLICAN PARTY HARRY REID JOHN BOEHNER DAVE CAMP GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN — As the partial government shutdown enters its third day, many House Republicans …
Discussion:
Power Line, JustOneMinute, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air and Betsy's Page
David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
GOP stands firm against funding bill, will link to debt ceiling fight — OBAMACARE DEBT CEILING PENNAVE BUDGETS AND DEFICITS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN — House Republicans are unlikely to blink in the standoff over Obamacare that precipitated a government shutdown, fearing that acceding …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Coburn challenges McConnell on ‘leadership vacuum’ — An outspoken conservative lawmaker recently challenged Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) at a closed-door meeting, saying there is a GOP “leadership vacuum” in the upper chamber, according to sources.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Politico:
Government shutdown: Is a grand bargain the only way out?
Government shutdown: Is a grand bargain the only way out?
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Business Insider, The Raw Story, Hullabaloo, susiemadrak.com, The Hill, Hot Air and Washington Monthly
David Freedlander / The Daily Beast:
GOP Donors Revolt Against Republican-Led Government Shutdown
GOP Donors Revolt Against Republican-Led Government Shutdown
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and Washington Post
David Espo / ABC News:
Analysis: Republicans Get Opposite of Stated Goals
Analysis: Republicans Get Opposite of Stated Goals
Discussion:
Associated Press and Politico
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
John Boehner, between a rock and a hard place on shutdown and debt limit
John Boehner, between a rock and a hard place on shutdown and debt limit
Discussion:
NBCNews, The Fix, National Review, The Plum Line, First Read, msnbc.com and Wall Street Journal
Suzy Khimm / msnbc.com:
What's the fight about? Republicans struggle to explain
What's the fight about? Republicans struggle to explain
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Huffington Post and National Review
CBS News:
Poll: Americans not happy about shutdown; more blame GOP — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — On day three of the partial government shutdown, a new CBS News poll reveals that a large majority of Americans disapprove of the shutdown and more are blaming Republicans than President Obama and the Democrats for it.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, CBS New York, Connecting.the.Dots, The Hinterland Gazette, Daily Kos, Politico, Hot Air and WHNT-TV
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Mark Segraves / nbcwashington.com:
Congressman Confronts Park Ranger Over Closed WWII Memorial — Conflict over the responsibility for the government shutdown got personal at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Wednesday when a member of Congress confronted a U.S. Park Service Ranger over access to the closed park land.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, Boing Boing, Mediaite, Gawker and NPR
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Bachmann: Republicans ‘About The Happiest’ They've Been In A While During Shutdown (VIDEO)
Bachmann: Republicans ‘About The Happiest’ They've Been In A While During Shutdown (VIDEO)
Discussion:
Mediaite
Mason Stevenson / WPSD Local 6:
Live mic catches Senators McConnell and Paul talking strategy — WASHINGTON, D.C. - WPSD Local 6 got an inside glimpse Wednesday night to how much the government shutdown is about the messaging for congressional lawmakers. — After finishing an interview with CNN, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul ran …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Taegan Goddard's … and Gawker
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Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
McConnell, Rand Paul Caught On Hot Mic Talking Shutdown Strategy (VIDEO) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) were caught on a hot mic Wednesday night while discussing their party's messaging on the government shutdown.
Discussion:
Political Capital and No More Mister Nice Blog
Tom Curry / NBCNews:
McCain in the middle: Can Senate's GOP elders solve shutdown mess?
McCain in the middle: Can Senate's GOP elders solve shutdown mess?
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
Cantor suggests ‘clean’ continuing resolution wouldn't pass House — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) suggested Thursday that a “clean” government funding bill could not pass the House because not all Democrats would support it. — GOP leaders faced criticism in some quarters for refusing to allow the vote.
Discussion:
Politico
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Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
In Showdown With G.O.P., a Scrappy Reid Plays Hardball
In Showdown With G.O.P., a Scrappy Reid Plays Hardball
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Doug Ross, Mediaite, Conservatives4Palin and The Lonely Conservative
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House passes bills to fund DC, parks and medical research
House passes bills to fund DC, parks and medical research
Discussion:
Politico, WJLA-TV, Patterico's Pontifications and Shakesville
New York Times:
Millions of Poor Are Left Uncovered by Health Law — A sweeping national effort to extend health coverage to millions of Americans will leave out two-thirds of the poor blacks and single mothers and more than half of the low-wage workers who do not have insurance, the very kinds of people …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, theGrio, The Raw Story, The Hugh Hewitt Show, First Read, Gawker and Prairie Weather
Chad Terhune / Los Angeles Times:
California exchange overstated its Web traffic for Obamacare launch — Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, discusses the launch of the state's insurance exchange Tuesday in Los Angeles. (Reed Saxon/AP / October 2, 2013) — California's health insurance exchange vastly overstated …
Discussion:
Forbes, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Twitchy, Scared Monkeys, Washington Free Beacon, Weasel Zippers, National Review, Hot Air and WND
Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
The White House says people have bought Obamacare. We haven't met them quite yet. — If you have purchased health coverage on the federal government's new Obamacare marketplace, about a dozen or so reporters would like to speak with you. We promise we won't take up too much of your time!
Discussion:
Power Line, Wall Street Journal and National Review
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George F. Will / Washington Post:
George Will: For GOP in 2016, some medicine — “If Reince Priebus from Kenosha, Wisconsin, is the Republican ‘establishment,’ God help us,” says the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus. His physical presence is almost as unprepossessing as James Madison's was, and his demeanor is self-deprecating.
Discussion:
VodkaPundit
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Tom Scocca / Gawker:
Republican Party Drafts Elderly Veterans in Its Losing War
Republican Party Drafts Elderly Veterans in Its Losing War
Discussion:
Washington Post, Crooks and Liars and Business Insider
Brian Beutler / Salon:
The right's new lie about its shutdown intentions — If Ted Cruz is making John Boehner dance like a marionette, then Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., is the guy helping Cruz keep the strings untangled. — He's the author of the House's version of the famous letter insisting that Republicans …
Discussion:
The Plum Line
Soopermexican / Twitchy:
'You're exposed': Scantily-clad models prowl the streets of Denver selling Obamacare [pics] — Nothing like nearly-naked people to remind you that pretty soon the government will force you to have health insurance — whether you like it or not. — From the Denver Post: … Move over, SlutWalk.
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com and Weasel Zippers
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Extremists, Not “Nihilists” — The rapidly spreading progressive CW about what House Republicans are doing is that they are “nihilists” who have blundered into an impasse and have no clue how to get out. Jonathan Chait vividly compares them to characters in the Cohn Brothers' tragi-comedy Fargo:
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