memeorandum: Al Jazeera America Had a Rough Ratings Week; Some Shows Hit Zero in Key Demo (Andrew Kirell/Mediaite)

3:40 PM ET, October 9, 2013

Top Items:

Here's How We Can End This Stalemate — Both Reagan and Clinton negotiated debt-ceiling deals with their opponents. We're ready to negotiate. — The president is giving Congress the silent treatment. He's refusing to talk, even though the federal government is about to hit the debt ceiling.

First Read / NBCNews:

First Thoughts: The beginning of the end? — The beginning of the end? Paul Ryan op-ed appears to be an olive branch and a way out of the budget stalemate... But can conservatives accept that potential end (which has no Obamacare changes?)... Cantor's bad cop to Ryan's good cop? …

Discussion: Hot Air, Campaign for America's Future, Taegan Goddard's …, CNN and Politicker

Erick Erickson / RedState:

This is the Strategy. Now Do It. — Conservatives need to push the debt ceiling fight off the front burner to after Christmas. — Republican Leaders are begging us to merge the continuing resolution fight and debt ceiling fight. They covet this with all their mind and heart.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, Roll Call and The New Republic

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

The Morning Plum: A clarifying moment of Washington dysfunction — Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan have both published new articles that add up to a kind of closing argument against the White House as the crisis hits a climax. Both are usefully revealing. By eliding the core disagreement driving …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, msnbc.com, Mediaite, Paul Krugman, National Review and Guardian

Eric Cantor / Washington Post:
Divided government requires bipartisan negotiation

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Slate and Post Politics

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
The Republican Arcade Claw Machine

Discussion: National Review and Hullabaloo

Associated Press:

POLL: GOP GETS THE BLAME IN SHUTDOWN — You are here — Home » United States Congress » Poll: GOP gets the blame in shutdown — WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are holding Republicans primarily responsible for the partial government shutdown as public esteem sinks for all players …

Discussion: Hot Air, Yahoo! News, Firedoglake, Business Insider, The Moderate Voice, Scared Monkeys, Capitol Report, National Review, Weasel Zippers, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Questions and Observations, Mediaite, The Right Scoop, Independent Journal Review, The Daily Caller, Jammie Wearing Fools and Associated Press

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Democrats maintain edge for 2014 — PPP's newest national survey finds that Americans continue to lean toward voting Democratic for the House next year, as they pin most of the blame for the government shutdown on Republicans. — Democrats lead the generic Congressional ballot 46/41, including a 42/33 lead with independents.

Discussion: Politico, PoliticusUSA and Mediaite

John Nolte / BREITBART.COM:
MEDIA FAIL: OBAMA APPROVAL PLUMMETS TO 37%

Discussion: Power Line and The Lonely Conservative

John Podhoretz / New York Post:

Suicide of the Right — Every piece of evidence we have so far on the government shutdown shows the public is blaming Republicans most of all for the standoff. On Monday, an ABC poll showed 71 percent fault the GOP; 61 percent fault Congressional Democrats; 51 percent fault President Obama.

Discussion: American Prospect, The Moderate Voice, Prairie Weather, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Dish and Talking Points Memo

Politico:
John Boehner's endgame

Discussion: Reuters, Associated Press, Real Clear Politics, CNN and msnbc.com

Jake Sherman / Politico:
GOP unity frays, frustration builds

Discussion: CNN, Hullabaloo and The Hill

Andrew Dugan / Gallup:

Republican Party Favorability Sinks to Record Low — Falls 10 percentage points from September's 38% — This article is part of an ongoing series analyzing how the government shutdown and the debate over raising the debt ceiling are affecting Americans' views of government, government leaders …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Business Insider and The Political Line

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

Waterboarding Is A Big Joke At Cheney Roast — A sentimental evening at the Plaza for Cheney, Rumsfeld, Mukasey, and Lieberman. “Really tasteless,” says a guest. — The cover of the program at the Oct. 7 “Roast of Dick Cheney.” — Dick Cheney is ready to laugh about waterboarding.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Dish, Mediaite, Crooks and Liars and The Daily Caller

Kristin Roberts / NationalJournal.com:

Republicans Are Awfully Close to Violating the Constitution — Who cares if President Obama has 14th Amendment obligations? The critical sentence in that block of text should be read as instruction for lawmakers first, and last. — Have Republicans forgotten that they too must abide by the Constitution?

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Taegan Goddard's … and Prairie Weather

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:

George Will Compares Obamacare To Fugitive Slave Act, Segregation — Conservative columnist and pundit George Will on Wednesday compared Obamacare to the Fugitive Slave Act and segregation to demonstrate the “bruising, untidy, utterly Democratic” process of changing laws.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Analysis:
George Will Compares This Budget Deadlock To Past Conflicts

Discussion: Mediaite and Shakesville

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Many in G.O.P. Offer Theory: Default Wouldn't Be That Bad — WASHINGTON — Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, a reliable friend of business on Capitol Hill and no one's idea of a bomb thrower, isn't buying the apocalyptic warnings that a default on United States government debt …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, msnbc.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, JustOneMinute, AEIdeas, Firedoglake, Daniel W. Drezner, Talking Points Memo, DealBook, Shakesville, The Jawa Report and Slate

Matt Fuller / Roll Call:
Republicans Say Obama Underestimates Their Resolve as Debt Default Nears

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Mediaite and The World's Greatest …

Janet Yellen / Finance:

Rejoice: the Yellen Fed will print money forever to create jobs — We now know where we stand. Janet Yellen is to take over the US Federal Reserve, the world's monetary hegemon, the master of all our lives. — The Fed will be looser for longer. The FOMC will continue to print money until …

Discussion: Wonkblog, NewsBusters, Real Time Economics, NBCNews and Vox Popoli

Justin Wolfers / Bloomberg:
Why I'm Very Happy About Janet Yellen

Discussion: Economix, News Desk, The Week, Washington Post, Wonkblog, Real Time Economics, New York Times, Business Insider, Prairie Weather, Online NewsHour and Wall Street Journal

CBS News:

Obamacare website looks “like nobody tested it,” programmer says — (CBS News) Healthcare.gov launched more than a week ago, and while millions of Americans have signed into the site, not many have been able to actually sign up for insurance because of glitches with the website.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, CBS DC, Hot Air, Jammie Wearing Fools and USA Today

Justin Sink / The Hill:

White House: Obama orders military death benefits paid to families — President Obama has ordered officials to resume paying death benefits to the families of fallen soldiers and was “very disturbed” they had been halted due to the government shutdown, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Discussion: CNN, NBCNews, Taylor Marsh and Jammie Wearing Fools

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:

Bachmann: Obama ‘Committed Impeachable Offenses,’ Wants To Be A Dictator — Speaking with conservative talk show host Rusty Humphries on a conference call sponsored by TheTeaParty.net yesterday, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota suggested that the House hold hearings on impeaching the president.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Mediaite and The Raw Story

Louis Bolden / clickorlando.com:

Lead health care navigator in Florida provides wrong information on credit scores — Ann Packham tells Local 6 she was incorrect about Affordable Care Act … A day after telling Local 6 that anyone signing up for the Affordable Care Act had to provide their credit score, the lead navigator in Florida said she was wrong.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Raw Story and Washington Free Beacon

Washington Post:

Letter from Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to fans — The following is the text of a letter dated Oct. 9 from Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to season-ticket holders. (Related story: Snyder defends Redskins name in emotional letter to fans) — To Everyone in our Washington Redskins Nation:

Discussion: Guardian, WJLA-TV and National Review

Todd Gilchrist / Forbes:

Oliver Stone Calls The ‘Breaking Bad’ Finale ‘Ridiculous’ — Through films like Platoon, JFK, Nixon, and W., Oliver Stone has never hesitated to speak truth to power. And often as incendiary with his personal opinions as he is behind the camera, Stone spared no energy critiquing a recent critical darling …

Discussion: Inside TV, Deadline.com and Death and Taxes

ThinkProgress:

How Racism Caused The Shutdown — This isn't an article about how Republicans shut down the government because they hate that the President is black. This is an article about how racism caused the government to shut down and the U.S. to teeter on the brink of an unprecedented and catastrophic default.

David Edwards / The Raw Story:

House Republicans silence Rep. Grayson after he cites poll comparing them to ‘dog poop’ — Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) found himself on Tuesday being added to the list of things that had been shut down because of Republicans in Congress. — During a speech on the House floor to call for a vote …

Discussion: Gawker, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Crooks and Liars and TheBlaze.com

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Congressman Asks IRS Official: Are You A Witch? — A Democratic Congressman mocked the GOP's effort to demonize an IRS official during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday by asking her if she was a witch consorting with the devil. — The official, Affordable Care Act Office …

Discussion: The Hill and Mediaite

Felicia Daniels / VH1 Tuner:

Nelly For President! The M.O. Rapper Says No Taxes Until Government Shutdown Is Over — As we enter day seven of the partial government shutdown, rapper Nelly has some advice for our U.S. officials, “Y'all keep bangin'.” Yup, the Mike and Ike peacemaker is now saying “IDGAF” …

Discussion: Politico and The Daily Caller