memeorandum: Buffett: Debt limit is ‘political weapon of mass destruction’ (Alex Crippen/CNBC)

2:55 PM ET, October 16, 2013

Top Items:

House to vote first on Senate plan — The House will vote first on an emerging Senate proposal to open government and lift the debt ceiling, a move that would expedite bipartisan legislation developed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Houston Chronicle:

Why we miss Kay Bailey Hutchison — Things surely would look far different with Sen. Hutchison in office in the nation's capital — Does anyone else miss Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison? — We're not sure how much difference one person could make in the toxic, chaotic, hyperpartisan atmosphere in Washington …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Taegan Goddard's …, CNN, DownWithTyranny!, Politico, PoliticusUSA, Gawker, The Hinterland Gazette, The Dish, The Fix, Mediaite, The Hill and Outside the Beltway

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Ted Cruz Admits Budget Standoff Was All About Building Fundraising Lists — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) conceded on Wednesday that he would not hold up a vote on an emerging Senate deal to re-open the federal government and avert federal default, but admitted that the three-week long budget standoff …

Discussion: Gallup and The Atlantic Wire

Wall Street Journal:

It's time to wrap up this comedy of political errors. — The Beltway budget melodrama rolls on to its predictable and dreary end, with both sides now split over increasingly small differences. None of this is worth a partial government shutdown, much less the risk of a debt default, and both sides are looking like losers.

Discussion: Politico, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg, KDVR.com, CANNONFIRE, Talking Points Memo, NPR, ABC News, Washington Post, Roll Call, Questions and Observations, Connecting.the.Dots and The Hill

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Matt Drudge Predicts Pelosi Will Be Next Speaker — Conservative news aggregator Matt Drudge seemed to suggest Wednesday that Democrats will win back control of the House of Representatives next year. — In a message to his more than 200,000 followers on Twitter, Drudge predicted …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Hinterland Gazette and The Raw Story

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Breaking: Boehner to take vote on Senate compromise 1st, pass it with Dem votes — The endgame will arrive a little sooner than expected, thanks to a deal cut with John Boehner to take the first plunge on a bipartisan plan to end the budget standoff before the theoretical debt-ceiling limit gets breached.

Discussion: Politico, The Strata-Sphere, ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers, Independent Journal Review and Instapundit

ThinkProgress:

Houston Chronicle Yanks Ted Cruz Endorsement — As the federal government enters its sixteenth day of shutdown and stands just hours away from defaulting on the national debt, the largest newspaper in Texas has pulled its endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, theGrio and Connecting.the.Dots

Associated Press:

Senate leader announces bipartisan budget deal — WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leader Harry Reid says Senate leaders have reached a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the government shutdown, now in its 16th day. — Reid made the announcement at the start of the Senate session on Wednesday.

Discussion: The Verge and Outside the Beltway

Washington Times:

Senate leaders announce agreement to end shutdown, raise debt — Top senators struck a deal Wednesday to reopen the government and extend the federal government's borrowing authority into next year and both sides of the Capitol are hoping for quick action to reassure nervous financial markets eyeing …

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and Samizdata

Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:

Ted Cruz's Hometown Newspaper Regrets Endorsement — (Image Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo) — Sen. Ted Cruz' hometown newspaper, the Houston Chronicle, wishes it could take back its endorsement. — The Chronicle's editorial board, which endorsed Cruz, R-Texas, in his 2012 race …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and TheBlaze.com

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Sens. Cruz, Lee say they won't block deal — Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee said Wednesday that they won't try to block the bipartisan deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. — “The timing of the vote will make no difference to the outcome,” Cruz (Texas) said.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Outside the Beltway

TIME:

John Boehner's Bad Night Clears a Path for a Deal — House GOP pulls vote on debt bill, leaving Senate to probe a path forward — In another era, for a different leader, it would have been a stunning rebuke. For John Boehner, it was just another embarrassing stumble in a speakership studded with them.

Discussion: Business Insider, The Dish, The American Conservative, Heritage Action for America, The Week, A plain blog about politics, PoliticusUSA, The Moderate Voice, The Fix and Politico

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Prepares For Surrender On Debt Ceiling And Shutdown

Discussion: Taking Note, Mediaite, New York Magazine, FreedomWorks and FIRST DRAFT

Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:
CONGRESSMAN: ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’ IF GOP CAVES ON DEBT CEILING

Discussion: protein wisdom and The Gateway Pundit

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Cruz Blasts Senate GOP But Vows Not To Delay Vote On Deal (VIDEO)

Discussion: National Review and The Dish

Erik Wasson / The Hill:
Boehner to allow House vote on emerging Senate debt-ceiling deal

Discussion: Daily Kos and Pat Dollard

Amie Parnes / The Hill:
White House: Obama supports deal

Discussion: Politico and Independent Journal Review

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo: Houston Chronicle Expresses Regrets For Endorsing Cruz

Igor Bobic / Talking Points Memo:
Republicans Berate National Parks Director For Shutdown As Deal Is Announced (VIDEO)

Discussion: Mediaite

Politico:
Senate reaches deal to end shutdown, avert default

Discussion: Reuters and The Hill

Ashley Alman / The Huffington Post:
John Boehner Reportedly Tells Harry Reid He Will Move Quickly

Discussion: Liberaland

Jonathan Strong / National Review:
Stunned Republicans React to Canceled Vote

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, News Desk, The American Conservative, Hit & Run, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air and New York Times

Mario Trujillo / The Hill:
Ayotte urges Cruz to allow quick vote in Senate on debt deal

Discussion: CNN and Politico

First Read / firstread.nbcnews.com:
First Thoughts: The end appears near

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Kelly Ayotte / CNN:
Republican senator wants Cruz to stay out of the way in debt vote

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Tal Kopan / Politico:

Carl Bernstein: GOP leadership ‘cancerous’ — Journalist and author Carl Bernstein said Wednesday that Republican Party leadership is “cancerous” and has put the United States at risk by letting the tea party lead the GOP. — “The Republican Party today has become a rabid organization from the top down.

Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:
Senate Leaders ‘Very Close’ to Debt, Shutdown Deal

Discussion: Politico, NBCNews, CNN, Hot Air, Mother Jones, ABC News and Shakesville

Politico:
Markets expect a deal — they better get one

Discussion: CNN and Taegan Goddard's …

Erick Erickson / RedState:

Bridge Burning and Bridge Building — House Republicans have signaled they are giving up. — They'll merge their ideas with Mitch McConnell's ideas. The result will be a funded government, raised debt ceiling, and nothing done with Obamacare. — Throughout this fight, Harry Reid has outsmarted Mitch McConnell.

Discussion: Liberaland, The Daily Beast, Slate, The New Republic, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, A plain blog about politics and The Dish

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Shutdown hurts GOP Senate chances — New PPP polls of 6 key Senate races that will determine control of the body after next year's election finds voters extremely unhappy about the government shutdown. As a result Republicans trail in 5 of the 6 key races and are tied in the 6th.

Discussion: Firedoglake and The Daily Caller

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:

Move On Everybody, It Just Doesn't Matter — The ugliness of the GOP schism will probably have a long half life, as various parties feel the need to point fingers and shout “I didn't do it!” But if at all possible, I think conservatives and Republicans would be well-served by putting …

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air, The Dish and alicublog

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Sorry, Kids. We Ate It All. — Eventually this shutdown crisis will end. And eventually the two parties will make another stab at a deal on taxes, investments and entitlements. But there's one outcome from such negotiations that I can absolutely guarantee: Seniors …

Discussion: American Prospect and Campaign for America's Future

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:

Exclusive: Greenwald exits Guardian for new Omidyar media venture — (Reuters) - Glenn Greenwald, who has made headlines around the world with his reporting on U.S. electronic surveillance programs, is leaving the Guardian newspaper to join a new media venture funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar …