memeorandum: GOP, Boehner take shutdown hit in new CNN poll (Paul Steinhauser/CNN)

2:15 PM ET, October 21, 2013

Top Items:

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

GOP, Boehner take shutdown hit in new CNN poll — Washington (CNN) — Just over half the public says that it's bad for the country that the GOP controls the House of Representatives, according to a new national poll conducted after the end of the partial government shutdown.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Politico, The Hinterland Gazette, AMERICAblog News, BillMoyers.com, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Post Politics, Hullabaloo, Washington Times, Business Insider, Taegan Goddard's …, Liberaland, The Reaction and Prairie Weather

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Cruz: Senate Republicans are ‘single-most damaging thing’ for the GOP in 2014 — (CNN) - If Republicans suffer losses in next year's mid-term elections because of the recent partial government shutdown, Sen. Ted Cruz said Senate Republicans-not Democrats-will be responsible.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Connecting.the.Dots, Daily Kos and The Caucus

Richard Wolf / USA Today:
Republicans blame each other after shutdown fiasco

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and CNN

New York Times:

Contractors See Weeks of Work on Health Site — Federal contractors have identified most of the main problems crippling President Obama's online health insurance marketplace, but the administration has been slow to issue orders for fixing those flaws, and some contractors worry that the system …

TIME:

No More Apologies: Why Obama Has to Get Mad About His Broken Obamacare Websites — Whenever a President of the U.S. stops believing his own spin, the people should take notice — When the Obamacare website debuted on Oct. 1, Barack Obama walked into the Rose Garden and compared it to Amazon.com, Kayak.com and the iPhone.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, CBS DC, NewsBusters and Althouse

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed: Flashback: Obama Told People They Could Keep Their Health Care Plan

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Lousy Medicaid Arguments

Discussion: The Mahablog and Daily Kos

Politico:
Obama laments ACA glitches

Discussion: New York Times, Power Line and Talking Points Memo

Marc Santora / New York Times:

Christie Withdraws Appeal of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling in New Jersey — Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced on Monday that his administration would drop its legal challenge to allowing gay marriage in the state, hours after same-sex couples started exchanging vows.

Discussion: National Review, The Week, The Fix, The Dish, GLAAD and The Star-Ledger Editorial Page

Salvador Rizzo / New Jersey Online:
Christie withdraws appeal of gay marriage ruling

Discussion: Hot Air and The Volokh Conspiracy

Dan Goldberg / New Jersey Online:
As midnight strikes, same-sex couples wed across New Jersey

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Politicker NJ, ThinkProgress, Taylor Marsh and Outside the Beltway

Reno Gazette-Journal:

Shooting this morning at Sparks Middle School — Police: Shooting at Sparks Middle School: 10/21/13 8:18 AM — Sparks police will hold a press conference at around 9 a.m. on the shooting at Sparks Middle School. — Vickie Campbell of the Washoe County School District said Agnes Risley and Sparks Middle School closed.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Associated Press, NPR, The Hinterland Gazette and KDVR.com

Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Our choice for governor in 2013: none of the above — The Times-Dispatch is not endorsing a candidate for governor in 2013. — The words that follow should not come as a surprise. During recent months, numerous editorials in The Times-Dispatch have lamented the gubernatorial campaign.

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Washington Wire, Outside the Beltway, First Read, TheBlaze.com, CBS DC, Politico, The Raw Story and Ballot Box

Daily Progress:
Bill Bolling for governor

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Roby Brock / Talk Business:

Cong. Tim Griffin Won't Seek Third Term (UPDATED) — Second District Cong. Tim Griffin (R) says he will not seek a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, citing his young family as his primary reason. — “God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, Elizabeth, and two precious children …

Discussion: Politico, CNN, ABC News and The Caucus

Emily Cahn / Roll Call:

Tim Griffin to Retire After 2 Terms (Updated) — Griffin will not return to Congress after 2014. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo) — Two-term Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., announced Monday that he will not seek a third term in the House, according to a local news outlet.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Booman Tribune

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

At the White House: Obamacare success stories that aren't — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL WHITE HOUSE BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE PRESIDENT HEALTH CARE — President Obamainvited a number of people to stand behind him as he delivered his speech on the state of Obamacare at the White House Monday morning.

Discussion: Hot Air and The PJ Tatler

Caroline May / The Daily Caller:
Of the 13 people who flanked President Obama during his speech …

Discussion: VodkaPundit

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:

One Big Problem With Heritage's New Obamacare Study — The conservative Heritage Foundation released last week a new report on insurance premiums under Obamacare, and the conclusion was that favorite of conservative talking points: people are going to pay more for insurance under Obamacare.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Heritage Foundation, Washington Free Beacon and Hit & Run

Klein Online:

INVESTIGATIVE RADIO SHOW — Listen to this shows podcast — How Obama is secretly negotiating away United States sovereignty, including some shocking rights. How the home front is wide open for an Iranian missile attack. Inside secret White House-brokered talks to divide Jerusalem...and guess who is leading the way!

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story and CBS DC

Rachel Zarrell / BuzzFeed:
Republican Senator Says Obamacare Would Have Killed Him

Discussion: The Right Pundit

Mireya Navarro / New York Times:

Widow's Bankruptcy Case Poses Risk to Rent-Stabilized Tenants — After her husband died, Mary Veronica Santiago fell behind on her bills, and the creditors began to call. — So two years ago, she took refuge in bankruptcy, hoping to have her debts wiped away.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Hit & Run and Althouse

Allison Linn / NBCNews:

Food stamp benefits going down before the holidays — Cheyenne Phillips, 17, Angela Phillips, 44, and Cassidy Phillips, 14, stand outside their home in Knoxville, Tenn. Phillips used SNAP from from July 2012 to February 2013, and will be applying for the benefit again on Monday because her temp job ended on Friday.

Discussion: Liberaland, Weasel Zippers, Shakesville and Gothamist

CBS News:

Dick Cheney's heart — But when George W. Bush asked Cheney to be his running mate in 2000, there was enough concern that the Bush campaign sought out the opinion of world renowned Texas heart surgeon Denton Cooley. After speaking with Cheney's cardiologist, Dr. Jonathan Reiner …

Discussion: American Spectator

CBS News:
Dick Cheney's heart

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, NPR and Gawker

Peter Nicholas / Wall Street Journal:

CONNECT — Cracks are showing in the Democratic coalition as the next round of budget talks gets under way, hurting the chances for progress toward a broad deal that changes the tax code and significantly narrows future deficits. — While Republicans are still smarting over nasty infighting …

Discussion: The Plum Line

Zach Carter / The Huffington Post:
Why Democrats Might Cave On Social Security Cuts

Discussion: Firedoglake, LewRockwell, Campaign for America's Future, Hullabaloo and susiemadrak.com

Dianne Feinstein / USA Today:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein: Continue NSA call-records program — Database helps connect the dots. — CONNECT — The NSA call-records program is legal and subject to extensive congressional and judicial oversight. Above all, the program has been effective in helping to prevent terrorist plots against the U.S. and our allies.

Discussion: Guardian