memeorandum: Americans Split on Obama as 69% Back Minimum Wage Hike (Bloomberg)

9:35 AM ET, March 12, 2014

Top Items:

David Jolly's victory spells trouble for Democrats nationwide — If I'm a Democratic House member in any competitive district in America or a Democratic incumbent senator up for re-election this year in a moderate-to-conservative state like North Carolina, Arkansas, Colorado, Alaska or Louisiana …

Josh Kraushaar / NationalJournal.com:

Why a Republican Wave in 2014 is Looking More Likely Now — David Jolly wasn't expected to win Tuesday's special election. But he capitalized on an increasingly favorable political environment for the GOP. — Tuesday night's special election in Florida should be a serious scare for Democrats …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Plum Line, Power Line, Hot Air, Mediaite and NBC News

Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:

What Should We Read Into FL-13? Maybe Nothing. — Here are three basic thoughts on the race: — 1. My sense is that the Democratic candidate, former state chief financial officer and 2010 gubernatorial nominee Alex Sink, will probably win. — Back in mid-January …

Discussion: RedState, Daily Kos, Associated Press, Booman Tribune, American Spectator, The Daily Caller, The Rothenberg Political …, Hot Air, The Raw Story and Politico

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Florida race shows Democrats' Obamacare dilemma — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OBAMACARE 2014 ELECTIONS — The widely respected Florida political analyst Adam Smith sees big problems for Democrats in the loss of Alex Sink to Republican David Jolly in the special election to fill the House seat from Florida's 13th Congressional District.

Discussion: Power Line and Betsy's Page

Tampa Bay Times:

David Jolly elected to represent Pinellas County in Congress — CLEARWATER — Republican David Jolly on Tuesday night won the closely-watched, extremely expensive and relentlessly negative battle for Florida's 13th Congressional District, signaling trouble for Democrats as they head …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

David Jolly defeats Alex Sink in Florida 13th — Republican David Jolly narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in the special election for Florida's 13th District on Tuesday in an unusually expensive race watched closely by both parties as the midterm election season kicks into high gear.

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, The PJ Tatler, The Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, The Plum Line and The Hill

Adam C. Smith / Tampa Bay Times:
PPP poll: Alex Sink 48%, David Jolly45%, Lucas Overby 6%

Discussion: Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Yahoo! News, Power Line and Washington Monthly

Wall Street Journal:

ObamaCare's Secret Mandate Exemption — HHS quietly repeals the individual purchase rule for two more years. — ObamaCare's implementers continue to roam the battlefield and shoot their own wounded, and the latest casualty is the core of the Affordable Care Act—the individual mandate.

Discussion: The Federalist

HHS.gov:
Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace climbs to 4.2 million in February

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Erik Wemple and The Week

Tami Luhby / CNNMoney.com:
Why casino workers hate Obamacare

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Washington Free Beacon:
Oklahoma Man Loses Insurance Due to Obamacare, Owes $100K in Bills

Discussion: LifeNews.com

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Administration: 4.2 million people signed up for Obamacare plans through February

Discussion: The Hill

David Corn / Mother Jones:

The Senate-CIA Blowup Threatens a Constitutional Crisis — The allegations of CIA snooping on congressional investigators isn't just a scandal—the whole premise of secret government is in question. — Feinstein: Arno Burgi/DPA/ZUMA; CIA flag: CIA/Wikimedia Commons

Discussion: emptywheel, Washington Post, Close Read and The Dish

Nancy Benac / Associated Press:
Intrigue at the Top: CIA, Senate Feud Goes Public

Discussion: Politico

Igor Bobic / Talking Points Memo:
Snowden On CIA: 'Suddenly It's A Scandal' When Congress Is Listened In On

Discussion: Associated Press and NBC News

Niels Lesniewski / The World's Greatest …:
Feinstein: CIA Spied on Intelligence Committee (Updated) (Video)

Discussion: The Intercept, Slate, Talking Points Memo, Real Clear Politics, Balloon Juice, emptywheel, Hullabaloo and Roll Call

Donna Cassata / Associated Press:
SENATOR: CIA IMPROPERLY SEARCHED COMPUTER NETWORK

Discussion: Hot Air, NO QUARTER USA NET and Post Politics

David A. Graham / The Atlantic Online:

Between Two Ferns: The Selling of the President, 2014 — President Obama stormed the internet Tuesday with his appearance on Zach Galifianakis's beloved series Between Two Ferns: — There are (in my opinion) some solidly entertaining moments here, but of course Obama's reason for appearing …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, National Review, PoliticusUSA, NewsBusters, Althouse and Hot Air

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:
Bill O'Reilly: Abraham Lincoln Would Never Have Appeared on Funny or Die

Discussion: Hit & Run and The Raw Story

Dean Obeidallah / The Daily Beast:
Will Young People Buy Health Care From Obama and Zach Galifianakis?

Discussion: The Colorado Independent, The Week, BuzzFeed, ABC News, ThinkProgress, The Fix, Re/code and BillMoyers.com

Beth Reinhard / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ Poll: Candy Is Dandy But Pot Is Less Harmful — What's worse for your health: a candy bar or a joint? — The new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll produced a surprising answer. Sugar. When Americans were asked their opinion on the most harmful of four substances, tobacco (49%) …

Discussion: The Week

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ/NBC News Poll: Obama's approval rating hits new low. — President Obama notched the lowest approval ratings of his presidency in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, amd wide pessimism about the economy and deep frustration with Washington.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Corrente, Politico and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

Obama Will Seek Broad Expansion of Overtime Pay — WASHINGTON — President Obama this week will seek to force American businesses to pay more overtime to millions of workers, the latest move by his administration to confront corporations that have had soaring profits even as wages have stagnated.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Right Wing News, The Week and Economic Policy Institute

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:

Charlie Crist Loves to Love You — Florida's ex-governor is running for his old job—now as a Democrat. Is he a craven opportunist or a voter-pleasing pragmatist for a time of ideological exhaustion? — Every time I say something about politicians, Charlie Crist corrects me. — “Public servant.

Rebecca Kaplan / CBS News:

Lois Lerner under fire in new House Oversight Committee report — Shares - — Lois Lerner's decision not to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week hasn't stopped the committee's chairman,Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., from seeking to prove …

Discussion: Power Line, Committee on Oversight …, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal

Natasha Velez / New York Post:

Gal dead after ‘black-market’ butt injection — A black-market New Jersey beautician botched a silicone butt injection at a seedy Meatpacking District hotel, leaving her client to die after suffering seizure-like symptoms, police said Tuesday. — Tamira Mobley, 28, has been charged …

Discussion: Gawker and Hinterland Gazette