memeorandum: Florida race shows Democrats' Obamacare dilemma (Byron York/Washington Examiner)

10:05 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 …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Plum Line

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

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, Betsy's Page and Washington Monthly

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 …, The Raw Story, Hot Air and The Hill

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
David Jolly defeats Alex Sink in Florida 13th

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

Tampa Bay Times:
David Jolly elected to represent Pinellas County in Congress

Discussion: Politico

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

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

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, The Huffington Post and Washington Free Beacon

Beth Reinhard / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ Poll: Voters Stay Negative on Christie — Positive feelings about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are eroding across the board — even among his once-loyal base of Republicans and Northeasterners - in the wake of allegations that top deputies engineered a massive traffic jam …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and The Week

Beth Reinhard / Wall Street Journal:
WSJ Poll: Candy Is Dandy But Pot Is Less Harmful

Discussion: The Week

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

Discussion: NBC News and Hot Air

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

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

Discussion: LifeNews.com

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

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, The Dish and Post Politics

Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:
Did the CIA Chief Just Dare Obama to Fire Him?

Discussion: Close Read, Foreign Policy, ThinkProgress and TalkLeft

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

Discussion: Politico

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

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

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

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, Economic Policy Institute and Balloon Juice

Rebecca Riffkin / Gallup:

Climate Change Not a Top Worry in U.S. — U.S. concerns with the quality of the environment dropped in 2014 … WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twenty-eight U.S. senators held an all-night “talkathon” Monday to call attention to climate change, an issue that only 24% of Americans say they worry about a great deal.

Discussion: TruthRevolt.org, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Post

Bloomberg:

Wall Street Plays 2016 Dating Game as Christie Stumbles — Billionaire Wilbur Ross invited Paul Ryan over for lunch. Goldman Sachs (GS) Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) bankers met with Rand Paul at a fundraiser in Atlanta. Investor Rob Arnott dropped in on Ted Cruz.

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