memeorandum: Obama Endorses ‘Chicago Way’ of Voting—Making the Rules Up As You Go (Katherine Connell/National Review)

8:20 AM ET, October 22, 2014

Top Items:

Robert G. Kaiser / Washington Post:

Ben Bradlee, legendary Washington Post editor, dies at 93 — Benjamin C. Bradlee, who presided over The Washington Post newsroom for 26 years and guided The Post's transformation into one of the world's leading newspapers, died Oct. 21 at his home in Washington of natural causes. He was 93.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, National Review, Fox News, Outside the Beltway, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Lawyers, Guns & Money, FishbowlDC, New York Magazine, Mashable, NPR and FOX News Radio, more at Mediagazer »

David Remnick / New Yorker:

Postscript: Benjamin C. Bradlee (1921-2014) — Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee, the most charismatic and consequential newspaper editor of postwar America, died at the age of ninety-three on Tuesday. Among his many bequests to the Republic was a catalogue of swaggering anecdotes rich enough to float a week of testimonial dinners.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Markos Moulitsas / The Hill:

Will Dems turn out? — Republicans have a cornucopia of advantages this election cycle: a favorable Senate map, a heavily gerrymandered House, an unpopular Democratic president in his sixth year in office, and the typical non-election-year drop-off in base Democratic voter turnout.

Associated Press:

AP-GfK Poll: Most expect GOP victory in November — Associated Press 5 hrs ago — WASHINGTON (AP) — Two weeks before Election Day, most of the nation's likely voters now expect the Republican Party to take control of the U.S. Senate, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

Justin Sink / The Hill: Obama: Apathy, not Voter ID, keeps minorities from polls

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Palins describe brawl in police recordings — Editor's note: The audio mentioned below, obtained by CNN from police records, contains strong language. — Washington (CNN) — Bristol Palin describes being dragged through the grass and called a series of obscenities during a massive brawl …

Discussion: Mediaite, FOX News Radio and New York Magazine

Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo:

The Palin Brawl Police Tapes - Annotated Edition — Amid the crackle and chaos of audio released by the Anchorage Police Department on Tuesday, an unmistakable voice could be heard. — “Did you find your necklace?” the woman could be heard saying. “Track, that is such a God thing. See?”

Discussion: Raw Story

Peter Nicholas / Wall Street Journal:

How Monica Lewinsky Could Complicate Hillary Clinton's Likely 2016 Bid — Monica Lewinsky isn't going away. — The ex-White House intern whose affair with Bill Clinton nearly sank his presidency has emerged from seclusion and is tweeting, writing and delivering speeches.

Eddie Scarry / Mediaite:
Rosie O'Donnell: Bill Clinton Should've Been Prosecuted for Lewinsky Affair

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Cooperated Secretly with Syrian Kurds in Battle Against Islamic State — Kobani Became too Symbolically Important to Lose — In public, the Obama administration argued for weeks that Kobani wasn't strategically vital to the air campaign against Islamic State extremists.

Discussion: Fox News

Jon Harper / Stars & Stripes:
Pentagon determining whether Islamic State has weapons from US airdrop

Discussion: defense.gov, NPR, Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs, Associated Press and The Moderate Voice

Alexandra Jaffe / The Hill:

Tea Partyers fall in line — Tea Partyers have learned to play nice after a cycle of knockdown, drag-out fights with the Republican establishment that have gotten them nowhere. — Sensing a GOP majority in the Senate is within reach, conservative groups have put down their bombs …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Prairie Weather

Department of Homeland Security:

Statement by Secretary Johnson on Travel Restrictions and Protective Measures to Prevent the Spread of Ebola to the United States — Today, as part of the Department of Homeland Security's ongoing response to prevent the spread of Ebola to the United States, we are announcing travel restrictions …

Discussion: TPNN, Guardian, Washington Monthly, Shakesville, Hinterland Gazette, Gothamist, Mashable and Talking Points Memo

Bart Jansen / Associated Press:
DHS requires West Africa travelers to arrive at five airports

Discussion: Politico, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and FOX News Radio

coburn.senate.gov:

Wastebook 2014: What Washington doesn't want you to read. — Voodoo Dolls, Gambling Monkeys, Zombies in Love and Paid Vacations for Misbehaving Bureaucrats Top List of the Most Outlandish Government Spending in Wastebook 2014 — Gambling monkeys, dancing zombies and mountain lions …

Discussion: The Federalist, OnPolitics and Washington Free Beacon

Tim Alberta / National Journal:

Chris Christie Previews 2016 Campaign: 'It's Time to Start Offending People' — “I don't care if I'm loved. I want to be respected.” — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launched a preemptive strike Tuesday against some potential Republican rivals for the White House, saying the “experiment” …

Discussion: FOX News Radio

The Huffington Post:

White House Chief Of Staff Negotiating Redaction Of CIA Torture Report — WASHINGTON — White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough is personally negotiating how much of the Senate's so-called torture report, a probe into the CIA's post-9/11 detention and interrogation program, will be redacted …

Discussion: Guardian, Real Clear Politics and Hullabaloo

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Cultural Differences, Assimilation and Immigration Policy — Two stories currently in the news are, I think, illuminating. The first comes from Paris: … This is not the American way. Personally, I don't like to see veiled women. It makes me uncomfortable.

Heather Mac Donald / City Journal:

Infected by Politics — The public-health profession is more committed to social justice than to sound science. — The public-health establishment has unanimously opposed a travel and visa moratorium from Ebola-plagued West African countries to protect the U.S. population.

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Michael Futch / fayobserver.com:

Churchgoer taken aback by political flier's lynching imagery — Dawn McNair said she was surprised Sunday when her daughter pointed out the background on a political flier urging people to get out and vote. — The front of the flier blares: “Kay Hagan doesn't win! Obama's impeachment will begin!

Discussion: Hinterland Gazette, Talking Points Memo, America Rising and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Miranda Blue / Right Wing Watch:

Steve King: US Becoming A ‘Third-World Country’ Thanks To Undocumented Immigrants Bringing In Ebola And Beheadings — Donald Trump travelled to Iowa to campaign for Rep. Steve King this past weekend, and their joint press conference was just about as ridiculous as you might imagine.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, FOX News Radio and The Iowa Republican

Alana Goodman / Washington Free Beacon:

Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor: Desegregation an ‘Unwilling Invasion’ — Arkansas Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor argued that the federal government's desegregation of Arkansas's largest public school in 1957 was an “unwilling invasion” that took “a local problem out of the local authorities' hands” …

Discussion: Bloomberg Politics, Truth Revolt, RedState, Hot Air and Talking Points Memo

Jonathan Topaz / Politico:

Rand, Ron Paul split over travel ban — Ron Paul on Monday said that calls for a ban on travel from West African countries affected by Ebola are primarily “politically motivated” — just days after his son Sen. Rand Paul announced his support for one. — Appearing on Newsmax TV's …

Discussion: The Dish and Hit & Run

Lauren McGaughy / Houston Chronicle:

Former aide pleads guilty to embezzling $1.8 million from Dewhurst campaign funds — AUSTIN - Former David Dewhurst campaign manager Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield is facing up to 28 years in prison and millions in fines and restitution payments after pleading guilty Tuesday to embezzling nearly $1.8 million …

Discussion: Liberaland and Talking Points Memo

Katherine Connell / National Review:

Obama Endorses ‘Chicago Way’ of Voting—Making the Rules Up As You Go — President Obama took time from his party fundraising duties in Chicago on Monday to vote early in the Illinois election. “I'm so glad I can early vote. It's so exciting. I love voting,” he said.