memeorandum: Big Business's Critical Role on Anti-Gay Laws (New York Times)

10:10 AM ET, April 4, 2015

Top Items:

Eric Ham / The Hill:

Clinton has inevitability, but Bush has the Electoral College — As the 2016 presidential field slowly takes shape, the race — even with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announcing his candidacy — centers on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.).

Discussion: Prairie Weather

David Atkins / Washington Monthly:

No, Jeb Bush Does Not Have an Electoral College Advantage — Eric Ham, author of The GOP Civil War, argues in The Hill that Jeb Bush has an advantage over Hillary Clinton in the electoral college: … His evidence for this theory is weak at best. His arguments are that 1) …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Adam C. Smith / Tampa Bay Times:

Florida not a given for Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio — Bad enough that Florida is by far the most populated state never to produce a president. This diverse, mega battleground most resembles America, but we haven't even produced a presidential nominee, despite the underdog campaigns of Reubin Askew in 1984 and Bob Graham in 2004.

Discussion: Associated Press

Carl Gibson / ThinkProgress:

This City Could Become The Next Detroit — Carl Gibson is an independent journalist and activist. He co-founded anti-austerity group US Uncut in 2011 and is featured in the Sundance-selected documentary “We're Not Broke.” He has been published in Salon, Washington Post, and Occupy.com.

Discussion: Baltimore Sun

New York Times:

Big Business's Critical Role on Anti-Gay Laws — Big corporations like Walmart, Apple, Salesforce.com and General Electric and their executives have done the right thing by calling on officials in Indiana and Arkansas to reject “religious freedom” laws designed to give businesses …

Discussion: Hot Air, Advocate, Washington Post, Hit & Run, CNN, NPR, AMERICAblog News and IN.gov

Arnold Schwarzenegger / Washington Post:
Indiana's religious freedom law is bad for Republicans

Discussion: Mediaite and Hot Air

Judith Miller / Wall Street Journal:

The Iraq War and Stubborn Myths — Officials didn't lie, and I wasn't fed a line, writes Judith Miller — I took America to war in Iraq. It was all me. — OK, I had some help from a duplicitous vice president, Dick Cheney. Then there was George W. Bush, a gullible president …

Discussion: Guardian, Mediaite and Politico

Mike Nowatzki / INFORUM:

ND House kills bill outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation — BISMARCK - For the third time in six years, North Dakota lawmakers have killed legislation that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, despite warnings from some Democrats and Republicans that it could tarnish …

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, PoliticusUSA, JIMROMENESKO.COM and Human Rights Campaign Blog

Aaron Burner / WDAY-TV:
ND House strikes down bill outlawing sexual orientation discrimination, supporters will push for bill next session

Discussion: Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

Tom Cotton Is Not Mailing It In — Your last name is Cotton, and this interview was arranged by your communications director, Caroline Rabbitt. Who is your chief of staff, Beatrix Potter? If only. No, my chief of staff is Doug Coutts. — You were raised in rural Arkansas …

Discussion: Washington Post, Bloomberg Business, Mediaite, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, NPR and The Week

Bradley Klapper / Associated Press:

AP Analysis: Holes, Questions Remain for Iran's Nuclear Deal — FILE - In this April 2, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. The framework nuclear deal sealed by world powers and Iran leaves major questions: Could Iran cheat? Possibly.

Discussion: The Hill, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and abc7news.com

Jeff Dunetz / “The Lid”:
France: The US Capitulated To Iranian Demands

Discussion: Reuters, Fox News Insider, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Fox News and Hot Air

Yuval Levin / National Review:

The Church of the Left — Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, like the federal one and those of other states, articulates its purpose in terms of the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment (see especially sections 8, 9, and 10 of the statute).

Discussion: Ed Driscoll

Greg Bluestein / Political Insider blog:
Nathan Deal's advice for ‘religious liberty’ supporters next year

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Gayly, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Right Wing Watch and THV11.com

Associated Press:

Judge orders California to pay for inmate's sex change — Photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Michelle-Lael Norsworthy. (AP Photo/California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.) — SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal judge …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and protein wisdom

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

Bigotry, the Bible and the Lessons of Indiana — THE drama in Indiana last week and the larger debate over so-called “religious freedom” laws in other states portray homosexuality and devout Christianity as forces in fierce collision. — They're not — at least not in several prominent denominations …

Discussion: Public Religion Research …

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough On 2016, The Iran “Deal” And Hillary's Glass Jaw — Morning Joe joined me on today's show: — Audio: — 04-03hhs-scarborough — Transcript: — HH: Joined now by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough. Happy Easter weekend to you, Joe, I hope you get the weekend off.

Discussion: Liberaland, TVNewser and Business Insider

Ron Ben-Yishai / Ynetnews:

A better deal than we expected — Analysis: Despite glaring shortcomings of ‘framework’ deal with Iran - which allow Tehran ability to resume its nuclear pursuit with haste - Obama now offering Netanyahu an olive branch; the Israeli leader should embrace it and help seal loopholes in final agreement.

Discussion: Politico, New York Times and Al Jazeera English