memeorandum: The Obama Tax Hike (Andrew G. Biggs/Wall Street Journal)

10:40 AM ET, March 12, 2008

Top Items:

Fredric U. Dicker / New York Post:

SPITZER TO RESIGN IN THE HOUR, SOURCES SAY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to resign and will begin notifying top state officials of his decision just after 9 a.m., The Post has learned. — Word began circulating of his decision in state political circles just minutes ago …

Discussion: Firedoglake, TownHall Blog, The Politico, Hot Air, City Room, Washington Post, NewsBusters.org, On Deadline, Dealbreaker, A Blog For All, New York Times, NY Daily News, JammieWearingFool, Macsmind, Law Blog, Capitol confidential, New York Sun and WCBS-TV

New York Times:

Spitzer Aides Say Governor Will Resign This Morning — Gov. Eliot Spitzer, reeling from revelations that he had been a client of a prostitution ring, will resign today, some of his staff members said they have been told. Mr. Spitzer is scheduled to speak today at 11:30 a.m. at his Manhattan office, a top aide said.

Discussion: Washington Post, Marist Poll and Sister Toldjah

Eric Konigsberg / New York Times:

The Public Ordeal of a Private Person — Silda Wall Spitzer gave up a high-powered career as a corporate lawyer to raise three daughters and support her husband as he sought elective office, yet has always had deep reservations about his political career. Time and again, she has found herself …

Discussion: The Corner, New York Magazine, Feministe, American Power, Althouse, New York Sun, BAGnewsNotes and New York Post

ABCNEWS:

Spitzer Escort: Governor Was a Nice Guy, Good Tipper — 22-Year-Old Escort Says Spitzer 'Didn't Do Anything That Wasn't Clean' — A 22-year-old escort found on another call-girl Web site told ABC News in a phone interview that Gov. Eliot Spitzer had been one of her customers two years ago …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Newsday, Jon Swift, The Corner, New York Times, New York Post, Patterico's Pontifications, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Huffington Post, Scared Monkeys, Fausta's blog, Buck Naked Politics, American Power, Hot Air, Spin Cycle, TalkLeft and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:

Spitzer Wrestles Over Response, Paralyzing Albany — State government remained paralyzed on Tuesday as Gov. Eliot Spitzer, reeling from revelations that he had been a client of a prostitution ring, was engaged in an intense legal and family debate about whether to resign or, as aides said his wife was urging, to stay on.

Discussion: NY Daily News, Kiko's House, TigerHawk, protein wisdom, QandO, New York Post, New York Sun and D-Day

Wall Street Journal:
Spitzer Resists Calls to Resign

Discussion: Classical Values and The Strata-Sphere

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

A Ferraro flashback — “If Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race,” she said. — Really. The cite is an April 15, 1988 Washington Post story (byline: Howard Kurtz), available only on Nexis. — Here's the full context:

Discussion: The Daily Dish, American Spectator, The Bilerico Project, Balloon Juice, Sister Toldjah, American Street, Bang the Drum, The Huffington Post, Jack and Jill Politics, Riehl World View and The Field

Gene Maddaus / Daily Breeze:

Ferraro defends controversial comments on Barack Obama — Former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro today defended a remark she made to the Daily Breeze last week, in which she suggested that Sen. Barack Obama would not be where he is if he were white.

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Maybe Geraldine Ferraro decided stature and goodwill are overrated

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, New York Times and BuzzFlash.org

Ann Sanner / Associated Press:
Ferraro's Remarks About Obama Decried

Discussion: Morning Call, NY Daily News, Right Wing News and PrezVid

Boston Globe:
Obama camp assails Ferraro comments as ‘outrageous’

Discussion: New York Post and normblog

Michael Duffy / Time:
Obama Win Defined By Race

Discussion: Washington Wire, Newsweek and Democratic Strategist

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Clinton Campaign Manager Suggests Obama Campaign Is Playing Race Card …

Discussion: Back Alley Media, Political Punch and Some Guy With a Website …

David Mamet / Village Voice:

Why I Am No Longer a ‘Brain-Dead Liberal’ — John Maynard Keynes was twitted with changing his mind. He replied, “When the facts change, I change my opinion. What do you do, sir?” — My favorite example of a change of mind was Norman Mailer at The Village Voice.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The American Scene, Jules Crittenden and Cold Fury

Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:

Obama Wins in Mississippi — Senator Barack Obama won Mississippi's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, building his delegate lead over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the final contest before the nominating fight heads to Pennsylvania for a six-week showdown.

Discussion: TPM Election Central, CNN, The Politico, Hot Air, The Carpetbagger Report, The Swamp, DownWithTyranny! and American Power

Rick Klein / ABCNEWS:

Time on Her Side: Obama Maintains Lead, but Clinton Might Have the Edge — Intense Democratic Primary Voting Takes a Break as Intense Contest Continues — The Clinton campaign plans to use the coming six-week gap in primary voting to aggressively push its case that Sen. Barack Obama …

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Political Memo: Democrats in a Fight to Define ‘Winner’

Discussion: MSNBC and The Huffington Post

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Re-vote picture clouds — For a moment, it looked like party leaders were marching toward a Florida revote. But Obama's campaign signaled today that the mechanics would be an obstacle, and Florida's congressional delegation just took a hard line against a re-vote in a joint statement:

Discussion: Donklephant, Real Clear Politics and Redstate

Marc Ambinder:
House Dems in Florida: No Re-Do

Discussion: CNN, Obsidian Wings, MyDD, Buck Naked Politics, Macsmind and Daily Kos

CNN:

Caucus win gives Obama more Texas delegates than Clinton — (CNN) — Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has won the Texas Democratic caucuses and will get more delegates out of the state than his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won the state's primary, according to CNN estimates.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, TRAIL BLAZERS and The Field

Andrew G. Biggs / Wall Street Journal:

The Obama Tax Hike — Until recently, Sen. Barack Obama took a responsible position on Social Security, noting the urgency of reform and saying all options should be on the table. — But having cornered himself among Democratic activists whose attitudes toward Social Security reform range …

Discussion: Cato-at-liberty, Betsy's Page and Chronicle of the Conspiracy

Reuters:

Hamas sets terms for ceasefire with Israel — Following official truce declaration Hamas announces terms to uphold lull. ‘There must be a commitment by Israel to end all aggression against our people,’ says organization — Israel, calling for an end to Israeli raids in Palestinian territory …

Discussion: Yourish.com