memeorandum: Parsing ‘Community Organizer’ (Tobin Harshaw/The Opinionator)

1:05 PM ET, September 5, 2008

Top Items:

Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain — A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters.

Discussion: Salon, American Power, The Strata-Sphere, Right Wing News and PrestoPundit

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:

Highly Partisan Reception Greets Palin as V.P. Pick — Half Say Palin Doesn't Have Experience to Be President — Sarah Palin is receiving a highly partisan reception on the national political stage, with significant public doubts about her readiness to serve as president …

Discussion: Pajamas Media and Boston Globe

Carolyn Lochhead / SFGate:

Obama Suddenly Riled — Sen. Barack Obama ditched his normal languid cool today, punching back at Gov. Sarah Palin as he spoke with reporters in York, Pa, hotly defending his work as a community organizer. He said he assumes Palin “wants to be treated same way guys want to be treated, which means their records are under scrutinty.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Ace of Spades HQ and Commentary

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

MYSTERY SOLVED! — A lot of people were asking tonight: what the hell was that mansion up behind John McCain tonight during the first part of the speech? As I noted below, the TV close-ups only showed McCain's head against the grass in the picture, which made it look like he was reprising his famed green screen performance.

Discussion: TPM Election Central, The Field on the Narcosphere, The New Republic, Political Radar, Philly.com, TownHall Blog, Guardian, Daily Kos, Martini Revolution, Open Left, Wonkette, The Poor Man Institute, Spin Cycle, Bob Cesca's Goddamn …, Comments from Left Field, AMERICAblog News, Moue Magazine and First Draft

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
SURPRISED — I wasn't sure what to expect from this speech tonight.

Discussion: PSoTD and Rising Hegemon

Andrew Krukowski / TVWeek.com:

McCain TV Ratings Beat Obama in Preliminary Numbers — Presidential candidate John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention drew more television viewers than his rival Barack Obama attracted at the Democratic party's event last week, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Discussion: TIME.com and Commentary

David Bauder / Associated Press:

More than 40 million people see Palin speech — NEW YORK (AP) - Barack Obama apparently isn't the only “rock star” in presidential politics this year. — After days of intense media coverage about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's qualifications, more than 40 million Americans tuned …

Discussion: The Corner, The Daily Dish, The Everyday Republican, Washington Post, Pajamas Media, Jules Crittenden, Blue Crab Boulevard, Soccer Dad, AMERICAN DIGEST and Commentary

David Paul Kuhn / The Politico:
Poll: Democratic bounce gone, race tied

Discussion: Wake up America and www.redstate.com

New York Times:
Obama Camp Turns to Clinton to Counter Palin

Discussion: The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, TPM Election Central, Patterico's Pontifications, QandO, The Strata-Sphere, Right Wing News, Althouse, Shakesville and Real Clear Politics

Washington Wire:
Palin: 30 Fund-Raisers in 60 Days

Discussion: PoliticalBase.com Blog

Drudge Report:

BIG DILEMMA: OPRAH BALKS AT HOSTING SARAH PALIN; STAFF DIVIDED — Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America — but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket! — Oprah's staff is sharply divided …

Discussion: Moonbattery, American Princess, PoliPundit.com and Us Weekly

TMZ.com:

Oprah to Palin: I Can Pencil You In Later — Oprah has issued a statement to TMZ — she won't put Sarah Palin on her show until after the election. — Here's the statement: “The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show.

Discussion: Macsmind and TIME.com

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Oprah afraid of Palin? — Perhaps the Carney meme of Sarah Palin being afraid of the media is a case of projection. Drudge reports that Oprah Winfrey will not invite the first woman on a Republican ticket to be a guest on her show. Why? She's apparently afraid of the damage it will do ... to Barack Obama:

Discussion: Mother, May I Sleep …

Mike Murphy / Swampland:
The Swooning Over Sarah...

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TalkLeft and Donklephant

Courtney Hazlett / MSNBC:

Angry readers dump Us Magazine over Palin — Plus: Britney's mom defends self in book; ‘Thunder’ is going down — Three celebrity weeklies — OK!, People and Us Weekly — featured Sarah Palin on their cover, but one of those magazines is reportedly losing subscribers because of it. — The Scoop

Discussion: Commentary, michellemalkin.com, The Corner, The Sundries Shack, The Strata-Sphere, Mother, May I Sleep … and Ace of Spades HQ

Warner Todd Huston / NewsBusters.org:
Us Magazine Hit Hard by Canceling Subscribers After Palin Attack

Discussion: Macsmind

Akmuckraker / Mudflats:

Palin Leaves Campaign Trail. Flees North. — Well this is interesting. Chuck Todd dropped a little bombshell this afternoon. … Hole up in Alaska? I was thinking to myself after her polished but snarky performance at the Republican National Convention, “I wonder who will get the first interview?”

Discussion: Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, Emptywheel and Grasping Reality …

MataHarley / Flopping Aces:
Trooper'gate: Different charges, new battlefield, and the planned October surprise

Discussion: The Jawa Report

TMZ.com:

Republicans Lack Heart! — Ann and Nancy Wilson are pissed at the Republican Party and have fired off a cease and desist letter to the McCain/Palin campaign. — Specifically, the Heart women are upset that the GOP has used their classic “Barracuda” as a theme song for Sarah Palin.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Hot Air, DownWithTyranny!, Campaign Silo, The Gun Toting Liberal, Snapped Shot and BeldarBlog

Whitney Pastorek / EW.com:
Exclusive: Heart's Nancy Wilson responds to McCain campaign's use …

Discussion: Rolling Stone

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Resentment Strategy — Can the super-rich former governor of Massachusetts — the son of a Fortune 500 C.E.O. who made a vast fortune in the leveraged-buyout business — really keep a straight face while denouncing “Eastern elites”? — Can the former mayor of New York City, a man who …

Discussion: Feministe, French Politics, Three Wise Men, James Fallows and Prairie Weather

Jim Treacher / Mother, May I Sleep with Treacher?:

YOU CAN CALL A WOMAN A BAD MOTHER FOR NOT FORCING HER DAUGHTER TO HAVE AN ABORTION, AND CLAIM THAT THE SAME WOMAN DIDN'T ACTUALLY GIVE BIRTH TO HER OWN SON... ...but don't you dare ask what a community organizer actually does. — A commenter at QandO was nice enough to explain the difference between Obama Black Nixon and Palin:

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Weekly Standard Blog and Wizbang

Tobin Harshaw / The Opinionator:
Parsing ‘Community Organizer’

Discussion: michellemalkin.com and Jezebel

Sasha Issenberg / Boston Globe:

The death of a taboo — ST. PAUL — One of the most enduring taboos in American politics, the airing of graphic images from the September 11 attacks in a partisan context, died today. It was nearly seven years old. — The informal prohibition, which had been occasionally threatened …

Discussion: Shakesville, AMERICAblog News and Jesus' General

Jed Lewison / The Jed Report:
Did they just cross the line on 9/11? — I ask this as a serious question.

Discussion: Dr. Sanity and State of the Day

Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Employment Situation Summary — Technical information: — Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-1252 — Establishment data:(202) 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release — http://www.bls.gov/ces/ is embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT), Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, September 5, 2008.

Discussion: ATTACKERMAN, The Big Picture and BizzyBlog

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.1%

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:

Media on the defensive over Sarah Palin coverage — After the GOP attacks the media over stories about the vice presidential nominee's family, TV networks and newspapers deny bias and say Republicans opened the door to coverage. — NEW YORK — News executives Thursday tried to shake off …

David Kocieniewski / New York Times:

Rangel Failed to Report $75,000 in Income — Representative Charles B. Rangel has earned more than $75,000 in rental income from a villa he has owned in the Dominican Republic since 1988, but never reported it on his federal or state tax returns, according to a lawyer for the congressman and documents from the resort.