memeorandum: Have You No Decency? — Harold Pollack is a professor … (Jonathan Cohn/The Treatment)

6:45 PM ET, August 8, 2009

Top Items:

What if We Win the Healthcare Fight? — What would it mean to “win” the healthcare fight? — For some, the answer is obvious: beat back the president's proposals, defeat the House bill, stand back and wait for 1994 to repeat itself. — The problem is that if we do that... we'll still have the present healthcare system.

Discussion: Liberal Values, The American Scene and Grasping Reality …

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

After Victory — David Frum contemplates conservative victory in the health care fight and doesn't like what he sees: … These are good points. There's a difference, of course, between a political win and a policy win. A policy win for conservatives would probably not be to block Obama's proposals …

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

Obama Reverses Stand on Drug Industry Deal — WASHINGTON — Caught between a pivotal industry ally and the protests of Congressional Democrats, the Obama administration on Friday backed away from what drug industry lobbyists had said this week was a firm White House promise to exclude …

Discussion: Don Surber, Political Punch, TigerHawk, Discriminations, AMERICAblog News and Mediaite

Gail Collins / New York Times:

August Is the Cruelest Month — Protesters are following members of Congress around this summer, disrupting their constituent meetings and shrieking about socialized medicine. They claim to be following the great American tradition of dissent. This must refer to the time back in colonial days …

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog, Washington Monthly and American Power

Jonathan Cohn / The Treatment:

Have You No Decency? — Harold Pollack is a professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and Special Correspondent for The Treatment. — Governor Palin issued the following statement on her Facebook page yesterday. I quote it in its entirety so you can judge for yourself.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Winds of Change.NET, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, Grasping Reality … and TPMDC

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: Democrat screams at constituent for asking tough question on health care — And by “constituent,” I of course mean crypto-Nazi political terrorist. You'll find the full unedited exchange right here but I'm giving you the news segment because it provides important context.

Discussion: protein wisdom, NewsBusters.org, Scared Monkeys, Gateway Pundit, QandO, The Strata-Sphere, Townhall.com and Patterico's Pontifications

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: Democratic congresswoman holds “prayer vigil” on health care

Discussion: American Power, The Mahablog and Newsalert

Gateway Pundit:

Hundreds Show Up to Protest SEIU Thuggery & Violence In St. Louis (Video) — ST. LOUIS TEA PARTY PATRIOTS DENOUNCE SEIU THUGGERY & VIOLENCE— St. Louis Tea Party Patriots ask the ACORN-SEIU Union— “Don't Tread On Me!” — Gadsen Girls, talk radio host Dana Loesch (left) …

Discussion: FOX2now.com, The Other McCain, thedanashow.wordpress.com, American Power, Discriminations, KN@PPSTER, Fausta's Blog, Hot Air, Moe_Lane's blog and Missourah

Charles Lane / Washington Post:

House Health-Care Reform Bill Oversteps on End-of-Life Issues — The House Bill Skews End-of-Life Counsel — About a third of Americans have living wills or advance-care directives expressing their wishes for end-of-life treatment. When seniors who don't have them arrive …

Discussion: Power Line, The Daily Dish, The Volokh Conspiracy, DailyHowler.com and The Campaign Spot

Randy Krehbiel / Tulsa World:

Sullivan blasts Obama plans, says bipartisanship needed — First District Congressman John Sullivan said Friday that the nation's big problems can't be solved without bipartisanship, but that didn't prevent him from scorching President Barack Obama and the Democrats.

Discussion: Think Progress and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Sotomayor Sworn In as Supreme Court Justice — WASHINGTON — Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the judicial oath on Saturday, becoming the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court in United States history. — At just past 11 a.m., Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administered …

Discussion: The Swamp, Wonkette, The Moderate Voice, Reuters, CBS News, The Page and Above the Law

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit:

SHUT UP, HE EXPLAINED: … Thug-in-chief? What would the reaction be if a Republican President said this?

Discussion: Riehl World View and Power Line

Wall Street Journal:

Lawmakers' Global-Warming Trip Hit Tourist Hot Spots — Penguins, a Rocket-Propelled Airplane (and Tax Dollars) Also Involved — WASHINGTON — When 10 members of Congress wanted to study climate change, they did more than just dip their toes into the subject: They went diving and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.

Discussion: Clayton Cramer's BLOG, Tim Blair and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Ian Urbina / New York Times:

Beyond Beltway, Health Debate Turns Hostile — The bitter divisions over an overhaul of the health care system have exploded at town-hall-style meetings over the last few days as members of Congress have been shouted down, hanged in effigy and taunted by crowds.