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5:30 PM ET, August 21, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Obama's Trust Problem  —  According to news reports, the Obama administration — which seemed, over the weekend, to be backing away from the “public option” for health insurance — is shocked and surprised at the furious reaction from progressives.  —  Well, I'm shocked and surprised at their shock and surprise.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Faith in Obama Drops As Reform Fears Rise  —  Health-Care Effort Is Major Factor, Poll Finds  —  Public confidence in President Obama's leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Has Obama lost the trust of progressives, as Krugman says?  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  Paul Krugman has an excellent column today arguing that progressives have backlashed so intensely over the prospect of Obama's dropping the public option because …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Fierce Cynicism of Naiveté  —  Ta-Nehisi Coates is losing patience with Barack Obama's patience: … He's obviously right about the “shouldn't be a political issue” business.  This is one of the most annoying ticks of political rhetoric out there.
Discussion: MoJo Blog Posts
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Major Factor In Obama's WaPo Poll Slide: Drop Among Dems, Liberals  —  A major factor in President Obama's slide in today's big Washington Post/ABC News poll, which is preoccupying the political classes today, is his surprisingly sharp drops among Democrats and even liberals, according to crosstabs that were sent my way.
The Note:
Wee-Wee'd Up: Health care debate slips further from White House control
Ta-Nehisi Coates:
Obama And Progressives  —  Paul Krugman unloads:
Discussion: The Daily Dish and Right Wing News
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
‘Wee-weed up:’ White House explains it  —  So what did the president mean when he said this week that everyone's getting all “wee-weed up” in Washington?  —  “It's a phrase I use,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today, hesitating at his press briefing to offer a physical demonstration of the phraseology.
RELATED:
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
Daschle: Budget process could be ‘only way’ for health care
Discussion: Fox News and The Page
Lisa Lerer / The Politico:
Hoyer: Public option may have to go  —  A day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that health reform won't get through the House without a public option, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Friday that the public option may have to go in order to get a bill passed.
RELATED:
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Hoyer opens door to dropping public option  —  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Friday left the door open to moving a health reform package without a public insurance option prized by liberals.  —  Hoyer's remarks were in contrast to statements Thursday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:   Breaking: Hoyer says public option could go
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Newspaper corrects ‘Jackass’ Keith Olbermann mix-up  —  Thank goodness The Times is the forthright, ethical institution that it is.  —  And when a mistake happens, it rushes to set the journalistic record straight with an honest repair.  —  Here is an actual correction from Page A4 of today's print edition:
New York Times:
Rise of the Super-Rich Hits a Sobering Wall  —  The rich have been getting richer for so long that the trend has come to seem almost permanent.  —  They began to pull away from everyone else in the 1970s.  By 2006, income was more concentrated at the top than it had been since the late 1920s.
James Rosen / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Seller, beware: Feds cracking down on garage sales  —  WASHINGTON — If you're planning a garage sale or organizing a church bazaar, you'd best beware: You could be breaking a new federal law.  As part of a campaign called Resale Roundup, the federal government is cracking down on the secondhand sales …
Discussion: Hot Air and QandO
Sarah Palin / Facebook:
No Health Care Reform Without Legal Reform  —  President Obama's health care “reform” plan has met with significant criticism across the country.  Many Americans want change and reform in our current health care system.  We recognize that while we have the greatest medical care in the world …
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Who do the birthers love?  —  We decided to break down the birthers by their opinions of Barack Obama and the various leading 2012 contenders.  Here's what we found:  —Not surprisingly only 16% of them approve of Obama's job performance while 75% disapprove.
RELATED:
Mike Littwin / Denver Post:
O birther, how far out art thou?
Discussion: Public Policy Polling
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Honest Debate Needed on End-of-Life Talk  —  Let's see if we can have a reasoned discussion about end-of-life counseling.  —  We might start by asking Sarah Palin to leave the room.  I've got nothing against her.  She's a remarkable political talent.  But there are no “death panels” …
Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Lawyers Showed Photos of Covert CIA Officers to Guantanamo Bay Detainees  —  Justice Dept. Looking Into Whether Attorneys Broke Law at Guantanamo  —  By Peter Finn, Page A01  —  The Justice Department recently questioned military defense attorneys at Guantanamo Bay about whether photographs …
Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Where Obama Is Losing Ground  —  The Pew Research Center for The People & The Press national survey released Wednesday joined a lengthening line of polls showing President Obama's approval rating sinking from its heights earlier this year back to levels closer to his actual vote in November 2008.
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Bush Official, in Book, Tells of Pressure on '04 Vote  —  WASHINGTON — Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, asserts in a new book that he was pressured by top advisers to President George W. Bush to raise the national threat level just before the 2004 election in what he suspected was an effort to influence the vote.
RELATED:
Menzie Chinn / Econbrowser:
Basic Math for the Math Challenged  —  Since Richard Posner has decided to exhibit his math skills again, I thought it useful to work through some math to see how one can obtain back-of-the-envelope estimates for the stimulus package.  I'll use Mr. Posner's numbers to illustrate.
Jennifer Harper / Washington Times:
Voight: Is Obama creating a civil war in America?  —  Inside the Beltway column  —  CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE  —  A Hollywood conservative has headed East.  It's “Freedom Concert” time for Jon Voight.  The Academy Award winner will join Sean Hannity in Cincinnati and Atlanta this weekend …
Daily Show Videos:
Betsy McCaughey Pt. 1  —  Jon asks Betsy McCaughey to find the page in the health care bill that makes end-of-life consultations mandatory.  —  Guest(s):Betsy McCaughey  —  A Taliban threat causes low voter turnout in Afghanistan's election.  Americans turn in their Ford Explorers, and banks profit from overdraft fees.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Huckabee: Evangelicals more supportive of Israel than Jews  —  Mike Huckabee, a longtime Christian Zionist wrapping up a trip to Israel, tells CBN that he was struck by firmer support for Israel — as he sees it — from American Christians than from American Jews.
Washington Post:
Key Senators Discuss Trimming Health Bill  —  President Calls Public Option a ‘Good Idea’ but Not Essential to Reform Effort  —  Senate health-care negotiators agreed late Thursday to ignore the increasingly strident rhetoric from Republican and Democratic leaders and to keep working toward …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
REMEMBER, HE LOST.... Chris Cillizza let readers know this morning about what to watch on Sunday morning. … Cillizza described McCain's appearance as “Must Watch TV.”  I have no idea why.  —  First, let's note that John McCain is not a key senator right now.
James R. Horney / cbpp.org:
Five Keys to Understanding New 2009 Deficit Estimates  —  Next week, the President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will update their economic and budget projections for fiscal year 2009, which ends on September 30, and the next ten fiscal years.
Hillary Rodham Clinton / People.com:
Hillary Clinton Pledges to ‘Banish Sexual Violence’  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may be taking some well-earned R&R in Bermuda this week, but last week, the former First Lady and U.S. Senator wrapped up a grueling seven-nation diplomatic mission to Africa.
Discussion: The Note, The Page and Shakesville
Benjamin Spillman / Las Vegas Review-Journal:
STATEWIDE POLL: Poll suggests Gibbons a guaranteed election loser  —  Two preferred choices not even seeking office yet  —  Talk about a mandate for change, Nevadans' favorite candidates for governor aren't even running for office.  —  Respondents to a statewide poll said if the governor's election …
Wall Street Journal:
No Maine Miracle Cure  —  Another state ‘public option’ that failed.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Want a preview of ObamaCare in action?  Sneak a look at what has happened in Maine.  In 2003, the state to great fanfare enacted its own version of universal health care.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Kitty Bean Yancey / USA Today:
Martha's Vineyard abuzz about the Obamas
truthout:
The Policy-Speak Disaster for Health Care
Discussion: The Huffington Post
BBC:
US wiretapping challenge rejected
Discussion: Truthdig
 Earlier Items: 
Jordy Yager / The Hill:
Gun rights, control groups find fight in health debate
Discussion: Don Surber
John / The Raw Story:
Mexico legalizes drug possession
Discussion: The Impolitic and The Reaction
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Tort Reform Won't Fix Healthcare?, Ctd
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Ofcom rules that five GB News programs presented by Conservative politicians have broken its due impartiality rules and puts the channel “on notice”

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Authentic Brands licenses Sports Illustrated's publishing rights to The Players' Tribune owner Minute Media for 10 years, with plans to keep the print edition

Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTuber MrBeast announces a deal with Prime Video for Beast Games, a reality-competition show with 1,000 contestants, promising the winner a $5M cash prize

 
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