memeorandum: Gingrich Will Decide in Early 2011 (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

12:15 PM ET, October 26, 2009

Top Items:

Dan Pfeiffer / White House.gov Blog Feed:

The Public Option: Rumor Check — A rumor is making the rounds that the White House and Senator Reid are pursuing different strategies on the public option. Those rumors are absolutely false. — In his September 9th address to Congress, President Obama made clear that he supports …

Discussion: The Politico, Glenn Thrush's Blog, CBS News, TPMDC, Open Left, Washington Post, Salon, Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, The Page, Talking Points Memo, AMERICAblog News, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Jack & Jill Politics, DownWithTyranny! and The Hill

Wall Street Journal:

Senate on Verge of Health Bill — Measure With Stiffer Penalties on Employers and Public Plan Could Come This Week — WASHINGTON — Top Senate Democrats are close to finalizing their health bill and could unveil a measure as soon as early this week that would include stiffer penalties …

Discussion: Politics Daily, AmSpecBlog, Firedoglake, The Note, USA Today, Wonk Room, Washington Post, Donklephant, The Politico, The Hill, Washington Times, The Foundry, NPR Blogs, TPM LiveWire and Associated Press

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

After Reform Passes — So, how well will health reform work after it passes? — There's a part of me that can't believe I'm asking that question. After all, serious health reform has long seemed like an impossible dream. And it could yet go all wrong.

Discussion: The Atlantic Politics Channel, DailyHowler.com, Greg's Opinion, Ezra Klein and Prairie Weather

Newsweek:

Obama's pointless bipartisanship. — From the magazine issue dated Nov 2, 2009 — “There she is, the Party of One!” cried Sen. Barbara Mikulski when she saw Sen. Olympia Snowe outside the Senate chamber last week. Mikulski, in a wheel-chair because of a broken ankle, rolled closer to the object of her praise.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and Hullabaloo

Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:

Senate Dems to Obama: Um, a Little Help Here? — After a weekend of furious activity, Democratic leaders in the Senate think they are close to getting the votes they need in order to pass an “opt-out” version of the public option. — But they feel like President Obama could be doing more to help them …

Discussion: Firedoglake, TPMDC, Booman Tribune, Talking Points Memo, MoJo Blog Posts, Roll Call, MoJo Blog Posts, Reno and Its Discontents, TalkLeft, Another Black Conservative, The Huffington Post, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, Open Left, Comments from Left Field, Mediaite and Crooks and Liars

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

THE HOLDOUT(S).... CNN reported late yesterday what has been widely suspected for nearly a week: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is poised to proceed with plans to introduce a Senate health care bill with a public health insurance option that would allow states to opt out.” A final decision is expected today.

Discussion: CNN, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, The Moderate Voice and New York Times

Alec MacGillis / Washington Post:
If you build a coverage mandate, will they come?

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:
White House backing Reid on public option

Discussion: The Politico

Ezra Klein:
Congress tiring of reading the White House's tea leaves on the public option

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Daily Dish

Chris Frates / The Politico:
Chamber could back Cadillac tax …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill: Lieberman: Health bill concern not based on state's insurance firms

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Dems push for benefits to start by 2010

Discussion: Think Progress, Ben Smith's Blog and Wonk Room

CNN:
Aide: Reid likely to include public option in Senate health care bill

Discussion: Congress Matters and ABCNEWS

Domenico Montanaro / msnbc.com:
CONGRESS: REID'S BILL IS READY

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and The Plum Line

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WHITE HOUSE ‘COMPLETELY SUPPORTS’ REID'S EFFORTS. …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and The Mahablog

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological Group — Compared with 2008, more Americans “conservative” in general, and on issues — PRINCETON, NJ — Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June.

Discussion: Commentary, Politics Daily, Townhall.com, Jules Crittenden, Gateway Pundit, The Plum Line, Erick's blog, AmSpecBlog, USS Neverdock, JammieWearingFool and The Political Carnival

Washington Post:

U.S. tested 2 Afghan scenarios in war game — Obama and advisers evaluating exercise that used different troop levels — The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Guardian, Fox News, BLACKFIVE, ATTACKERMAN, DownWithTyranny!, The Washington Independent and National Review Online

Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:

Samuelson on the fake debate on the public health plan — In the health-care debate, the “public plan” is all things to all people. For supporters, it would discipline greedy private insurers and make health-care coverage affordable. For detractors, it's a way station on the path …

Discussion: The Glittering Eye and Betsy's Page

Fred Hiatt / Washington Post:

Hiatt on the public option — Talk cloaks political inaction — The “public option” is dangerous not for what it might do but for what it allows the politicians not to do. — From the start, the Obama administration has said that health-care reform has to make health care both more accessible and less costly .

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, Betsy's Page and Commentary

Jon Meacham / Newsweek:

The Great American Ideological Crackup — From the magazine issue dated Nov 2, 2009 — Shortly after the 2004 presidential election, I was chatting with a senior figure in the Democratic Party when, inevitably, the talk turned to why John Kerry had lost.

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blog and Mediaite

Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:
Fox News relishes Obama administration scorn

Discussion: Wizbang, TVNewser and Romenesko

Stephen Labaton / New York Times:

U.S. Considers Reining In ‘Too Big to Fail’ Institutions — WASHINGTON — Congress and the Obama administration are about to take up one of the most fundamental issues stemming from the near collapse of the financial system last year — how to deal with institutions that are so big …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, American Power, Politics Daily, DailyFinance, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Caucus and The Page

New York Times:

The Cover-Up Continues — The Obama administration has clung for so long to the Bush administration's expansive claims of national security and executive power that it is in danger of turning President George W. Bush's cover-up of abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism into President Barack Obama's cover-up.

Discussion: Salon, Philly.com, Raw Story, The Washington Independent and Prairie Weather

Patrick Gavin / The Politico:

PRESIDENT OBAMA TIES GEORGE W. BUSH ON GOLF — President Barack Obama has only been in office for just over nine months, but he's already hit the links as much as President Bush did in over two years. — CBS' Mark Knoller — an unofficial documentarian and statistician of all things White House-related …

Discussion: The Swamp, Sister Toldjah, Townhall.com, Mediaite, Riehl World View and Weasel Zippers

Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:

Newt Gingrich Considering Run for President in 2012 — Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker and perennial big thinker in the Republican party, said this morning that he will likely run for president in 2012 if he and his wife, Callista, assess the field of candidates in 2011 and feel “a requirement as citizens that we run.”