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2:05 PM ET, May 19, 2010

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
The Politico:
The GOP's special failure  —  All the evidence pointing to monster Republican House gains this fall—the Scott Brown upset win in Massachusetts, the scary polling numbers in once-safely Democratic districts, the ever-rising number of Democratic seats thought to be in jeopardy—was contradicted Tuesday.
RELATED:
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
What Tuesday Really Meant  —  There were five races that we were tracking closely over the course of the evening — and I've already seen analysts drawing flimsy conclusions from each of them.  —  Pennsylvania — Democratic Senate primary  —  The results: Joe Sestak defeats Arlen Specter, 54-46.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
‘WHERE IS THE WAVE?’....  Arguably the most important election yesterday wasn't a primary race, but rather, the congressional special election in Pennsylvania's 12th — a contest to fill the vacancy left by the late Rep. Jack Murtha (D).  —  Observers in both parties considered the race something of a bellwether.
New York Times:
Specter Defeat Signals a Wave Against Incumbents  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who left the Republican Party a year ago in hopes of salvaging a 30-year career, was rejected on Tuesday by Democratic primary voters, with Representative Joe Sestak winning the party's nomination …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Resultsblogging II: PA-12  —  Former John Murtha staffer Mark Critz's win in the PA-12 House election is just straight-up embarrassing for Republicans.  The Democratic strategy was straight out of the 2006/2008 playbook.  Find a moderately conservative House district and run a somewhat heterodox Democrat.
Reuters:
Activists seize control of politics  —  For any politician with the usual instincts for self-protection, the lessons of Tuesday's primaries could not be more clear: This could happen to you.  —  Arlen Specter lost in Pennsylvania even though the party-switching Democrat was recruited and backed by a sitting president.
Daniel Larison / Eunomia:
PA-12 and The Single Greatest Pushback in American History … There are many things about the PA-12 special election that are unique to that race and district, but one thing that ties it to many of the other Republican special election losses over the last three years is the party's obsession …
Charles Babington / Associated Press:
Obama endorsements don't seem to help Democrats  —  WASHINGTON - Voters rejected one of President Barack Obama's hand-picked candidates and forced another into a runoff, the latest sign that his political capital is slipping beneath a wave of anti-establishment anger.
Michael Barone / Beltway Confidential:
Republican lesson from Pennsylvania 12 special
Discussion: Riehl World View
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
More on Rand Paul  —  So is Rand Paul, on a personal level, just a deeply unlikeable guy?  One of the weird things about his acceptance speech last night was that he held it at the local country club — to what looked uncannily like a members only crowd.  This morning he defended the venue …
RELATED:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Rand Paul  —  It is quite an understatement to say that I am not Rand Paul's target audience.  Still, I couldn't help notice something about his brief acceptance speech and I'm curious to hear whether any of you had a similar take.  I don't think I'd ever seen Paul speak at any length.
Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
Is Rand Paul Good For Civil Liberties?
Discussion: Hullabaloo
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Sestak, Paul score wins as Lincoln faces runoff
Mike Lux / Open Left:
“Nobody is on our side”  —  Being back home in the Midwest is always grounding.  The most classic moment was a conversation in a restaurant with someone who was expressing anger at all incumbents and both parties who said to me “nobody is on our side.”  —  That was the theme of yesterday's big day of political news.
Discussion: Eschaton and Wonk Room
RELATED:
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Dodd Drops Plan To Scale Back Derivative Regulation
Meredith Shiner / The Politico:
Reid to call financial regulation vote
Discussion: The Hill, TPM LiveWire and TPMDC
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Dean: N.Y. Times story a ‘hatchet job’  —  Howard Dean on Wednesday took the New York Times to task for running a “hatchet job” story on Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal misstating his service in Vietnam without acknowledging that the information came from a GOP campaign.
Discussion: National Review
RELATED:
New York Times:
Blumenthal's Vietnam Claims Grew in Time, Colleague Says
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
I Believe Richard Blumenthal
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Slow learners at the 9th Circuit  —  The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a stimulus package for the Supreme Court, which would rather not have one.  The 9th Circuit, often in error but never in doubt, provides the Supreme Court with steady work: Over the past half-century …
Discussion: Cato @ Liberty and Moonbattery
RELATED:
Jim Oliphant / The Swamp:
Elena Kagan: Money in the bank?
Discussion: CNN and SCOTUSblog
Simon McGregor-Wood / ABCNEWS:
Rahm's Son's Bar Mitzvah Irks Some in Israel  —  Israeli Activists Say They Will ‘Blow Up,’ Figuratively, Zach Emanuel's Bar Mitzvah  —  White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's plan to take his son, Zach, to Jerusalem's famous Western Wall for his Jewish coming-of-age ritual appeared to have run into serious trouble.
Discussion: Raw Story and Coteret
RELATED:
Gil Hoffman / Jerusalem Post:
W. Wall bar mitzva for Emanuel's son?
Discussion: Think Progress and Gateway Pundit
Glen Bolger / Public Opinion Strategies:
The Death Of Independence  —  Analysts are pointing toward last night's primary results (the defeat of Arlen Specter, Trey Grayson, and the run-off for Blanche Lincoln) as - when combined with Bob Bennett and Alan Mollohan's defeats - proof of anti-incumbency and anti-Washington establishment.
Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and Ballot Box
RELATED:
Breitbart.tv:
MEXICAN PRESIDENT KNOCKS ARIZONA LAW FROM WHITE HOUSE LAWN  —  ABC News: Mexican President Felipe Calderon took the unusual step Wednesday morning of criticizing an American law while visiting the White House, saying cooperation is needed to fix the US-Mexican immigration issue but …
Discussion: Political Punch and Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
Key senator says hold off on 'Don't Ask' repeal  —  A key U.S. senator has told the Blade that he opposes repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” at this time.  —  In a brief exchange on Capitol Hill, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Tuesday he would vote against an effort next week to overturn the law.
Jane Horwitz / Washington Post:
Theater J pulls Madoff play after objections from activist Elie Wiesel  —  Bowing to objections from Elie Wiesel, the author, human rights activist and Holocaust survivor, Theater J has canceled its first production of the coming season — a play in which Wiesel is a character.
Patrick Gavin / The Politico:
HOUSE PASSES BEER RESOLUTION  —  While most of Washington was focused on Tuesday's election results, the House was busy doing something else: Passing a resolution about beer.  —  House Resolution 1297, sponsored by Rep. Betsy Markey, supports “the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week.”
Discussion: JONATHAN TURLEY and Don Surber
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Scandals in the House Republican Class of 1994  —  When was it, exactly, that the Republican revolution merged with the sexual revolution?  —  With each passing year, the class notes for the famous House Republicans Class of '94 get more lurid.  The latest entry was submitted Tuesday morning by Rep. Mark Souder (Ind.).
Bloomberg:
Conspiracy of Banks Rigging States Came With Crash  —  A telephone call between a financial adviser in Beverly Hills and a trader in New York was all it took to fleece taxpayers on a water-and-sewer financing deal in West Virginia.  The secret conversation was part of a conspiracy stretching across …
Nick Gillespie / Hit & Run:
Why We're Having an Everybody Draw Mohammed Contest on Thursday May 20  —  Author's Note: This article includes three images that clearly denigrate Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.  So there is absolutely no question about the provenance of these images, I would like to direct all readers …
Discussion: Balloon Juice and alicublog
 
 
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 More Items: 
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
What If They Gave a Terrorist Attack And Nobody Noticed?
Choire / The Awl:
Hooray! “Tourists” Lane Proposed for NYC Sidewalks
Discussion: Gothamist and Joe. My. God.
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Bennet now leads general
Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and TPMDC
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Attorney General Tom Corbett Subpoenaes Twitter To Identify Anonymous Critics
Ben Evans / The Huffington Post:
Gulf Oil Spill: Still No One Knows How Much Oil Is Leaking …
Washington Examiner:
Campbell Brown scurries out, Eliot Spitzer jumps in
 Earlier Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
Chuck Schumer vs. Free Speech
Discussion: protein wisdom
Ben Raines / Breaking News from the Press-Register:
BP told feds it could handle oil spill 60 times larger than Deepwater Horizon
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: The most depressing commencement address ever?
Elaine Ganley / Associated Press:
Women protest as French Cabinet gets veil ban bill
Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers
J.P. Freire / Beltway Confidential:
DOJ Voting Rights attorney resigns over Black Panthers stonewalling
Chris Bowers / Open Left:
Crotchety Progressive Rant
Discussion: Dennis the Peasant
 

 
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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