memeorandum: GOP predicts greater power for chairmen under would-be Speaker Boehner (Molly K. Hooper/The Hill)

8:10 AM ET, July 14, 2010

Top Items:

Iowa billboard compares Obama to Hitler; draws criticism — (AP) —A billboard created by an Iowa tea party group comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin is being condemned by other tea party activists. — The North Iowa Tea Party began displaying the sign in Mason City last week.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Gawker, Another Black Conservative, Outside the Beltway, Left Coast Rebel, Liberty Pundits Blog, Little Green Footballs, The Staggers, TPMMuckraker and Riehl World View

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Sharron Angle: Tea Party ousted Robert Bennett because he “outlived his usefulness” — The Harry Reid campaign thinks they've found another high-octane Sharron Angle quote that will help them paint her as too harsh and extreme for the Senate: She claimed last night that Senator Robert Bennett …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly and The DSCC

Radio Iowa:

Tea Party billboard in Mason City raises concern — Tea Party billboard in Mason City. (Photo courtesy of Bob Fisher) — A new billboard in downtown Mason City features a photo of President Obama, flanked by pictures of German dictator Adolph Hitler and Communist leader Vladimir Lenin.

Discussion: Media Research Center, Weasel Zippers, Think Progress and Jay Bookman

Kansas City Star:
NAACP passes resolution on racism in tea party

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Gateway Pundit, Big Government, Pajamas Media, Hot Air, CNN, Liberal Values, The TrogloPundit, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Fox News, St. Louis Tea Party, American Power, Another Black Conservative and Power Line

National Center for Public Policy Research:
Black Activists Condemn NAACP Resolution Against Tea Party Movement

Discussion: Hot Air, NewsReal Blog, AmSpecBlog, The Corner on National … and Fox News

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
NAACP Passes Tea Party Racism Resolution

Discussion: Another Black Conservative, Michelle Malkin and Little Green Footballs

The Politico:

Pelosi vents about Gibbs — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bashed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Tuesday night, even as the president's top spokesman continued to backpedal from his assertion that Democrats could lose control of the House in the November election.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, The Fix, iOwnTheWorld.com and The Hill

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

The GOP strategy of obstruction is working beautifully — As you know, I've been arguing here that the GOP strategy of obstruction is paying off for Republicans — big time. The public is blaming Democrats, not Republicans, for the government dysfunction that has resulted …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, NewsBusters.org, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, The New Republic, Politics Daily, Firedoglake and The Agonist

Newsweek:
Can Obama Persuade Voters to Stay the Course?

Discussion: National Review

Bloomberg:

Americans in 70% Majority See More Jobless as Deficit Widens — More than 7 out of 10 Americans say the economy is mired in recession, and the country is conflicted over how to balance concerns over joblessness and the federal budget deficit, according to a Bloomberg National Poll.

Discussion: DailyFinance, Top of the Ticket and The Page

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Poll: Americans Say Bad Economy Will Linger — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — A majority of Americans have a negative impression of the economy and expect the effects of the recession to linger for years, according to a new CBS News poll.

Discussion: Politics Daily, GayPatriot, Taegan Goddard's …, Daily Kos, Gateway Pundit, Liberty Pundits Blog and Hot Air

Robert Hendin / CBS News:
On Economy, White House Message Not Sticking

Discussion: Commentary, The Plum Line, Liberty Pundits Blog and CNN

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:

President Obama, White House: Al Qaeda Is Racist — In an interview earlier today with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to air in a few hours, President Obama disparaged al Qaeda and affiliated groups' willingness to kill Africans in a manner that White House aides say was an argument that the terrorist groups are racist.

Discussion: Commentary, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Erick's blog, The Page and Gateway Pundit

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

New White House talking point: Al Qaeda is racist — First come the drone attacks, then comes the surge in Afghanistan, and now — the big one drops. … I like the idea behind it. It's a cheap, hopefully effective way of combating jihadi recruitment in Africa by elevating racial pride above religious identity.

Wall Street Journal:

Crash Data Suggest Driver Error in Toyota Accidents — The U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of data recorders from Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration and found that at the time of the crashes, throttles were wide open …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Mother Jones, DailyFinance, JustOneMinute, Law Blog, Cato @ Liberty, Overlawyered, Don Surber, Balloon Juice and JammieWearingFool

Daniel Indiviglio / The Atlantic Online:

A Chart That Screams, ‘Extend Unemployment Benefits!’ — At the end of May there were 3.2 million job openings, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the face of nearly 15 million unemployed, that's obviously not enough. And if you add in those other Americans …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos and Grasping Reality …

Ezra Klein: ‘A Chart That Screams, “Extend Unemployment Benefits!” ’

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:

Megyn Kelly threatens to cut off Kirsten Powers “mic” over heated New Black Panther argument — FOX News has been ginning up a story about the hate group the “New Black Panthers” from the election on November 4th as some sort of ‘angry black man’ intimidation tactic that made Obama win the presidency.

Discussion: justoneminute.typepad.com, VivirLatino and Daily Kos

David Weigel / The Daily Dish:

Believing Sarah Palin — Like I said in my first post, I guest-blogged for the Daily Dish back in 2006. I don't remember anyone, at the time, challenging the decision. So I was unprepared for the rat-a-tat of criticism I got for signing up this week. To quote Baseball Crank …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and Wake up America

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

GOP predicts greater power for chairmen under would-be Speaker Boehner — Committee chairmen would receive a boost in autonomy under a House led by a Speaker John Boehner, according to GOP lawmakers and aides looking past the November elections. — They also said Boehner (R-Ohio) …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

John Whitesides / Reuters:

Crist leads 3-way Senate race in Florida — (Reuters) - Florida Governor Charlie Crist holds a narrow edge over Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way Senate race dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday. — Crist, who left the Republican Party …

Discussion: The Fix, Swing State Project, The Atlantic Online, Daily Kos, Politics Daily, The Page, MiamiHerald.com and FrumForum

The Fix:
Senate Republicans' open seat money edge

Discussion: The Cook Political Report and The Page

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

It's Unanimous! GOP Says No To Unemployment Benefits, Yes To Tax Cuts For The Rich — For weeks, Senate Republicans have filibustered an extension of unemployment benefits on the grounds that Democrats aren't willing to cut spending or raise taxes to pay for them.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Ezra Klein, Paul Krugman, Wall Street Journal, Mother Jones and Washington Monthly

Fox News:

Lesbian Prison Gangs Waiting to Get Hands on Lindsay Lohan, Report Says — Inmates of the jail where Lindsay Lohan is set to spend up to 90 days have warned of gangs out to attack the starlet, saying “everyone will want a piece of her”, The Sun reported Tuesday.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Jawa Report and Gawker

Joe Stephens / Washington Post:

Lessons from Exxon Valdez spill have gone unheeded — The story of the last cataclysmic American oil spill has evolved over time into a straightforward tale of cause and effect: In 1989, a hard-drinking skipper ran his tanker aground in Alaska, and Exxon was unable to prevent crude …

Discussion: Prairie Weather and The Page

Bob Johnson / Associated Press:

Tea Party Favorite Loses GOP Runoff in Alabama — Mainstream GOP candidate beats tea party activist in runoff for Ala House seat held by Dems — A mainstream Republican has rolled past a tea party activist in the GOP runoff for a southeast Alabama congressional seat that Republicans hope to reclaim.

Discussion: TBogg and The Politico

Henry Fountain / New York Times:

Oil Still Spilling as Well Test Is Delayed — ABOARD THE RESOLUTE, 40 miles off Louisiana — Workers on surface ships continued to flare gas and oil on Tuesday at the site of BP's runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, as officials announced that a critical pressure test on the well would be postponed, pending further analysis.

Discussion: Dot Earth and Truthdig

Jon Hilsenrath / Wall Street Journal:

Fed Sees Slower Growth — Officials Debate How to Respond if Recovery Falters; Softer 2nd Half Is Seen — Federal Reserve officials, who are likely to reveal Wednesday a cut in their assessment of the growth outlook, are divided on how aggressively the central bank should act if the economy slows further.

Discussion: Ezra Klein and The Page

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Obama Administration Approves First Taxpayer-Funded Abortions Under Obamacare — Another Day - Another Liberal Lie Exposed — Obama told Americans back in November that democrats would not sneak in funding for abortion in their health care bill. — It was a lie.

Discussion: LifeNews.com Pro-Life …, The Other McCain, theblogprof and Weasel Zippers

First Read / msnbc.com:

Manchin to make Senate appointment by Friday — From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell — Earlier today, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin released special session legislation which will clarify the state code on the succession process for the vacant senate seat left due to the passing of longtime Senator Robert Byrd.

Discussion: Open Congress and The Washington Independent

The United States Department of Justice:

Six New Orleans Police Officers Indicted in Danziger Bridge Case — WASHINGTON -Six officers with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) were charged today in connection with the federal investigation of a police-involved shooting on the Danziger Bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina, the Justice Department announced today.

Discussion: New Orleans Times-Picayune, New York Times, Colorlines, TalkLeft, TPMMuckraker and Hullabaloo

Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:

It's Not “Just the Economy, Stupid” This Time — It's almost certain that the Democrats are heading for a terrible election in the fall - the only real dispute is whether it will be merely a bad election or a truly horrendous one. And so, the pre-mortems have already begun.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Hot Air, Weekly Standard and Real Clear Politics

Karen E. Crummy / Denver Post:

McInnis' articles for foundation lift ideas, words directly from 20-year-old essay — Although GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis presented his “Musings on Water” for publication as original works, portions are identical and nearly identical to an essay on water written 20 years earlier …