memeorandum: Wisconsin GOPer Admits She Compared Public Schools To Nazi Germany (Evan McMorris-Santoro/TPMDC)

9:40 PM ET, July 30, 2011

Top Items:

Seung Min Kim / The Politico:

Pelosi: Boehner went to ‘dark side’ — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn't mince words on Speaker John Boehner's efforts on the debt ceiling, whipping out a Star Wars reference on the House floor Saturday. — Instead of working out a compromise with Democrats, she said on the House floor …

Discussion: CNN, The Note, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Ballot Box, Hot Air, Pirate's Cove, americanthinker.com and Crooks and Liars

The Politico:

GOP leaders ‘fully engaged’ with W.H., but Dems skeptical on debt deal — After a day of mostly theatrics, Republican leaders in Congress insisted they are now “fully engaged” in finding a debt ceiling compromise with the White House, but top Democrats were openly skeptical after a 90 minute meeting …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, The Right Scoop and Michelle Malkin

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell:

43 Senators Sign Letter Opposing The Reid Bill — WASHINGTON, D.C. - The following letter is signed by 43 Republican Senators. In it they encourage the Majority Leader 'to abandon this reckless proposal and instead pursue a more responsible course of action. — The full text of the letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid is below.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, New York Times, TPMDC and Daily Kos

Josiah Ryan / The Hill:

Forty-three GOP senators pledge opposition to Reid debt-ceiling plan — Forty-three GOP senators on Saturday signed a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) expressing opposition to his debt-ceiling legislation currently being considered in the upper chamber.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:

Democrats enforce filibuster against their own debt bill — Senate Republicans want a 60-vote threshold for a debt-limit bill to pass the chamber, but it's actually Democrats who are enforcing the filibuster on their own legislation, insisting on delaying a vote until 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, AmSpecBlog, Weasel Zippers and Conservatives4Palin

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

‘Fully engaged’ McConnell expresses optimism on debt deal — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Saturday he and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) are fully engaged with the White House on a debt deal and expressed optimism an agreement will be reached.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, AMERICAblog News and Daily Kos

The Note:
Reid Dismisses GOP Letter Against His Bill, Says His Bill Is ‘Only Game In Town’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

CNN:
House rejects Reid debt plan as deadline looms

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Gothamist and Pajamas Media

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Senate headed for critical debt vote Sunday

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Monthly, AMERICAblog News and The Hill

Bob Cusack / The Hill:
Days after lauding McConnell, Democratic leaders rip him

Discussion: The Caucus and Connecting.the.Dots

Jamie Klatell / The Hill:
Kyl: Dems using debt debate for ‘much broader tax increases’

Discussion: CNN, The Note, Hullabaloo and Outside the Beltway

Paul Krugman:

Very Serious Suckers — Jonathan Chait has an excellent piece documenting the way in which what he calls the establishment, and I call Very Serious People, misjudged the way the debt ceiling thing would play out: … He then goes on to show how the usual suspects — the WaPo editorial page …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, The Moderate Voice and driftglass

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

The trigger that could lead to a debt deal — It's all going to come down to the trigger. — Look closely at the Reid and Boehner bills. The first round of cuts are pretty much the same. The joint congressional committee charged with recommending further deficit reduction is pretty much the same.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Daily Kos and Economist's View

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
As Congress Nears Debt Limit Endgame, Attention Turns to a Trigger

Discussion: Open Congress

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Reid Aims For GOP Support By Adopting McConnell Debt Limit Plan Fallback Plan

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, The Politico, Daily Kos, The Moderate Voice and The Daily Dish

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

Rep. McCotter calls for a truce between Republicans, Tea Party — Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.), a Republican presidential candidate, called Saturday morning for Republicans and the Tea Party to stop fighting and work together to help save the country, presumably from Democratic policies, although he was not specific.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Riehl World View, sisu and Pundits Blog

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Declaration of independents — August is upon us, beaches beckon and Michele Bachmann has set the self-improvement bar high. She recently told The Wall Street Journal, “When I go on vacation and I lay on the beach, I bring von Mises.” The congresswoman may be the first person ever …

Discussion: Hit & Run

The White House:

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Acting Responsibly on Behalf of the American People — WASHINGTON—In this week's address, President Obama urged both Republicans and Democrats to take action to avoid defaulting for the first time in our nation's history. While the two parties are not far apart in their goals …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Other McCain and The Gateway Pundit

Mj Lee / The Politico:
Obama demands plan by Tuesday

Discussion: Right Wing News, Balkinization, Weasel Zippers and Riehl World View

Bloomberg:
Congress Deadlocked on Plan to Avert Default

Discussion: The Atlanta Post

Gautham Nagesh / The Hill:
Obama: House Republicans wasted ‘precious days’ with Boehner plan

Discussion: Questions and Observations, The Hill and Liberal Values

New York Times:

Farmers Oppose G.O.P. Bill on Immigration — PATTERSON, Calif. — Farmers across the country are rallying to fight a Republican-sponsored bill that would force them and all other employers to verify the legal immigration status of their workers, a move some say could imperil not only future harvests …

Discussion: The Raw Story

Paul Krugman:

The Corrosion of the Conservative Economic Mind — First Michael Boskin, now John Taylor: there seems be an epidemic of politically conservative economists who used to be technically competent repeating the obviously wrong falsehood that Reagan ushered in an era of “unprecedented” growth.

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Grasping Reality … and National Review