The Plum Line: June 20, 2010 - June 26, 2010
Saturday Roundup
* Obama uses his weekly address to rally for the completion of financial reform. What's interesting is that his remarks raise the possibility that an eventual economic turnaround could help build the case that Obama and Dems were on the...
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Greg Sargent
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June 26, 2010; 1:09 PM ET |
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Happy Hour Roundup
* Uh, too little, too late? Stanley McChrystal's pushback begins: His camp says Rolling Stone violated the agreed-upon interview ground rules. * New Newsweek poll: Fifty percent approve of the decision to sack McChrystal. * But: Afghanistan is become a...
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Greg Sargent
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June 25, 2010; 6:47 PM ET |
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On David Weigel's resignation
A number of readers have asked me for my reaction to the resignation of Dave Weigel, who until today was the author of the blog Right Now, which covered the conservative movement for The Post. And since the liberal blogosphere,...
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Greg Sargent
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June 25, 2010; 4:04 PM ET |
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FinReg compromise helps Dems win the big argument
In the wake of the successful compromise on financial regulatory reform, it's worth stepping back and looking at the larger argument that's dominated our political life for much of the past year and a half. The Democratic case has been...
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Greg Sargent
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June 25, 2010; 12:34 PM ET |
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Sarah Palin tells followers to read article comparing BP escrow fund to Nazism
As you know, this blog tends to be dismissive of the idea that Sarah Palin's Tweets are newsworthy. But it really is news that Palin has now used her Twitter feed to instruct her followers to read Thomas Sowell's now-notorious...
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Greg Sargent
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June 25, 2010; 10:42 AM ET |
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The Morning Plum
* President Obama is within striking distance of signing another major piece of legislation this year, now that the House and Senate reached a deal on financial reform early this morning. More later on the details of this, but for...
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Greg Sargent
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June 25, 2010; 8:26 AM ET |
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Happy Hour Roundup
* The House passes the DISCLOSE act, which means, of course, that it's now over to the Senate, where (natch) its prospects are uncertain. * Nancy Pelosi's first reaction on Twitter: "Americans will now know when Wall Street, Big Oil...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 5:58 PM ET |
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Which party will get punished for Senate dysfunction?
A number of bloggers today have been up in arms about the apparent failure of the jobs bill in the Senate, now that it looks like no Republicans will help Dems break the GOP filibuster. This could have terrible consequences,...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 4:49 PM ET |
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Is Schumer doing credit card industry's "swipe fee" dirty work? Spox adamantly denies it
Chuck Schumer is getting the living crap kicked out of him on left wing blogs for allegedly trying to gut a provision in financial reform that regulates the card "swipe fees" that big banks and credit card companies can...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 2:47 PM ET |
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Sarah Palin is toxic
Commentators keep telling us how influential Sarah Palin's endorsements are, and even if the whole "mama grizzly" meme is clearly overstated, there's no quibbling with the fact that Palin has pull among GOP primary voters. But the more interesting point...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 1:18 PM ET |
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Scarborough: "Why is Joe Barton being allowed to keep his job?"
"Why is Joe Barton being allowed to keep his job, when Joe Barton apologized to a corporation that is destroying my home town's economy, and is destroying the environment across the Gulf Coast?" That's Joe Scarborough this morning, posing a...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 11:49 AM ET |
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Poll: Lawmakers who weaken FinReg could be vulnerable
Could lawmakers who support loopholes that weaken financial regulatory reform be putting themselves at greater risk this fall? According to a new poll commissioned from a Dem firm by a coalition of groups advocating for meaningful financial reform, the answer...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 10:37 AM ET |
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The Morning Plum
* Not surprisingly, the papers are filled this morning with leaks from inside the West Wing demonstrating how decisive Obama was in sacking Stanley McChrystal. Yet in a case of less-than-ideal timing, a new national poll shows that public confidence...
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Greg Sargent
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June 24, 2010; 8:30 AM ET |
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Happy Hour Roundup
* Russ Feingold keeps fighting the good fight: He doesn't let Obama's choice of David Petraeus stop him from issuing a statement reiterating "strong concerns about our misguided policy in Afghanisan" and the need for "a timetable to end this...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 5:48 PM ET |
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New Reid ad rips Sharron Angle's scheme as "crazy"
Harry Reid has just gone up with a second ad attacking Sharron Angle on Social Security, another sign that Angle's apparent desire to phase out the popular program will be central to Reid's efforts to define her as dangerous...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 3:36 PM ET |
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McChrystal firing allows Obama to reassert leadership at critical moment
A few quick points on Obama's decision to relieve Stanley McChrystal of his command. * In retrospect, it was inevitable that Obama would act swiftly to remove a quasi-insubordinate general at a time when Obama's leadership is coming under harsh...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 2:33 PM ET |
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Joe Barton deletes Tweet unapologizing for BP apology
The Joe Barton mess just keeps on giving. As Dave Weigel notes, hours after he apologized to the House GOP caucus for putting them in a spot with his BP commments, Barton went on Twitter and seemed to unapologize. "Joe...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 1:02 PM ET |
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Death panels worked! Seniors now key to shifting opinion on health reform
Ezra Klein highlights some new Gallup polling that shows that health reform is becoming popular among every group but seniors, who still are deeply suspicious of it: As you can see, a big majority, 60 percent, of people 65 and...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 11:58 AM ET |
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Joe Barton privately apologizes to GOPers for BP mess; he'll keep committee slot
The controversy over Joe Barton's apology to BP continues to simmer in Republican ranks, but judging by what just took place in a private meeting among GOPers, Barton will be keeping his perch on the Energy and Commerce Committee Here's...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 10:06 AM ET |
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The Morning Plum
* What will happen today, per George Stephanopoulos: Obama will ask Stanley McChrysal if the Rolling Stone article has crippled his ability to fight the war. McChrystal will say, Absolutely not, sir. And Obama will keep him on. * After...
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Greg Sargent
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June 23, 2010; 8:23 AM ET |
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Happy Hour Roundup
* Good read, perhaps cutting to the heart of things: Military experts say firing Stanley McChrystal would be a major blow to the war effort, because time isn't on our side. * Indeed, Michael Scherer examines the responses from Robert...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 6:00 PM ET |
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Rolling Stone editor: All quotes dissing Obama admin came from McChrystal's "inner circle"
Here's another reason why it's going to be very tough for Stanley McChrystal to survive tomorrow's meeting with the President: According to Rolling Stone's managing editor, all the quotes dissing Obama and his administration came directly from members of McChrystal's...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 4:16 PM ET |
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Report: Sharron Angle won't say whether she's 'birther'
Nevada journalist Jon Ralston reports on his TV show that Sharron Angle's campaign Web site touts the endorsement of something called the Declaration Alliance, which questions Obama's eligibility to be president. Even more amusing, though, is this nugget: Ralston says...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 3:24 PM ET |
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GOP Rep Franks: Obama's treatment of BP was "arrogant"
Here's another one that Dems will jump on to continue making the case that Joe Barton's apology to BP represents a commonly held view among Republicans. GOP Rep Trent Franks, in a quote "> buried in a Politico piece, appeared...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 2:25 PM ET |
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Cantor: McChrystal must be "frustrated" with Obama
The Republican response to the Rolling Stone article is fascinating: The House GOP leadership is suggesting it reveals that Stanley McChrystal is "frustrated" with President Obama over the war, perhaps because he isn't giving the troops "what they need." Eric...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 1:00 PM ET |
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Stanley McChrystal "scolds" his terrorist hunters
Marcy Wheeler argues that this from Stanley McChrystal in the Rolling Stone article is far worse than anything insulting he said about the President or Veep: Even in his new role as America's leading evangelist for counterinsurgency, McChrystal retains the...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 11:56 AM ET |
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In McChrystal article, insults are mostly anonymous, but...
Here's the Rolling Stone article on Stanley McChrystal. There's no apologizing for the atmosphere that McChrystal appeared to encourage among those close to him. But there are really only a handful quotes that come directly from McChrystal himself that...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 11:08 AM ET |
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The Morning Plum
* Good news: The Obama admininstration may sue to overturn the Arizona immigration law as early as next week. * And: The Tea Party base is pressuring national Republican leaders to make the law an issue, which could put GOP...
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Greg Sargent
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June 22, 2010; 8:25 AM ET |
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Happy Hour Roundup
* It isn't every day that Rush Limbaugh agrees with Dems, but the talk show host is now claiming that Joe Barton's apology to BP expresses exactly what GOP leaders truly believe. * Senator Jon Kyl's claim that Obama told...
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Greg Sargent
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June 21, 2010; 5:55 PM ET |
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Steve King: Socrates and Plato have my back
When we last checked in on GOP Rep. Steve King, he was valiantly making the case that Obama has a "default mechanism" that leads him to favor the "black person." This, naturally, resulted in a bit of criticism. Now King...
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Greg Sargent
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June 21, 2010; 4:21 PM ET |
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The Beltway revolving door between consulting and commentary
One thing that's accepted as a given in D.C. is that there's nothing amiss when people constantly cycle back and forth between raking in big bucks consulting for private-sector clients and going on the air to share ostensibly independent political...
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Greg Sargent
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June 21, 2010; 2:27 PM ET |
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Under fire, Dem leaders standing by DISCLOSE act
The House Dem campaign finance proposal is taking a hammering from right and left, but Dem leaders aren't backing down in their push to get it done -- and are advising rank and file Dems to sell it hard in...
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Greg Sargent
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June 21, 2010; 11:58 AM ET |
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Darrell Issa: If GOP wins House, corporate America can breathe easy -- UPDATED
As you know, Democrats are continuing to hammer away at Joe Barton's apology to BP, in order to make the case that if Republicans take back Congress, they'll side with big corporations and special interests against ordinary Americans. But there's...
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Greg Sargent
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June 21, 2010; 10:43 AM ET |
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The Morning Plum
* Question of the week: Joe Barton's apology to BP dominated the Sunday shows, and all signs are that Dems will continue using it to build a broader case against the GOP. So has the Barton mess given Dems the...
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Greg Sargent
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June 21, 2010; 8:18 AM ET |
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Sunday Open Thread
All, a shorter-than-usual roundup today, because I've got stuff to do, but if you feel like it, chat away below and let me know what I'm missing. * Not letting go: Rahm Emanuel keeps hammering away at the Joe Barton...
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Greg Sargent
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June 20, 2010; 10:25 AM ET |
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