September 18, 2013
Harvard: 'Social Mobilization and the Networked Public Sphere: Mapping the SOPA-PIPA Debate'
Study tracks the online debate and defeat of SOPA/PIPA. Interactive visualization here. Many familiar websites mentioned. More from David Post at the Volokh Conspiracy. The paper can be downloaded here. [rdbrewer]
Seth Mandel, Commentary: ObamaCare’s Desperate Defenders
"And in fact there’s some news in this one: only 49 percent of the uninsured approve of it, with 46 percent disapproving. That means the targets of the law’s new entitlement structure are pretty evenly divided on whether they even want what the government is offering. You have to go Pew’s website for that piece of information. The USA Today piece is mostly an epic rant against the GOP." [rdbrewer]
Jill Lawrence, National Journal: Obama Says He’s Not Worried About Style Points. He Should Be.
"From his Syria gyrations to Monday’s ill-timed economic speech attacking Republicans as a mass shooting was in progress at the nearby Washington Navy Yard, Obama’s apparently willful dismissal of style could do more than just hurt his poll numbers. It could yield midterm election losses and create perhaps insurmountable obstacles to achieving his policy goals." [rdbrewer]
MoDo: Losing the Room
He's lost MoDo. "But, jarringly, the president went ahead with his political attack, briefly addressing the slaughter before moving on to jab Republicans over the corporate tax rate and resistance to Obamacare.... The man who connected so electrically and facilely in 2008, causing Americans to overlook his thin résumé, cannot seem to connect anymore." [rdbrewer]
Obama’s group attacks GOP ‘government shutdown’ as 70 Repubs sponsor bill to avoid shutdown
"'There has never, ever, ever been any proposal from Ted Cruz or Mike Lee to shut down the functions of government. That was just the media,' said Brian Phillips, communications director for Sen. Mike Lee, who is partnering with Sen. Cruz on the highly publicized 'Defund Obamacare' campaign." Also from TheDC: The IRS targeted conservative groups who used anti-Obama rhetoric. [rdbrewer]
TheHill: President seeks help from A-Team
Yeah, not sure if that's going to do it. [rdbrewer]
Obama to ask business leaders to push Congress to raise debt limit
Notice this line, "Obama has warned he will not negotiate over the debt limit." But all Republican extremists want to do is obstruct, obstruct, obstruct! They won't negotiate at all! Etc. Or, at least, that's what I hear 18 times a day. (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, this find is a hot news tip. Intransigent Obama won't negotiate, wants to shut down government. Must credit rdbrewer.) [rdbrewer]