The Commentariat -- August 24

Tom Friedman, against all odds, comes up with half a plausible thesis: President Obama is "off his game." ...

... I've posted a Friedman page on Off Times Square.

Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling: "Rick Perry is looking increasingly like the Republican favorite for President- he led in the Iowa poll we released this morning and he leads by double digits in the national poll we'll release tomorrow. The biggest beneficiary of Perry's rise? It might be Barack Obama. In our first national poll pitting the two Obama leads Perry 49-43.... It's a different story for Obama ... against Romney. There he can only achieve a tie at 45%, and because there are a lot more undecided Republicans than Democrats in all likelihood Romney would come out ahead if voters had to go to the polls and really make a decision today." ...

For all of you progressives who think it would be great to have someone other than Obama at the top of the Democratic ticket, Nate Silver looks at statistical data and the histoical record to demonstrate "Why Another Democrat Wouldn’t Do Better Than Obama in 2012." Silver, I should tell you, is almost never wrong.

** "A Sales Tax on Wall Street." Economics Prof. Nancy Folbre in the New York Times: "... a sales tax on Wall Street of 0.5 percent could raise up to $175 billion in tax revenue a year, even if, by discouraging frequent trades, it cuts the total number of transactions in half.... Speculative purchases of stocks, bonds and other financial instruments in the United States go untaxed but for a tiny fee (less than a half-cent) on stock trades that helps finance the Securities and Exchange Commission.... President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany recently announced plans to introduce a [sales] tax in the 27 nations of the European Community.... Wall Street hates it, because it would cut into trading profits. But proponents like Dean Baker ... assert that it would primarily affect short-term 'noise traders' and discourage speculation.... Less speculation could lead to less volatility in prices, encouraging long-term investors." CW: surely Republicans will go for it! Folbre doesn't say so, but this tax would mostly hit the rich. Thanks to Doug R. for the link.

Henry Blodgett of the Business Insider: "Why is Bank of America's stock tanking? Because the market thinks Bank of America is worth much less than Bank of America's management says it is.... After observing the government's behavior during the financial crisis, the obvious bet would be that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is even now cooking up some new bailout scheme that, per usual, will save the bank and hose taxpayers. But Americans certainly have gotten sick to death of bailouts, so maybe that isn't such a foregone conclusion this time.... UPDATE: In an extraordinary move, Bank of America has issued a statement addressing some of the 'claims' in this post. In addition to taking a shot at me personally...," BoA disputed some of the figures Blodgett cited. ...

     ... Blodgett has a follow-up post here. ...

... And Then There Were Three (Big Banks, That Is). Douglas McIntyre of 24/7 Wall Street: "There is a rumor circulated on Wall St. that JP Morgan ... will take over Bank of America ... within the week. The government will support the deal with a $100 billion investment in preferred shares issued by the combined entity. Alternatively, the government may guarantee the value of a large pool of Bank of America assets. The word is that Treasury Secretary Geithner has discussed the transaction with JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon. The 'merger' would completely destroy the value of BAC’s common shares."

Leila Fadel and Joby Warrick of the Washington Post: "With rebel fighters celebrating in the streets of Tripoli on Tuesday, opposition leaders in this eastern Libyan city now face tough questions about how they will guide the country through what is expected to be a tumultuous transition."

Mackenzie Weinger of Politico: "The vast majority of members [of Congress] lack an academic background in business or economics, according to a study by the Employment Policies Institute, a nonprofit group that takes a conservative stand on fiscal issues. Only 13.7 percent majored in business or accounting, and 8.4 percent have an economics degree.

PolitiFact: "Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-Ohio] says Wall Street hedge fund managers pay a lower tax rate than a typical sheet metal worker or a teacher."

Right Wing World

Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post: "Republicans like to complain that Democrats practice “class warfare” and “the politics of division,” as House GOP leader Eric Cantor argued on this page Monday. What the Republicans’ position on the payroll tax makes high-definitionally clear is their own class warfare on working- and middle-class Americans. Their double standard couldn’t be more obvious: Tax cuts for the wealthy are sacrosanct; tax cuts for everyone else don’t really matter. Norquist, Cantor, Ryan, Camp, the Journal editorialists and the whole Republican crew give hypocrisy a bad name." ...

... "Boundless Cynicism." Jim Fallows: "Through the artificial debt-ceiling 'crisis,' through the Moonie-like spectacle in Iowa of candidates (including Mr. Sanity, Jon Huntsman) raising hands to promise never to accept any tax increase, the Republican field has been absolutist and inflexible about not letting any revenue increase, in any form, be part of dealing with debts and deficits. Except, it now turns out, when the taxes are those that (a) weigh most heavily on the people who are already struggling, and (b) would have the most obvious 'job-killing' effect if they went up."

Getting It Backwards. Jim Tankersley of the National Journal: "Want a textbook example of Washington spin at its fiercest? ... [A] press release from House Speaker John Boehner’s office ... proclaim[ed]: 'Majority of economists say spending cuts needed to reduce deficit, not tax hikes.' Punchy headline. Convenient harmony with Republicans’ anti-tax message. Also, not true. In fact..., a wide majority of [survey] respondents believe the federal government should reduce its budget deficit with a combination of spending cuts and, at least in small part, tax increases. Only 12 percent said the deficit should be reduced 'only with spending cuts.'"

** Walter Shapiro in The New Republic writes a tour-de-force on "Rick Perry: The God-Fearing, Know-Nothing, Pistol-Packing Embodiment of Liberals’ Worst Nightmares." ...

Another option would be to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (providing the power for the income tax) altogether, and then pursue an alternative model of taxation such as a national sales tax or the Fair Tax. -- Rick Perry, urging repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, which provided for a federal income tax

Jonathan Chait of The New Republic: Perry, of course, wants to devolve virtually all the functions of the federal government to the state level. That would, among other things, result in a far more regressive tax code. Consider the Texas tax system:

Texas relies heavily on its sales tax.... The poorest 20% of Texans paid an average of 6% of their income in sales tax, while the top fifth—households with an income of roughly more than $126,000 — paid 1.3%... [citation from the Wall Street Journal].

Perry's hatred of redistribution puts him perfectly in step with the current Republican Party, for whom opposition to the (downward) redistribution of wealth is the lodestar."

The Lord High Executioner. Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "In his nearly 11 years as the state’s chief executive, [Gov. Rick] Perry ... has overseen more executions than any governor in modern history: 234 and counting. That’s more than the combined total in the next two states — Oklahoma and Virginia — since the death penalty was restored 35 years ago.... As the 2012 presidential race unfolds, Perry’s record will inevitably become part of the debate in a country where the number of death sentences handed down continues to fall and some states are renouncing executions.... [Perry] vetoed a bill that would have spared the mentally retarded, and sharply criticized a Supreme Court ruling that juveniles were not eligible for the death penalty.... And Perry’s role in the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham — who supporters said should have been at least temporarily spared when experts warned that faulty forensic science led to his conviction — is still the subject of investigation in Texas." ...

... CW: You thought Dubya was a poor student? Here's Rick Perry's Texas A and M transcript. Note the "D" in Principles of Economics. It was probably a gift:

Click for larger image.

I think we’re seeing it almost weekly or even daily, scientists who are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. -- Rick Perry ...

... Getting It Backwards. Brad Plumer of the Washington Post: "It’s not just that Perry’s wrong. In many ways, the field of climate science is moving in precisely the opposite direction that he’s suggesting.... Much of the climate science that’s been published since 2007 appears to have strengthened the consensus, not weakened it." ...

... PolitiFact: "Perry's remarks give the impression that the science of global warming is in dispute, that some scientists feel one way, and some scientists feel another way. He says that skepticism is growing. In fact, our research shows that's not the case. We found that there is solid consensus among the major scientific organizations and that the skeptics seems to be small minority."

Alex Pareene of Salon on how bad a Ron Paul presidency would be for the nation, especially with a Republican Congress. CW: If you're feeling even a teeny bit depressed, you probably should not read Pareene's post; the scenario he envisions is disastrous.

Steve Kornacki of Salon: "How to make Sarah Palin disappear: ... if you're tired of all of the media oxygen that the former half-term Alaska governor still manages to consume, then you really should be hoping that Palin actually does get into the [presidential] race: It may be the best way of making her disappear for good. Why? Because a presidential campaign would almost certainly end in defeat for Palin. And not just any kind of defeat -- epic, humiliating defeat, the sort of disaster that might once and for all convince the political and media worlds that the empress has no clothes."

AND the East Coast Earthquake Is Obama's Fault. Steve Stromberg of the Washington Post: "... So often, the president’s critics — on left and right — commentate as though Obama has some sort of magic button available for use at his sole discretion that can fix the economy, lower gas prices, instantly vaporize Moammar Gaddafi, rig congressional votes and, perhaps, prevent earthquakes — if only the president weren’t too busy doing other things to use it!" ...

... Media Matters: "Conservatives Can't Decide If Obama Was Too Busy Golfing Or Biking To Stop The Earthquake." ...

... Maureen O'Connor of Gawker: Earthquake hits near D.C.; Obama misses golf putt. "Finally, someone figured out why God sent an earthquake to the East Coast: To punish Barack Obama for vacationing." ...

He’s not deserving of criticism for the common cold on up. -- Jeb Bush, on President Obama ...

... Dan Hirschhorn of Politico: "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush warned the Republican presidential hopefuls against ideological intransigence and knee-jerk opposition to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, saying they risk turning off middle-of-the-road voters."

News Ledes

NBC News: "Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave for an undisclosed condition since Jan. 17, resigned as chief executive of Apple Wednesday, saying he could 'no longer meet my duties and expectations.' Interim CEO Tim Cook was immediately elevated to CEO, while Jobs, 55, will stay on as chairman of the board." Includes CNBC video report.

New York Times: "The Congressional Budget Office sharply reduced its projection of total deficits over the next decade in the wake of the recent deficit-reduction deal between President Obama and Congress, yet it warned that the extension of Bush-era tax rates and other policies would more than offset those savings." The CBO budget summary report is here; the page includes a link to the full report.

New York Times: "Rebel fighters scoured Tripoli on Wednesday in their continued search for an elusive and defiant Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, a day after they crashed through the gates of his fortresslike compound, running madly across its sprawling lawns, ransacking its barracks for weapons and carting off mementos of his 42-year dictatorship.... Colonel Qaddafi, in an address broadcast early Wednesday over a local Tripoli radio station, called his retreat from the compound 'tactical.' ... He blamed months of NATO airstrikes for bringing down his compound and vowed 'martyrdom' or victory in his battle against the alliance. It was the second such address by Colonel Qaddafi, 69, since his forces lost control of Tripoli." ...

... AP: "Supporters of Moammar Gadhafi have resumed attacks on rebels who say they control most of the Libyan leader's sprawling government compound."

... Al Jazeera's liveblog is here. ...

... Al Jazeera: A senior figure in Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) has urged all Libyans to come together to rebuild the country. Addressing a press conference in Qatar on Tuesday, Mahmoud Jibril said "Libyans need to heal and be united together, from every city and every neighbourhood. After the transition and elections, people who suffered injustices will regain their rights,' he promised." ...

... Reuters: Libyan rebel leader Mahmoud Jibril will meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Wednesday to discuss prospects for a political transition in a post-Muammar Gaddafi era."

Weather Channel: "Hurricane Irene gained strength Tuesday night and is now approaching major hurricane status (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale).... Hurricane Irene will track across the Bahamas the next couple of days on a path towards the East Coast of the U.S. Friday into the weekend."

     ... Updated story here. 

New York Times: "When the Federal Reserve chairman [Ben Bernanke] speaks at an annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyo., this Friday, markets will be searching for something, anything, that indicates whether more stimulus is on the way."

Washington Post: "Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who is leading foreclosure settlement negotiations with the nation’s largest banks on behalf of all 50 states, abruptly removed New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman from the coalition’s executive committee Tuesday, saying he had 'actively worked to undermine' the group’s efforts in recent months."

The Commentariat -- August 23

I'm extending yesterday's Open Thread on Off Times Square.

President Obama, speaking yesterday about Libya:

     ... The transcript is here.

... Ben Smith of Politico: "leading from behind" works. "... the low-profile, inexpensive ouster of Col. Muammar Qadhafi marks an important milestone for the administration, foreign policy analysts say — perhaps the most concrete evidence that the more modest American foreign policy approach that has become Obama’s hallmark and perhaps his biggest area of contrast with his more interventionist predecessor might actually work."

Economist Dean Baker: "Joe Nocera ... really misses the boat in today's complaint about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) costing jobs. The basic story is that the NLRB is obstructing Boeing's efforts to move production facilities from their unionized facilities in Washington State to non-union South Carolina. There are several aspects to the issue that are misrepresented in the column." Read Baker's entire post. See also my comment and Karen Garcia's in today's Off Times Square. Nocera's column is here. Thanks to commenter Kat for the link.

No Labels called every [Congressional] office, and only 40% are scheduling open town hall meetings.... No Labels activists spoke to all ... current members of the House of Representatives to find that only 175 of them scheduled meetings. The results of the phone survey also reveal that members of both parties share the blame, with 67% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans stating they had no town hall meetings scheduled for the recess period." The post includes a list of representatives who are and are not holding public townhalls this month.

Right Wing World

Alex Pareene of Salon: the view from the right: President Obama is far too weak to have accomplished what just actually happened in Tripoli.... There's no point in countering [their] arguments with reason, of course, because these are not actually fact-based responses to news, they're just rote recitations of Republican dogma: Obama weak! (Except domestically, where he is an autocrat.)" ...

... Steve Benen calls out Sens. John McCain and Lindsay Graham for their craven, obvious hypocrisy. Read the whole post. ...

... Weasels. Sarah Wheaton of the New York Times: Republican presidenial candidates "sought to offer tentative praise for the developments in the region without giving [President] Obama any commendation, as the president is now poised to claim credit for eliminating both Osama bin Laden and Colonel Qadaffi." ...

.. Thomas Lane of TPM: "The main GOP presidential candidates' responses to events in Libya were strikingly diverse. However, one factor they had in common was the lack of any mention of one person: the President who actually committed US forces to the conflict. The exception to this was former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. 'Ridding the world of the likes of Gadhafi is a good thing,' he wrote. 'But this indecisive President had little to do with this triumph.'"

... A least one right-winger has the guts to tell the truth: Eli Lake of the Washington Times:

Art by a friend.Dave Weigel of Slate: "Republicans have finally found a group they want to tax: poor people." Weigel, by the way, is a conservative/libertarian, but even he sees this as crazy.

David Savage of the Los Angeles Times: "Texas Gov. Rick Perry, faulting much of what the federal government did in the 20th century, has called Social Security a 'failure' and 'an illegal Ponzi scheme' and also cast doubt on the constitutionality of federal laws on food safety, minimum wages, bans on child labor, environmental protection and Medicare.... Now that he is running for the Republican nomination for president, his views on Social Security and other federal programs will be carefully scrutinized."

Greg Sargent: "So Paul Ryan has now made it official: After a period of deliberation, he really, truly, definitely, absolutely will not run for President. His decision is final. That means he won’t be reconsidering it next week, or the week after that, or the week after that."

The Romneys' Cheesy La Jolla Tear-down. San Diego Union-Tribune.... When One of Your Luxury Homes Just Isn't Big Enough. Christopher Cadelago of the San Diego Union-Tribune: "GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney ... is ... working on plans to nearly quadruple the size of his $12 million oceanfront manse in La Jolla. Romney has filed an application with the city to bulldoze his 3,009-square-foot, single-story home ... and replace it with a two-story, 11,062-square-foot structure." ...

... Julie Weiner of Vanity Fair: "Large Things That Could Fit Inside Mitt Romney’s New House." Includes "The top-of-the-line luxury spa at the Trump International™ Hotel & Tower Las Vegas."

CW: this post is pretty ancient, but I just found the site, thanks to a friend. The issue is well-worh discussing, even now. Historian Ann Little on Michele Bachmann's flexible fundamentalism: "This seems to me like just another example of the rhetorical and moral flexibility of some evangelical Christians who think that biblical and moral rules only apply to the little people, and that Great Leaders whose salvation is utterly assured can indulge in the very things they rail against because, well, they know they’re saved." Read the whole post.

Andy Borowitz: "The mystery surrounding Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s whereabouts was resolved today as the dictator announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in a town hall meeting in Concord, New Hampshire." Thanks to reader Bonnie for the link.

News Ledes

Al Jazeera: "Australian police are investigating claims that a government MP [Craig Thomson] allegedly misused his trade union credit card to pay for sex with prostitutes. An accusation which, if proven, could bring down the minority government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard." ...

... Sydney Morning Herald: "Craig Thomson has resigned as the chairman of a parliamentary committee as the NSW Fraud Squad began examining allegations of credit card misuse when he was a union official. Mr Thomson stepped down as chairman of the House Economics Committee last night after police agreed yesterday to ''assess'' a dossier of information provided by the shadow attorney-general, George Brandis. Mr Thomson continued to deny any wrongdoing but said the controversy surrounding him was distracting the committee from its work."

New York Times: "The National Science Foundation has found no evidence of research misconduct by Michael Mann, the Pennsylvania State University climatologist who has faced waves of attacks from foes of action to curb greenhouse gases.... The office’s inquiry, limited to research done using science foundation money, went several steps beyond the investigation of Mann conducted by his university, which also cleared him."

New York Times: "Stock indexes advanced more than 2 percent Tuesday, partly helped by stronger economic data in Asia and Europe. It was the second consecutive day of gains for many stocks after weeks of turmoil that were fueled by concerns about slowing economic growth and the widening impact of sovereign debt problems."

New York Times: "An earthquake sent tremors from the nation’s capital to New York City and New England Tuesday afternoon, the result of what officials said was a 5.9 magnitude temblor based in Virginia. Buildings throughout major metropolitan centers in the northeast were evacuated after the quake, and tremors were felt as far north as Bath, Me., and as far south as Hampstead, N.C., with some limited reports of damage reported near the quake’s epicenter in Virginia, where a nearby nuclear power plant was taken offline. AMtrak trains were temporarily halted, and cellphone service was disrupted as calls flooded cellular systems." The Washington Post has updates here. ...

     ... The Washington Post now has a story here.

New York Times: "The criminal case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, officially ended Tuesday after a Manhattan judge dismissed all charges at the prosecution’s request."

New York Times: "The crackle of gunfire and the rumble of explosions spread across Tripoli in renewed fighting on Tuesday and Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi remained at large hours after his son Seif al-Islam made a surprise appearance at a hotel with foreign journalists, taunting the rebels and urging loyalist forces to resist." ...

     ... New Lede: "Rebel fighters flooded into Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s sprawling compound on Tuesday, overwhelming what remained of its defenses and running pell-mell through the grounds, as the crackle of gunfire and rumble of explosions spread across a confused and wary Libyan capital in spasms of renewed fighting."

... Al Jazeera: "Heavy fighting is taking place in areas of Tripoli for a second day, with opposition forces concentrating their firepower on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's compound in the Bab al-Azizya district of the Libyan capital. The al-Mansoura district was also the focus of fierce clashes between government forces and opposition fighters on Tuesday, two days after the rebels marched into the heart of the city, prompting scenes of jubiliation." With video. ...

... Al Jazeera's liveblog on Libya is here. ...

New York Times: "Immigration officials have issued their first reprives for undocumented workers under a new policy put into effect by the Obama Administration. "Under the policy, immigration authorities will use powers of prosecutorial discretion in existing law to suspend the deportations of most immigrants who, although they have committed immigration violations (which generally are civil offenses), have not been convicted of crimes. In particular, officials will look to halt deportations of longtime residents with clean police records who came here illegally when they were children, or are close family of military service members, or are parents or spouses of American citizens."

New York Times: "Emergency officials from Florida to the Carolinas were closely watching Irene Tuesday as the first hurricane to seriously threaten the U.S. in three years churned over energizing tropical waters. The storm has already cut a destructive path through the Caribbean. Forecasters say the hurricane could grow to a monstrous Category 4 storm...."

New York Times: Naoto Kan, the embattled Japanese prime minister, is likely to step down by early next week, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday, a long-expected resignation that will nevertheless bring uncertainty to a country still reeling in the aftermath of its natural and nuclear disasters.

Cape Cod Times: "President Barack Obama ... spent much of his time ...dealing with the evolving situation in Libya [yesterday], then segued into an afternoon session of basketball at a local school. In the morning and early afternoon, the president stayed home, but tuned in to national and international developments. According to pool reports, Obama was briefed on Libya and the stormy possibilities of Hurricane Irene, now churning near Florida."

The Commentariat -- August 22

My keyboard is totally screwed. An open thread is the best I can do on Off Times Square. If you think I'm kidding, here's how this line comes out if I don't manipulate it:

My keyBOAFD IS OAFLLY SCRQEWED. AFN OPEN HEFAD IS HE bes I cfan do on Oafaf imes Sqruafqe. Iaf you hink I'm kidding, hee's how his line comes ou ifa I don' mafnipulafe i.

It's always something. -- Gilda Radner

Steve Kornacki of Salon: "... if this is, in fact, it for [Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi], it should do damage to a particularly obnoxious anti-Obama talking point from hawks on the right -- the idea that he’s excessively deferential, naïve and just plain weak on the world stage and that his foreign policy can only lead to failure and humiliation."

E. J. Dionne of the Washington Post: "President Obama has only one option as he ponders a world economy teetering on the edge: He needs to go big, go long and go global. Obama should not be constrained by what the Tea Party might allow subservient Republican leaders in Congress to do. He should state plainly, eloquently and in detail what he thinks needs to happen. Neither history nor the voters will be kind to him if he lets caution and political calculation get in the way."

Monica Davey of the New York Times: "In the months after a flurry of Republican wins of governors’ offices and state legislatures in 2010, perhaps nowhere was the partisan rancor more pronounced than in the nation’s middle — places like Wisconsin and Ohio, where fights over labor unions exploded. But now, at least in those states, there are signs that the same Republicans see a need to show, at least publicly, a desire to play well with others. In both states, critics dismiss the moves as desperate attempts to shore up sinking popularity ratings or disingenuous, tardy strategies to appear agreeable after already ramming through their agendas."

"Wall Street Aristocracy Got $1.2 Trillion in Secret Fed Loans." Bradley Keoun and Phil Kuntz of Bloomberg News: "Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s unprecedented effort to keep the economy from plunging into depression included lending banks and other companies as much as $1.2 trillion of public money, about the same amount U.S. homeowners currently owe on 6.5 million delinquent and foreclosed mortgages. The largest borrower, Morgan Stanley (MS)>, got as much as $107.3 billion, while Citigroup took $99.5 billion and Bank of America $91.4 billion, according to a Bloomberg News compilation of data obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, months of litigation and an act of Congress." [Emphasis added.]

If you can stand to read it, Jeffrey Toobin of the New Yorker: "In several of the most important areas of constitutional law, [Clarence] Thomas has emerged as an intellectual leader of the Supreme Court.

Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "The Ninth Congressional District seat to be filled in the Sept. 13 special election, became vacant this summer when [Rep. Anthony] Weiner quit over an online sex scandal. The race was widely viewed as a sleepy sideshow — a mere formality that would put David I. Weprin, a Democratic state assemblyman and heir to a Queens political dynasty, into a seat known for its deep blue hue. Instead, the race has become something far more unsettling to Democrats: a referendum on the president and his party that is highlighting the surprisingly raw emotions of the electorate."

Karen Garcia: "Just when we were finally convinced that Congress is but a giant shill for the millionaires, Roll Call comes out with its annual list of the 50 richest legislators.... The biggest surprise this year was that a relative unknown (outside of Texas, that is) beat out last year's winner, alleged arsonist and car thief Darryl Issa, to top The List. Mike McCaul, representing the 10th Congressional district (a long and winding road from Austin to Houston, courtesy of Tom Delay-machinated redistricting), saw his net worth increase by a stunning 300 percent, to $294.21 million, thanks to a very generous Sugar Daddy-in-Law. McCaul's wife is the daughter of Lowry Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Communications, the media conglomerate most famous for being the home of Right Wing Hate Radio." Here's the Roll Call list.

Noah Bernstein in a New York Times op-ed: "... colleges and universities are making it harder for average American families to afford higher education, while making it easier for the wealthy.... Monthly payment plans, and prepayment plans ... pack a double punch. On one hand, they make it more expensive for struggling families to send their children to college. On the other hand, they make it cheaper for wealthy families to do so."

Right Wing World

NEW. Paul Krugman responds: "I guess Ross Douthat’s column requires some sort of reply.... All the critics need to show is that Texas is not in fact the miracle Perry claims. And it isn’t.... You’d expect job growth in Texas to be higher than in the rest of the country even in a recession, and the key question is whether that growth has been sufficiently high to keep up with population — and it hasn’t.... Did they hear anything we said?" You can read Douthat's fact-challenged column here. Here's a chart Krugman provides:

This is the president of the United States that has killed more jobs in America than I think any president in history, certainly in my lifetime. I think the only job he cares about is the one he’s got. -- Rick Perry

Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post: "Judging from Perry’s statements in his first week as a candidate, he doesn’t seem to care all that much about even technical accuracy; he just shoots from the hip. Unless the economy turns around in the next 18 months, Obama is on track to have the worst jobs record of any president in the modern era. That would be an accurate statement. But he also became president in the midst of the worst recession of our lifetimes — and it seems a real stretch to make him personally responsible for every one of those lost jobs, without bothering to offer a shred of evidence for the claim."

Amateur Hour. Ben Smith: Rick Perry sez Social Security is, is sort of, is not unconstitutional after all.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Goldman Sachs’ chief executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein, has hired high-profile Washington defense lawyer Reid Weingarten. News that Mr. Blankfein had hired separate legal counsel immediately raised questions across Wall Street as to whether Mr. Blankfein himself had received a subpoena in connection to the outstanding inquiries. But a person close to the matter ... said the firm is cooperating and no executive at the firm has received an individual subpoena. Shares of Goldman, which had been trading around $111 a share all day, fell nearly 5 percent...."

Washington Post: the Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial opened in Washington, D.C., today. New York Times story here.

New York Times: "Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s grip on power dissolved with astonishing speed on Monday as rebels marched into the capital and arrested two of his sons, while residents raucously celebrated the prospective end of his four-decade-old rule. Colonel Qaddafi’s precise whereabouts remained unknown and news reports said loyalist forces still held pockets of the city, stubbornly resisting the rebel advance." ...

... Al Jazeera: "Heavy fighting and gun battles have broken out in areas of Tripoli after opposition fighters gained control overnight of much of the Libyan capital in their battle to end Muammar Gaddafi's decades-long rule. Clashes erupted on Monday after tanks left Bab Azaziya, Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, to confront the rebel assault." ...

... Al Jazeera's liveblog is here.

New York Times: "Three months after authorizing Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s swift indictment after his arrest on sexual assault charges, the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., has decided to ask a judge to dismiss the case, a person briefed on the matter said on Sunday." ...

     ... Update: "Prosecutors in the office of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, have filed papers requesting that all charges be dropped against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund."

Guardian: "A defiant president Bashar al-Assad warned against outside interference in Syria and shrugged off international criticism in a live interview with state television on Sunday night. His fourth address during a growing revolt against his rule was aimed as much at the international community who have sided decisively with protesters as it was at the nation.." ...