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Underbuzzed

The debt-ceiling talks will continue to dominate the news more and more the closer we get to the Aug. 2nd deadline for defaulting.

The debt-ceiling talks will continue to dominate the news more and more the closer we get to the Aug. 2nd deadline for defaulting. That, and the fact we're deep into summer, make it all the more important we don't let other stories fall by the wayside. Here are some of the stories that seem underbuzzed to me today.


  • Ann Coulter's vile assault on Chris Hayes's mother illustrates just how low the Republican Party has sunk in the past decade. Not because it's an assault on someone's mother -- that's old school nasty politics. But because the basis for the attack is her work in public service. That used to be bipartisan cause for celebration. Serving one's country used to be something Republicans honored. Along with education, the rule of law and genuine fiscal conservatism. Good times.
  • Austerity advocate Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) taste for $350-a-bottle wine has gotten a fair amount of press. But what's really telling here, I think, is who was paying the tab. It was a hedge-fund manager. Of course. But what's even better than that...is which hedge-fund manager.
  • Ezra Klein makes a great point here. If Republicans can't agree on a tax package with President Obama and the Democrats, they forfeit their only hope (barring a Democratic cave, which, I know, I know) of winning another extension of the Bush tax cuts. The net result? They're actually opting for higher taxes.
  • We all know government spending can't boost the economy. Which is why it's so weird that an end to some spending is already spooking people about the economic jolt at the end of this year.
  • And while Michele Bachmann's campaign is wrestling with her endorsement of the claim that black families were better off when they were owned by white families, there's another Bachmann story that merits at least as much attention. Do we really want to give the button to someone who believes the end times are coming soon?

Those are my Underbuzzed for today. Share yours in the comments.

Follow Senior Producer Jonathan Larsen (@jtlarsen) on Twitter