Top Items:
Political Punch:
Obama to Tap Berkeley Prof to Chair Council of Economic Advisers — From Jake Tapper and George Stephanopoulos: — ABC News has learned that President-elect Obama had tapped University of California -Berkeley economics professor Christina Romer to be the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, TalkLeft, Ben Smith's Blogs, Real Time Economics, ABCNEWS, Salon, Gristmill, Liberal Values, Shakesville and Grasping Reality …
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CNN:
Obama introduces team to deal with ‘historic’ crisis — (CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama said Monday that the country is facing an “economic crisis of historic proportions,” and unveiled the team he has chosen to help get the economy back on track. — Obama said he sought leaders …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Melody Barnes to Run Domestic Policy Council — My ThinkProgress colleagues are reporting that Melody Barnes, who was at CAP before I got on board, will head the Domestic Policy Council in the Obama White House. The DPC is in charge of interagency coordination and policy formation …
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Berkeley economist to head Obama economic council
Berkeley economist to head Obama economic council
Discussion:
Marginal Revolution
Bloomberg:
Fed Pledges Top $7.4 Trillion to Ease Frozen Credit — Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. government is prepared to lend more than $7.4 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers, or half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, to rescue the financial system since the credit markets seized up 15 months ago.
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Moderate Voice, Open Left, Washington Post, Below The Beltway, Donklephant, Tech Ticker, www.redstate.com, Reason, Vox Popoli, Moonbattery and Sister Toldjah
Paul Krugman:
Citigroup — Mark Thoma has the rundown of informed reactions. A bailout was necessary — but this bailout is an outrage: a lousy deal for the taxpayers, no accountability for management, and just to make things perfect, quite possibly inadequate, so that Citi will be back for more.
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Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Democrats' Stimulus Plan May Reach $700 Billion — Spending Package Could Rival Financial System Bailout — Facing an increasingly ominous economic outlook, President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats are rapidly ratcheting up plans for a massive fiscal stimulus program that could total …
Discussion:
American Prospect, The New Republic, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, QandO, Political Punch, NY Daily News, The Crypt's Blogs, Wall Street Journal, Environmental Capital, The Raw Story, Economy Watch, The Campaign Spot, Greg Mankiw's Blog, Washington Monthly, The Hill and Kevin Drum
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Daniel Libit / The Politico:
Sloppy Dems may spell Franken advantage — One of the closest elections in U.S. Senate history is hurtling towards a critical juncture in its ongoing recount this week, as the campaign of Democratic challenger Al Franken opens a new legal front in its battle to break a virtual tie with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
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Mike Madden / Salon:
Barack Obama, honeymoon killer? — WASHINGTON — One of the first things Barack Obama did after winning the election two weeks ago was put an old-school political brawler in charge of his White House. Next, he saved Joe Lieberman. Then, he met with John McCain, and asked Hillary Clinton to run his State Department.
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Scarce / My Left Nutmeg:
Joe The Paskudnyak* — Lieberman lies and lies again.
Joe The Paskudnyak* — Lieberman lies and lies again.
Discussion:
Think Progress
ABCNEWS:
Whistleblower: U.S. Snooped on Tony Blair, Iraqi President — Former Intercept Operator Tells ABC News He Saw Blair File, Heard “Pillow Talk” of Iraqi Leader — A former communications intercept operator says U.S. intelligence snooped on the private lives of two of America's most important allies …
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
THE CAMPAIGN VS. THE TRANSITION. — My working model of the distinction between the Clinton and Obama campaigns during the primary was that the Clinton campaign was somewhat more boldly progressive on domestic issues, notably health care, and quite a bit more conservative on foreign policy.
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Michael Schneider / Variety:
Needed: Network bailout? — Bad economy slows ad sales — It's D-Day for the broadcast networks. — They've been living on borrowed time for the better part of two decades, thanks to advertisers willing to toss in more cash each year even as ratings slowly trended ever lower.
Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
As President Bush's Term Comes to an End, Some Well-Known Offenders Seek Pardons — With a backlog of applications piled up at the Justice Department, high-profile criminals and their well-connected lawyers increasingly are appealing directly to President Bush for special consideration …
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Justin Rood / ABCNEWS:
Citi, AIG Won't Drop Big Sports Sponsorships — Critics Slam Bailed-Out Firms' Pricey Deals for Naming Rights, Logo Placement — AIG, Citibank and a number of other federally bailed-out financial institutions have no plans to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in sports team sponsorships …
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Media Notes: An Interview With Outgoing White House Press Secretary Dana Perino — The network stars were gone, the seats half empty and the questioning low-key as Dana Perino held a White House briefing last week, her biggest announcement that the administration would try to ease air traffic for the holidays.
Philip Brasher / Des Moines Register:
Vilsack ends ag secretary speculation — Washington, D.C. - Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack on Sunday said that he won't be the next agriculture secretary, ending speculation that an Iowan would snag the post important to a large swath of the state's economy. — In an e-mail, Vilsack …
Julia Baird / Newsweek:
When Left is Right — Rachel Maddow always thought she was an outsider. How did she become a star? — From the magazine issue dated Dec 1, 2008 — “Can you believe that sellout, Barack Obama?” says Rachel Maddow, looking around the room. “Let's hit him from the left!”
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
“Right” And “Left” And Obama — Shadi Hamid struggles with foreign policy labels: … One the worst legacies of the Vietnam boomer syndrome has been turning complex foreign policy decisions - which should ultimately be pragmatic actions in defense of national self-interest …
Robert F. Worth / New York Times:
As Taboos Ease, Saudi Girl Group Dares to Rock — JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret, for fear of offending the religious authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom.