memeorandum: Americans Skeptical of Science Behind Global Warming (Rasmussen Reports)

6:55 AM ET, December 4, 2009

Top Items:

Gore cancels climate conference event — Former Vice President Al Gore on Thursday abruptly canceled a Dec. 16 personal appearance that was to be staged during the United Nations' Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which begins next week. — As described in The Washington Times' Inside …

Discussion: Don Surber, Sister Toldjah, Hot Air, Another Black Conservative, JammieWearingFool, Pajamas Media, Jules Crittenden, NewsBusters.org, Michelle Malkin, Redhot, American Power, Riehl World View, Watts Up With That?, DaTechguy's Blog and Guardian

Rasmussen Reports:

Americans Skeptical of Science Behind Global Warming — Most Americans (52%) believe that there continues to be significant disagreement within the scientific community over global warming. — While many advocates of aggressive policy responses to global warming say a consensus exists …

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, QandO, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, Don Surber and Andrew Bolt

The Huffington Post:

Bernanke Channels Willie Sutton In Assault On Social Security: 'That's Where The Money Is' — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Ben Bernanke has overseen the greatest expansion of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet in its history, pouring trillions of dollars into Wall Street firms at roughly zero interest rates.

Discussion: Open Left, Blue Jersey, The Confluence, Hullabaloo, The Huffington Post, Calculated Risk and The Agonist

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Bernanke: Yes to Social Security Cuts, No to New Jobs Bill; UPDATE: DeMint Will Hold — Ben Bernanke let his slip show at multiple points during his confirmation hearing today. First, as Ryan Grim reports, he echoed bank robber Willie Sutton in targeting nothing less than Social Security:

Discussion: The Hill, Real Time Economics, Mother Jones, The Huffington Post and Eschaton

Tony Romm / The Hill:

DeMint to place hold on Bernanke — A third senator on Thursday placed a hold on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's confirmation vote. — In a tweet announcing the move, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) explained to followers: “I will oppose Bernanke and hold his nomination until we get a vote to audit the Fed.”

Discussion: MyDD, THE CUNNING REALIST, Newshoggers.com and Firedoglake

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:
Vitter wants vote on Fed audit before Bernanke vote

Discussion: The Agonist

Sudeep Reddy / Real Time Economics:
Live Blog: Bernanke Under Fire in the Senate

Discussion: Washington Post, The New Republic, Top of the Ticket, Financial Times, DealBook and Felix Salmon

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Bunning places second hold on Bernanke

Discussion: Firedoglake, Wonk Room, The Hill, Raw Story, Matthew Yglesias, naked capitalism and Daily Kos

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Palin: Obama birth certificate ‘a fair question’ — Speaking to the conservative talker Rusty Humphries today, Sarah Palin left the door open to speculation about President Obama's birth certificate. — “Would you make the birth certificate an issue if you ran?” she was asked (around 9 minutes into the video above).

Discussion: The Washington Independent, Daily Kos, Little Green Footballs, marbury, Bree Palin, AMERICAblog News and American Glob

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Palin: Obama's birth certificate is fair game; Update: Transcript added — At 7:45, your quote of the day. Something for (almost) everyone here: For the left, smoking-gun proof that she's a fringe character, and for Birthers, smoking-gun proof that their concerns are mainstream.

Discussion: DaTechguy's Blog, The Jawa Report and Hit & Run

Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:

New W.H. pool rotation sparks debate — The media industry, as we all know, is changing. — And in this transition, there will inevitably be some friction as online news organizations, which may or may not be bound by the same professed standards of objectivity, begin taking on the responsibilities …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Wonkette, NewsBusters.org, The Faster Times, Gawker, Matthew Yglesias, Ben Smith's Blog, The Huffington Post and Emptywheel

Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Congress Will Subpoena Michaele and Taraq Salahi

Discussion: New York Post, American Power, Townhall.com, The Swamp and The Page

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Jobs Summit: The White House Is Stuck

Discussion: New York Times and Real Clear Politics

David Jackson / USA Today:
Obama expresses ‘100% trust’ in Secret Service

Discussion: TPMDC, Politics Daily, Michael Calderone's Blog, Political Punch and The Page

Ben Pershing / Capitol Briefing:

House votes to make current estate tax permanent — The House approved Thursday a measure making the current estate tax rate permanent, overcoming the objections of an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative critics. — The bill passed, 225 to 200, with 26 Democrats joining …

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, The Political Carnival and The Foundry

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Reform or Else — Health care reform hangs in the balance. Its fate rests with a handful of “centrist” senators — senators who claim to be mainly worried about whether the proposed legislation is fiscally responsible. — But if they're really concerned with fiscal responsibility …

Discussion: Cup O' Joe

Karen Tumulty / Time:
Where Did Health Care Reform Go?

Discussion: Swampland, Liberal Values and The New Republic

Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:

Nelson: I'll Filibuster Without Stupak-Like Amendment — Brian Beutler reports in from Capitol Hill: — Sen. Ben Nelson told reporters today he will filibuster the health care bill if it doesn't contain an abortion amendment similar to Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment that passed attached to the House health care bill last month.

Discussion: Anchorage Daily News, First Draft, Wonkette, Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, Open Left and AMERICAblog News

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Landrieu floats public option alternative

Discussion: Firedoglake

Chris Frates / The Politico:
A look at the more than 60 amendments filed so far

Discussion: Arkansas News, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and The Page

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Nelson will filibuster a bill without stronger anti-abortion language

Discussion: Power Line, The Page and Indecision Forever

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

ABC offers morning show to Stephanopoulos, sources say — ABC has offered George Stephanopoulos the coveted job of co-hosting “Good Morning America,” and intensive negotiations are under way, sources familiar with the situation said Thursday. — While the network's chief Washington correspondent …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Outside The Beltway, Michael Calderone's Blog, Booman Tribune, Silicon Alley Insider and Riehl World View

Susan Page / USA Today:

Poll: Narrow majority support Obama's Afghan strategy — WASHINGTON — A narrow majority of Americans support President Obama's revamped strategy on Afghanistan, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Wednesday, but there are broad concerns that the costs of the war will sap …

Discussion: Boston Globe, The Page, Politics Daily and Washington Post

Pew Research Center:
U.S. Seen as Less Important, China as More Powerful

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Gallup, The Swamp, The Fix, Hit & Run and Politics Daily

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Can Win in Afghanistan

Discussion: RedState, Sadly, No!, Pundits Blog, The Note, USA Today and The Politico

Andy McCarthy / The Corner on National Review Online:

Somebody at Fort Hood Should Be Walking the Plank — By: Andy McCarthy — Prepare to be infuriated. — It's been brought to my attention by several reliable sources that the Defense Department has brought Louay Safi to Fort Hood as an instructor, and that he has been lecturing on Islam …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Power Line, YID With LID, The Jawa Report and Jihad Watch

The Atlantic Online:

On Being a Bad Mother — Unlike Sanford, though, I wasn't clinging to my governor's mansion. Unlike some Republican heads of the Christian right, I wasn't aiming to both confess my affair and appeal to Jesus' mercy in order to somehow remain, weirdly, a head of the Christian right.

Discussion: Politics Daily

Felix Salmon:

Why the plutocrats will return — Is the US government powerless to prevent the return of the plutocrats? Or does it actually, secretly, need the plutocrats to return? Here's Tim Geithner, today: … Translation: we need to return to our bubble-era levels of income.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Free exchange and The Awl

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2010: Arkansas Senate Race — Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln has found herself right in the middle of the national debate over health care, and that's a tough spot as she prepares to face Arkansas voters in 2010. — As she did in September, Lincoln trails four possible Republican challengers …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Politico, Politics Daily, Power Line, The Plum Line, No More Mister Nice Blog, MyDD, Gateway Pundit and TPMDC

Kos / Daily Kos:
AR-Sen: Primary bound?

Discussion: Public Policy Polling, Swing State Project, Open Left, Politics Daily, TPMDC, Real Clear Politics, Matthew Yglesias and Firedoglake

Scott Shane / New York Times:

C.I.A. Authorized to Expand Use of Drones in Pakistan — WASHINGTON — Two weeks ago in Pakistan, Central Intelligence Agency sharpshooters killed eight people suspected of being militants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and wounded two others in a compound that was said to be used for terrorist training.

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Associated Press and MyDD

Mike Pflanz / Christian Science Monitor:

Al Shabab blamed for Somalia bombing. Is Al Qaeda's influence rising? — An Al Shabab bomber killed 19 people at a graduation ceremony in Somalia and the Islamist group is getting training from Al Qaeda, say officials. — A suicide bombing at a Somali student graduation ceremony …

Discussion: Emptywheel and ThreatsWatch