Top Items:
Ezra Klein:
Exclusive: Medicare buy-in attracting interest in the public option negotiations — Sources who have been briefed on the negotiations say that Medicare buy-in is attracting the most interest. Expanding Medicaid is running into more problems, though there's some appeal because …
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IdeaScale / The Huffington Post:
Senate Dems May Open Up Medicare To Pacify Progressives — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Senate Democrats are discussing the idea of expanding Medicare by lowering the age at which the elderly could enter the government-run insurance program, Democratic sources on the Hill tell the Huffington Post.
Discussion:
Liberal Values, TPMDC, AmSpecBlog, The Nation, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Swampland, The Huffington Post, Weekly Standard and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Michelle Malkin:
Shhh! Don't confuse Reid with history while he's playing the race card! — It was the GOP that fought slavery and the Democrat Party that battled to preserve it. — It's the Democrat Party, not the GOP, that boasts an ex-Klansman among its senior leaders.
Discussion:
Big Government, The Hill, The Corner on National …, Riehl World View, Pajamas Media, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Townhall.com and Redhot
Ezra Klein:
Five compromises beyond the public option — As I reported earlier, the public option discussions have begun focusing on a compromise that's, well, not a public option. The liberals see the potential necessity of that but aren't pleased about it. So the discussions have opened …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The New Republic, Newshoggers.com, Open Left, Open Congress and Wonk Room
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
GOP senators rebuke Reid's slavery remarks — Three Republican senators on Monday condemned Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) comments that Republicans who oppose healthcare reform are akin to the opponents of abolition and women's suffrage. — “Folks tend to crack under pressure …
Discussion:
The Politico, Des Moines Register, The Note, Hot Air, Washington Monthly and Townhall.com
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
MEDICARE BUY-IN ON THE TABLE.... The story of the day is not Ben …
MEDICARE BUY-IN ON THE TABLE.... The story of the day is not Ben …
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Yes We Should — From a personal perspective, this would be a godsend:
Yes We Should — From a personal perspective, this would be a godsend:
Discussion:
Corrente
Ezra Klein:
The not-a-public-option compromise, and beyond
The not-a-public-option compromise, and beyond
Discussion:
Open Left, The Daily Dish, Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Daily Kos, TalkLeft and Democratic Strategist
Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
Obama administration will formally declare danger of carbon emissions — The Obama administration will formally declare Monday that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that lays the groundwork for an economy-wide carbon cap …
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The Note:
Santorum: ‘Absolutely Taking a Look’ at Running in '12; Palin Will ‘Have to Do Some Explaining if She Runs’ — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: — Former Sen. Rick Santorum has some more political travel on tap this week, with a trip scheduled for South Carolina to follow recent visits to Iowa …
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CNN:
CNN Poll: Palin's popularity on the rise — Washington (CNN) - Sarah Palin has erased her drop in the polls that followed her resignation as Alaska governor, according to new national survey. — But when it comes to opinions of Palin, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday suggests …
Rasmussen Reports:
Tea Party Tops GOP on Three-Way Generic Ballot — Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican. — In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Left in the West, The Plum Line, Politics Daily, The Political Carnival, Hit & Run, DownWithTyranny!, FrumForum, The Other McCain, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, Raw Story, Tax Day Tea Party, Mouth of the Potomac, The Hill, The Washington Independent, JustOneMinute, Townhall.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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Paul Krugman:
Unhelpful Hansen — James Hansen is a great climate scientist. He was the first to warn about the climate crisis; I take what he says about coal, in particular, very seriously. — Unfortunately, while I defer to him on all matters climate, today's op-ed article suggests …
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Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
NPR reporter pressured over Fox role — Executives at National Public Radio recently asked the network's top political correspondent, Mara Liasson, to reconsider her regular appearances on Fox News because of what they perceived as the network's political bias, two sources familiar with the effort said.
Bryan Walsh / Time:
The Stolen E-Mails: Has ‘Climategate’ Been Overblown? — The controversy over e-mails stolen from global warming researchers at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at Britain's University of East Anglia has become so divisive that there is even disagreement over what to call it.
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Fox News:
Ahmadinejad Reportedly Claims U.S. is Blocking Return of Mankind's Savior — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the United States is attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior, according to reports from Al Arabiya, a television news station based in Dubai.
CNN:
President Obama to propose $200 billion for jobs creation — Washington (CNN) - President Obama will propose using $200 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to support creating jobs, White House officials confirmed Monda — The president, in an economic speech …
Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Boxer's message to men who support abortion riders: How would you like it if we singled out Viagara? — Today, the Senate began debate on Sen. Ben Nelson's (D-NE) amendment to prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions or for plans that include abortion services.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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Jake Sherman / The Politico:
ACORN review: No illegality — An outside review of the beleaguered community group ACORN has found “serious management challenges,” but no pattern of illegal activity. — The review, commissioned by ACORN in the wake of a hidden video expose that showed a few of its employees appearing …
Discussion:
The Hill, Big Government, Sister Toldjah, The Swamp, The Political Carnival and The Impolitic
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
In Polls, Much Opposition to Health Care Plan Is From Left — Don't know why I didn't catch this earlier, but it strikes me as fairly important. — Ipsos/McClatchy put out a health care poll two weeks ago. The topline results were nothing special: 34 percent favored …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Democratic Strategist, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, The Daily Dish and Matthew Yglesias
Lucian Kim / Bloomberg:
Hitler's Remains Were Destroyed on KGB Orders, Interfax Reports — Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Adolf Hitler's remains were burned and dumped into an East German river by Soviet agents 25 years after the end of World War II, Interfax reported, citing Vasily Khristoforov, the Federal Security Service's chief archivist.
Jim Hoft / Big Government:
Fistgate: Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar's 2000 Conference Promoted ‘Fisting’ to 14 Year-Olds — Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings founded the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 1990. In 2007 Kevin Jennings was paid $273,573.96 as the executive director of GLSEN.
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Checkmate: How Joe Lieberman Turned The Public Option Fight On Its Head — After Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) threw down the gauntlet on the public option, political observers and liberal critics had no shortage of theories. Lieberman was rebelling against the liberal base. Lieberman harbors animosity about 2006.
Mike Huckabee / Washington Post:
Why I commuted Maurice Clemmons's sentence — The nation was stunned by the senseless and savage cold-blooded murders of four young police officers in Lakewood, Wash., over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Whenever a police officer or soldier is killed, the loss is even more profound …