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:
TPMDC, JOSHUAPUNDIT, AmSpecBlog, Weekly Standard, The Nation, The Huffington Post, Swampland and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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 …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
MEDICARE BUY-IN ON THE TABLE.... The story of the day is not Ben Nelson introducing a Senate version of the Stupak language — the smart money is on it failing (I'd put the over/under at 43) — but rather a “sweetener” for the left, to make another public option compromise more palatable.
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla
Ezra Klein:
The not-a-public-option compromise, and beyond
The not-a-public-option compromise, and beyond
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The New Republic, Open Left, Washington Monthly, TalkLeft, Democratic Strategist and Daily Kos
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
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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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
An Affordable Truth — Maybe I'm naïve, but I'm feeling optimistic about the climate talks starting in Copenhagen on Monday. President Obama now plans to address the conference on its last day, which suggests that the White House expects real progress.
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.
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 Note, Michelle Malkin, Big Government, Townhall.com, Washington Monthly, Hot Air and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
GOP erupts over Reid slavery, segregation remarks — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) upped the rhetorical ante this morning by comparing opponents of health care reform to conservatives who tried to block emancipation and equal rights — prompting the Republican national chairman to question his sanity.
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.
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 …
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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 …
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:
Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Matthew Yglesias, Daily Kos, The Daily Dish and AMERICAblog News
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 …
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.
Tim Pugmire / Minnesota Public Radio:
Bachmann wants a Palin book — Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says she's not yet ready to back a 2012 presidential candidate. — Bachmann briefly talked politics with reporters this morning following a GOP State Capitol rally in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to cap state spending.
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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 …
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.
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.
Chris Frates / The Politico:
Nelson files his abortion amendment — Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch today filed their amendment to tighten restrictions on federal funding for abortion. The amendment is likely to be debated on the floor tomorrow. Most observers expect it to fail …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Think Progress, Wonk Room, TPMDC, Feministing, Open Congress and AmSpecBlog
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
After Brief Uptick, Obama Approval Slips to 47% — New low follows slight increase after announcement of Afghanistan policy — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's presidential job approval rating is 47% in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update, a new low for his administration to date.
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Atlantic Politics Channel, National Review Online, Political Byline, Hot Air and Politics Daily
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 …
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.