memeorandum: The Hardest Call — The first reason to support the Senate … (David Brooks/New York Times)

12:30 PM ET, December 18, 2009

Top Items:

Pass the Bill — A message to progressives: By all means, hang Senator Joe Lieberman in effigy. Declare that you're disappointed in and/or disgusted with President Obama. Demand a change in Senate rules that, combined with the Republican strategy of total obstructionism, are in the process of making America ungovernable.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Think Progress, AMERICAblog News, The Moderate Voice, The Gaggle, Wonk Room, Washington Post, Raw Story, Prairie Weather, Hit & Run, The Huffington Post and The Note

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Hardest Call — The first reason to support the Senate health care bill is that it would provide insurance to 30 million more Americans. — The second reason to support the bill is that its authors took the deficit issue seriously. Compared with, say, the prescription drug benefit …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Commentary, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Democratic Strategist, Washington Post, National Review and Weekly Standard

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Liberal Revolt on Health Care Stings White House — WASHINGTON — In the great health care debate of 2009, President Obama has cast himself as a cold-eyed pragmatist, willing to compromise in exchange for votes. Now ideology — an uprising on the Democratic left — is smacking the pragmatic president in the face.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Politico, American Power, QandO, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Taylor Marsh, Beat the Press, The Plum Line, The Reaction and Booman Tribune

Walter Alarkon / The Hill:

Pelosi, Rahm do not scare Rep. DeFazio — Rep. Peter DeFazio's phone rang. On the other end was Rahm Emanuel. — The White House chief of staff last month expressed frustration with DeFazio's resignation calls for President Barack Obama's top two economic aides — Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Lonely Conservative and JammieWearingFool

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

End It Today, Ben — There's a really big snowstorm coming to D.C.tonight. It would be unsafe to ask all the staffers and Hill employees who'd be needed at the Capitol if Congress stays open all hours this weekend, as Harry Reid intends, to drive to and from work—especially since …

Discussion: The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Politico, Associated Press and Pundit & Pundette

Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic Politics Channel:

Dean's Blind Spot — Maybe one reason former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and so much of the digital Left can so casually dismiss the Senate health care reform bill is that they operate in an environment where so few people need to worry about access to insurance.

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Plum Line and The Washington Independent

New York Times:

A Race to Win One More Vote for Health Bill — WASHINGTON — The White House and Senate Democratic leaders seem willing to give Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, just about anything he wants to win his support of major health care legislation. Anything, that is …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Open Left, Wall Street Journal and The Page

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Democratic congressman from North Carolina angers supporters …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and AMERICAblog News

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
No Room For Error If Senate To Pass Health Care Before Christmas

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Glenn Thrush / The Politico:

Obama: ‘Time for talk is over’ — COPENHAGEN — A visibly angry Barack Obama threw down the gauntlet at China and other developing nations Friday, declaring that the time has come to “not to talk but to act” on climate change. — Emerging from a multinational meeting boycotted …

Discussion: The Swamp, Riehl World View, The Lonely Conservative, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Scared Monkeys, Wonkette and Pajamas Media

New York Times:

Obama Presses China for Accountability on Climate — COPENHAGEN — President Obama called on world leaders to come to an agreement on climate change, no matter how imperfect, and pressed for an accord that would monitor whether countries — primarily China — are complying with promised emissions cuts.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Climate Progress, Weekly Standard, Guardian, The Gaggle, CNN, msnbc.com, Jules Crittenden, The Page, Washington Post, Copenhagen Insider and Prairie Weather

Political Punch:
Senior White House Official: The ‘Chinese Are Dug In’; 'We've Done …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, TPMDC and Associated Press

Washington Post:
Obama calls for climate deal, meets with Chinese premier

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Betsy's Page, The Page and Sister Toldjah

Janie Lorber / The Caucus: The Early Word: Climate Talks

Washington Post:

Senate Democrats block GOP filibuster — Senate Republicans failed early Friday in their bid to filibuster a massive Pentagon bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an unusual move designed to delay President Obama's health-care legislation. — On a 63 to 33 vote …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Hill, Prairie Weather, The Page and msnbc.com

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
DeMint promises to delay health bill, force Christmas Eve vote

Discussion: Think Progress, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Reaction, Wake up America, New York Times, Betsy's Page, The Note, Flopping Aces, The Politico, Hotline On Call, Derek Wallbank, The Hill, AmSpecBlog, PoliPundit.com, RealClearPolitics Video Log, The Lonely Conservative, Hot Air and Senator Mitch McConnell …

David Rogers / The Politico:
War bill survives poisonous vote

Discussion: Michelle Malkin

Washington Post:
GOP senators to block defense bill in bid to delay health-care vote

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Politico, Congress Matters, Commentary, The Corner on National … and AMERICAblog News

Wall Street Journal:
Democrats on the Health-Care Precipice

Discussion: Commentary and The Lonely Conservative

Michelle Malkin:

Franken's little snit fit against Lieberman; Reid moves to adjourn Senate until 12:01am; cloture vote on defense authorization to follow; McConnell: Demcare is a “literal political nightmare” — “As the Senator from Minnesota, I object.” — Sen. Joe Lieberman is on board with Demcare now …

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Firedoglake, GayPatriot, Achenblog, Raw Story, San Francisco Chronicle, NO QUARTER, Gateway Pundit and The Sundries Shack

Associated Press:
Franken shuts down Lieberman on Senate floor

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, TPM LiveWire, Think Progress, The Other McCain, The Mahablog, Jules Crittenden, Outside The Beltway, GayPatriot, RedState, Truthdig and The Washington Independent

Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Al Franken Cuts the Comedy, Goes for Drama in the Senate

Discussion: The Awl

Manu Raju / The Politico:
Franken objects to Lieberman talking

Discussion: The Reaction, The BLT, GayPatriot and The Hill

Monckton / The SPPI Blog:

Is the European police state going global? — From The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley in Copenhagen — Today the gloves came off and the true purpose of the “global warming” scare became nakedly visible. Ugo Chavez, the Socialist president of Venezuela, blamed “global warming” …

Discussion: TBogg

Anthony Watts / Watts Up With That?:
Lord Monckton barred from Copenhagen conference - pushed to the ground by security

Discussion: blogs.telegraph.co.uk and Michelle Malkin

The Nation:

Axelrod Walks Back Insanity Defense on WH Blogger Call BY ARI MELBER — The White House swiftly organized a blogger conference call on Thursday evening to rally support for health care reform, in a bid to stem fallout from progressives over recent compromises in the Senate.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Politico, MyDD and Ben Smith's Blog

Susie Madrak / Crooks and Liars:
White House Blogger Call: Axelrod Answers Questions on Healthcare Bill

Discussion: The Hill, The Huffington Post and Washington Monthly

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:

Fewer, Still Most, Back Regulations on Greenhouse Gas Emissions — ABC News/Washington Post Poll: 65 Percent Support Regulations to Reduce Global Warming — With the Copenhagen conference reaching its climax, two-thirds of Americans support restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Discussion: The Politico, Boston Globe and The Corner on National …

Washington Post:
On environment, Obama and scientists take hit in poll

Discussion: The Note, Politics Daily, Environmental Capital and New York Times

Quinnipiac University:

Specter, Toomey Deadlocked In Pennsylvania Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama Gets Good Score On War, Bad Marks For Health Care — Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter and Republican challenger Pat Toomey are deadlocked 44 - 44 percent in Pennsylvania's marquee 2010 U.S. Senate race …

Discussion: Scorecard's Blog, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, Politics Nation, National Review Online and Real Clear Politics

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Palin cuts vacation short — Sarah Palin announced Thursday night that she ended a Hawaii vacation early because of the ruckus raised after she blacked out “McCain” on her sun visor in an effort to elude paparazzi. — After the former Alaska governor was photographed on the beach earlier this week …

Discussion: Politics Daily, The Political Carnival, At-Largely, Wonkette, PoliBlog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Liberal Values, TPM LiveWire and No More Mister Nice Blog

Guardian:

Obama speech fuels frustration at Copenhagen — US president offers no further commitment on reducing emissions or on finance to poor countries — Barack Obama stepped into the chaotic final hours of the Copenhagen summit today saying he was convinced the world could act “boldly and decisively” on climate change.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, protein wisdom, JustOneMinute, The New Republic, Open Left, It's Getting Hot In Here, Richard Black's Earth Watch, Hot Air, Environmental Capital and Truthdig

Bloomberg:

Harvard Swaps Are So Toxic Even Summers Won't Explain — Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) — Anne Phillips Ogilby, a bond attorney at one of Boston's oldest law firms, on Oct. 31 last year relayed an urgent message from Harvard University, her client and alma mater, to the head of a Massachusetts state agency that sells bonds.

Discussion: Felix Salmon and The Awl

Amy Gardner / Virginia Politics Blog:

Webb under fire on health care — U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) is getting banged up by Republicans over what they expect is his impending vote for a Senate version of health reform. — Webb hasn't even voted yet, but already he's being accused of flip-flopping in a video and in media interviews by state and national Republicans.

Discussion: The Hill and Weekly Standard