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12:20 PM ET, December 18, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
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.
RELATED:
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 …
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 …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
DeMint promises to delay health bill, force Christmas Eve vote  —  Sen. Jim DeMint said Thursday he is prepared to use every procedural tool to delay a vote on the Democratic healthcare legislation.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is planning to schedule votes around the clock …
David Rogers / The Politico:
War bill survives poisonous vote
Discussion: Michelle Malkin
Wall Street Journal:
Democrats on the Health-Care Precipice
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 …
RELATED:
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.
Political Punch:
Senior White House Official: The ‘Chinese Are Dug In’; 'We've Done …
Janie Lorber / The Caucus:   The Early Word: Climate Talks
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 …
RELATED:
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 …
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 …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
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.
RELATED:
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.
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
No Room For Error If Senate To Pass Health Care Before Christmas
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
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 …
RELATED:
Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Al Franken Cuts the Comedy, Goes for Drama in the Senate
Discussion: The Awl
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
RELATED:
Anthony Watts / Watts Up With That?:
Lord Monckton barred from Copenhagen conference - pushed to the ground by security
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.
RELATED:
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 …
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 …
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
New York Post:
Schumer in ‘bitch’ & moan  —  Air rager sorry after slur on stewardess  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Schumer apologized yesterday after word got out that he called a flight attendant a “bitch” for ordering him to follow the rules and turn off his cellphone before take-off.
Discussion: Great Reader and Townhall.com
 
 
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 More Items: 
Rasmussen Reports:
America's Best Days
Discussion: The Foundry
Michael E. Mann / Washington Post:
E-mail furor doesn't alter evidence for climate change
Discussion: Climate Progress and The Air Vent
Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Georgia lawmakers: Biden snubbed us
Discussion: Top of the Ticket
Kristi Keck / CNN:
Heated debate again over ‘War on Christmas’ claims
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Abortion Holdout  —  Ben Nelson doesn't come in for as much scorn …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Abandoned  —  From TPM Reader AK ...
Discussion: Ezra Klein and The Daily Dish
 Earlier Items: 
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The underlying divisions in the health care debate
Discussion: The Moderate Voice and TalkLeft
Politics and Society:
Top 10 Political Stories of the Decade
Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …
David Sirota from Creators Syndicate:
The “Candidate vs. President” Canard
Discussion: The Huffington Post and Open Left
Foreign Policy:
The 10 Worst Predictions for 2009  —  Ten pundits and politicians …
Thomas J. Sheeran / Associated Press:
Ohio's Traficant contemplates return to Congress
 

 
From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is testing a more conversational version of Siri, dubbed “LLM Siri”, with plans to release it in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16

Hannah Lang / Reuters:
Sources: a16z, Ripple, Kraken, and Circle are jostling for a seat on Trump's promised crypto advisory council, which is expected to set up a bitcoin reserve

 
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