Top Items:
Louise M. Slaughter / CNN:
A Democrat's view from the House: Senate bill isn't health reform — Editor's note: Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, a Democrat, represents the 28th Congressional District of New York. Slaughter is the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee and the only microbiologist in Congress.
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The Politico:
Obama plans for health care delay, new jobs bill — The White House privately anticipates health care talks to slip into February — past President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address — and then plans to make a “very hard pivot” to a new jobs bill, according to senior administration officials.
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
WH putting health-care off until ... February? — Politico's Mike Allen and Alexander Trowbridge have some bad news for Democrats, especially in the Senate, where Harry Reid has kept the chamber locked in battle over ObamaCare for weeks in an attempt to hit the finish line by Christmas.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, RedState, The Politico, Riehl World View, The Caucus and PoliPundit.com
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Senior Dem: Kill the Senate health reform bill and start over — The Senate's healthcare bill is fatally flawed, a senior Democrat atop a powerful committee said on Wednesday. — Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee and co-chairwoman …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
A ‘lot’ of Blue Dogs may flip to vote for Senate health bill, says member
A ‘lot’ of Blue Dogs may flip to vote for Senate health bill, says member
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Why I Don't Write About Sarah Palin's Facebook Posts — Last week, PolitiFact.com announced its “Lie of the Year”: Sarah Palin's claim that the health care bill might create “death panels” that would kill elderly or disabled Americans. It was a lie, the editors pointed out …
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Sarah Palin Tries To Rewrite History Of Her Own “Death Panel” Falsehood — Sarah Palin is now disputing PolitiFact's “Lie of the Year” award to her death panel claim by arguing that her use of “death panel” wasn't a reference to end of life counseling, but rather to the Independent Medicare Advisory Board …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly: MEDIA MANIPULATION AT ITS MOST INANE.... You've probably noticed the phenomenon.
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Palin: I told you so! — It didn't take long for Jim DeMint's outrage …
Palin: I told you so! — It didn't take long for Jim DeMint's outrage …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Dean's World, Ben Smith's Blog, The Gavel and Conservatives4Palin.com
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Crapo: GOP unlikely to be able to repeal health bill — Republicans are unlikely to repeal the health reform legislation before Congress if they take control of the House and Senate, a GOP senator conceded Wednesday. — Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said Republicans are unlikely to be able …
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Jeffrey Young / The Hill:
Senate bill poised for Christmas Eve passage with 60-39 cloture vote
Senate bill poised for Christmas Eve passage with 60-39 cloture vote
Discussion:
MyDD
Ezra Klein:
Yes, Obama did campaign on the public option — Oy. I'll defend the argument that the health-care bill that looks likely to pass is structurally similar to the health-care proposal released by the Obama campaign. But it's impossible to defend Obama's statement that “I didn't campaign on the public option.”
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Domenico Montanaro / msnbc.com:
DID OBAMA CAMPAIGN ON PUBLIC OPTION?
DID OBAMA CAMPAIGN ON PUBLIC OPTION?
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, TPMDC, Think Progress, Matthew Yglesias and The Plum Line
The Politico:
McCain, GOP secretly courting another Dem to switch — Republicans are stepping up their efforts to persuade more House Democrats to switch parties and are zeroing in on a second-term Pennsylvanian who is not ruling out such a move. — Democratic Rep. Chris Carney received a phone call Wednesday …
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Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanuel's Resignation — Today, Grover Norquist and I are calling for an investigation into Rahm Emanuel's activities at Freddie Mac, and the White House's blocking of an Inspector General who would look into it. The letter follows:
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Lieberman's favorables drop over past two weeks — Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) favorable ratings have taken almost a 10-point drop in the past two weeks, a new poll found. — 31 percent of people told a CNN poll conducted Dec. 16-20 that they had a favorable opinion of Lieberman …
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James Warren / Atlantic Correspondents:
Colbert Dishes On Bush, Glenn Beck, and MSNBC — When Chicago's Second City comedy troupe held a weekend-long 50th anniversary bash, the obvious highlights were Friday and Saturday shows with Martin Short, Steve Carell, Bonnie Hunt, Jim Belushi, George Wendt, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, Mediaite, Outside The Beltway, Pressing Issues and Raw Story
Mike Potemra / The Corner on National Review Online:
Congratulations to Captain Picard! — By: Mike Potemra — Palace sources say Patrick Stewart is about to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. It turns out he is an avid supporter of Britain's Labour party; his support must be especially welcome in this, one of Labour's darker hours.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, pandagon.net, Matthew Yglesias, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly and The Other McCain
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John Fund / Wall Street Journal:
For Their Next Trick . . . The latest example of violating principles of transparency and accountability in the single-minded pursuit of legislative victory. — Printer — Friendly — Look for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to try to circumvent …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
After quiet first months, Franken's sharp tongue emerges in Senate — Al Franken, the Democrat from Minnesota who won election to the Senate after a successful career as a comic and author, has begun to show the sharp-tongued side of his personality by ripping into GOP staffers behind the scenes.
The Huffington Post:
Jane Norton, GOP Senate Candidate, Sits Silently As Obama Called A Muslim — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Former Colorado lieutenant governor Jane Norton, one of the five candidates competing in the Republican primary for the state's 2010 Senate race, is distinguishing herself with her full-hearted embrace of the tea party crowd.
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Plan to Move Guantánamo Detainees Faces New Delay — WASHINGTON — Rebuffed this month by skeptical lawmakers when it sought finances to buy a prison in rural Illinois, the Obama administration is struggling to come up with the money to replace the Guantánamo Bay prison.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, CBS News, New York Times, USA Today, The Note, Fausta's Blog, The Washington Independent, Law Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, ATTACKERMAN, ChattahBox News Blog, Think Progress, The Lonely Conservative, TPM LiveWire, Truthdig, Neptunus Lex, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Althouse, JustOneMinute, Politics Daily, The Corner on National …, National Review, Commentary, TalkLeft, IntoxiNation and The Page
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Meep Meep — My own view is that 2009 has been an extraordinarily successful year for Obama. Since this is currently a minority view and will prompt a chorus of “In The Tank!”, allow me to explain. — The substantive record is clear enough. Torture is ended, if Gitmo remains enormously difficult …
Discussion:
The New Editor
Los Angeles Times:
Schwarzenegger to seek federal help for California budget — Facing another huge deficit, the governor wants $8 billion or threatens massive cuts in social services. He also plans to renew push for offshore oil drilling. — Reporting from Sacramento - Facing a budget deficit of more than $20 billion …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Commentary, Calitics, QandO, The Hill, The Lonely Conservative, Another Black Conservative, L.A. NOW, JammieWearingFool and American Power
Richard A. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:
Harry Reid Turns Insurance Into a Public Utility — The health bill creates a massive cash crunch and then bankruptcies for many insurers. — Printer — Friendly — As Harry Reid's 2,000 page health-care bill is being rammed through the Senate, most of the public debate has been focused …
Discussion:
The Health Care Blog, Betsy's Page, JammieWearingFool, National Review, Real Clear Politics and RADAMISTO
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Cornyn: Conservatives ‘have to yield’ to reality in upcoming Senate races — Conservative primary voters “have to yield” to reality, Senate Republicans' campaign chairman said Wednesday. — Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Challenge to health bill's constitutionality fails, 39-60 — A challenge to the Senate health bill's constitutionality failed on Wednesday afternoon in a party-lines vote. — Sens. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Orrin Hatch's (R-Utah) point of order arguing that the Senate bill is unconstitutional under …
Discussion:
Hot Air