Top Items:
Jim Rutenberg / Media Decoder:
Sarah Palin to Contribute to Fox News — Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska has signed on as a contributor to the Fox News Channel. — The network confirmed that Ms. Palin will appear on the network's programming on a regular basis as part of a multi-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Discussion:
TVbytheNumbers, Crooks and Liars, The Note, Think Progress, The Hill, Taylor Marsh, Politics Daily, Ben Smith's Blog, Political Byline, BuzzFlash.org, Newsweek Blogs, Raw Story, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, TPM LiveWire, The Lonely Conservative, PoliBlog, Little Green Footballs, The Mudflats, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Page, TVNewser, NewsBusters.org, Swampland, Indecision Forever and Jay Bookman
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
UNEMPLOYED HALF-TERM GOVERNOR HIRED BY FOX NEWS.... Sarah Palin inexplicably walked away from her job last year, quitting as Alaska's governor half-way through her first term. It presented a minor problem for the often-confused right-wing politician — what, exactly, would she do with herself between …
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Palin signs on with Fox News — Sarah Palin, who regularly rips the media, is becoming a television pundit at a place where she's likely to feel at home. — A Fox News executive says the network will shortly announce that the former vice-presidential nominee is signing on as a contributor.
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Palin signs “multi-year” deal to become Fox analyst — Sarah Palin's supporters have reason to cheer, and perhaps lament, the media news leaked to the New York Times this morning. The former governor and VP candidate will become a Fox News analyst, signing a multi-year deal for appearances as a political pundit.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
The Politico:
Dems launch defense to save Reid — Democrats are preparing to throw the race card back in the laps of Republicans as part of a counterattack designed to help save Harry Reid's political career. — First, Reid's allies plan to distribute the NAACP vote ratings of Republican senators who have scolded him.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, GOP.com, Townhall.com, Washington Post, The Washington Independent, Big Government, Swampland, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit, Dennis the Peasant, Guardian, Scared Monkeys, Jules Crittenden, Top of the Ticket, Crooks and Liars, Althouse, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Daily Beast, The Reaction, Think Progress, Glenn Thrush's Blog and neo-neocon
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Ta-Nehisi Coates:
On Harry Reid — John Cornyn and Michael Steele think that Harry Reid's comments are the same as Trent Lott's … I think you can grant that, in this era, the term “Negro dialect” is racially insensitive and embarrassing. That said, the fair-mind listener understands the argument …
David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
U.S. Supreme Court blocks video coverage of Prop. 8 trial — The ruling will keep the proceedings off YouTube. The justices, acting on an emergency appeal, say showing video could jeopardize the fairness of the trial. — Reporting from Washington - The U.S. Supreme Court …
Discussion:
Andrew Cohen, Law Blog, Mashable!, Above the Law, Politics Daily, The Moderate Voice, Pam's House Blend, Raw Story, Gawker and Truthdig
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Edwin Meese III / New York Times:
Stacking the Deck Against Proposition 8
Stacking the Deck Against Proposition 8
Discussion:
Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, ACS Blog, Associated Press, The Reaction and The Foundry
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Learning From Europe — As health care reform nears the finish line, there is much wailing and rending of garments among conservatives. And I'm not just talking about the tea partiers. Even calmer conservatives have been issuing dire warnings that Obamacare will turn America into a European-style social democracy.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Paul Krugman, Marginal Revolution, Free exchange, Prairie Weather, DailyHowler.com and Washington Monthly
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Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Obama Weighs Fee to Recoup Bank Bailout and Cut Deficit — WASHINGTON — President Obama is likely to propose a fee on financial institutions to help reduce the federal deficit when he releases his budget plans in February, although the details remain unresolved, according to administration officials.
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Coakley lead solid in Democratic poll — Martha Coakley enjoys a solid, double-digit lead in the Massachusetts Senate special election, according to an internal Democratic poll obtained by POLITICO. — The survey, conducted by longtime Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, has Democrat Coakley …
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Scott Rasmussen / Rasmussen Reports:
Looking Closer at the Massachusetts Senate Polls — On the surface, three recent polls on the upcoming Massachusetts special election to fill the Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy seem to tell three different stories. — A Rasmussen Reports poll, released last week …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
DNC sends senior aide to Boston — Hari Sevugan, the DNC's national press secretary, confirms he's headed to Boston to help with Martha Coakley's effort, a move that underscores how focused the party is on the race. — Sevugan's campaign and party role has been on offense …
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CNBC.com:
Health Care Overhaul Bill Is ‘Hanging by a Thread’: Dodd — Health care reform is “hanging on by a thread,” and one or two votes could determine the outcome of the heavily-debated bill, Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd told CNBC Monday. — “Everyone feels, I guess, to some degree who have been for this …
Justin Elliott / TPMMuckraker:
The Bogus Flight 253 ‘One-Way Ticket’ Meme: Anatomy Of A Myth — In a remarkable example of how bad information can travel far and wide, dozens of media outlets around the world have said Umar Abdulmutallab was traveling on a one-way ticket to Detroit when he allegedly tried to blow up Flight 253 …
New York Post:
Now Harold Ford Jr. backs gay marriage — In what will likely be read as another sign of his interest in running against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in this year's Democratic primary, ex-Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr. publicly said for the first time that he was in favor of same-sex marriage.
Discussion:
The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, New York Times, Pam's House Blend, The Nation, AMERICAblog Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Wonkette, TPMDC and The Daily Politics
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Thomas Geoghegan / New York Times:
Mr. Smith Rewrites the Constitution — ABOUT the Senate, a college professor of mine used to say, “One day, the Supreme Court will declare it unconstitutional.” He was joking, I think. — But the Senate, as it now operates, really has become unconstitutional: as we saw during …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, Ezra Klein, Mother Jones, Democrats.com and Democratic Strategist
Yves Smith / naked capitalism:
The Most Stunning (and Uncommented on) Revelation in Too Big Too Fail — Although I read it two months ago, I haven't made much in the way of comments on Andrew Ross Sorkin's Too Big Too Fail, figuring the ground was well plowed by others. However, the bit that I found the most shocking …
Adam Mynott / BBC:
Afghans optimistic, poll reveals — Most Afghans are increasingly optimistic about the state of their country, a poll commissioned by the BBC, ABC News and Germany's ARD shows. — Of more than 1,500 Afghans questioned, 70% said they believed Afghanistan was going in the right direction - a big jump from 40% a year ago.
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
McCain aide denies ‘party of a**holes’ line — Among the many juicy, anonymously-sourced passages in Game Change is one that could stir some trouble for John McCain in his upcoming primary. — The scene takes place toward the beginning of McCain's bid for the White House:
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Ronald Brownstein / National Journal Online:
White House Readies Aggressive Midterm Push — Axelrod Says Focus Will Be On Republican Alternatives — The White House strategy for contesting the midterm election is beginning to take shape. — In an interview with National Journal, senior White House political adviser David Axelrod laid …
CNN:
CNN Poll: Majority confident Obama can handle terrorism — Washington (CNN) - In the wake of the Christmas day attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner, most Americans remain confident that the Obama administration can protect the country from terrorism, according to a new national poll.