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:
The Swamp, Crooks and Liars, TVNewser, Think Progress, The Note, TPM LiveWire, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, Politics Daily, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, The Lonely Conservative, News Hounds, The Mudflats, No More Mister Nice Blog, Little Green Footballs, Indecision Forever, NewsBusters.org, Mediaite, Jay Bookman, The Page, Swampland, Conservatives4Palin.com, The Awl and Real Clear Politics
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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 …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Palin signs “multi-year” deal to become Fox analyst
Palin signs “multi-year” deal to become Fox analyst
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:
Townhall.com, Swampland, Crooks and Liars, Big Government, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit, Dennis the Peasant, Top of the Ticket, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian, Scared Monkeys, Jules Crittenden, The Reaction, neo-neocon, Althouse, Think Progress, Wake up America, Glenn Thrush's Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times and The Corner on National …
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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 …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Who Was Source For Claim About Reid's Racial Comments? Reid Himself! — Could Harry Reid himself be the source for the explosive anecdote about his racially charged comments — ones that have created the biggest mess of his political lifetime? — Yep. Reid himself is the source of the anecdote …
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, Free exchange, Prairie Weather, DailyHowler.com, Washington Monthly and The Awl
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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, The Moderate Voice, Law Blog, Politics Daily, Raw Story, Pam's House Blend, American Foundation … and Feministing
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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 …
Discussion:
PostPartisan, Pollster.com All Content, The Strata-Sphere, National Review Online, The Faster Times and Daily Kos
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WBBM-TV:
Blagojevich: 'I'm Blacker Than Barack Obama' — Ex-Governor Later Calls Remark ‘A Stupid Thing To Say’ — CHICAGO (CBS) ― Deposed Gov. Rod Blagojevich is apologizing for comments in a new interview, in which he claims he is “blacker” than President Barack Obama.
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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 …
Associated Press:
McCain strategist: Palin thought candidacy was mapped by God — Sarah Palin believed that Sen. John McCain chose her to be his running mate in the 2008 presidential race because of “God's plan,” according to a top political strategist in the Arizona Republican's campaign.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Achenblog, The Politico, CBS News, Wonkette, Media Blog on National … and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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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 …
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 …
Mickey Kaus / Kausfiles:
Honey, Will You Be My Game-Changer? — Pigeon O'Brien, leading Rielle Hunter expert, thinks the first part of the riveting Heilemann/Halperin excerpt on the Edwards Family Horrorshow story portrays Hunter too much as a stalker. That would fit in with what seems to be the flaw …
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Michiko Kakutani / New York Times:
In ‘Game Change,’ Insight on the 2008 Campaign
In ‘Game Change,’ Insight on the 2008 Campaign
Discussion:
Salon, NY Daily News, The Nation, Top of the Ticket, Mediaite, Prairie Weather, TalkLeft and Raw Story
David Freddoso / Washington Examiner:
TSA nominee in 2008: Alliances with Israel, France make us subject to terror attack — Erroll Southers, President Obama's nominee to head the Transportation Safety Administration, said in a 2008 web interview on terrorism that America is subject to terror attacks because of its alliances with countries like Israel and France.
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 …
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:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Hill, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Nation, AMERICAblog Gay, Wonkette, The Daily Politics, Gawker and The Page
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.
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 …
Economics Policies for the 21st Century:
Red-Ink Tsunami: Why Old Ideas Can't Fix the New Government Perma-Crisis — State and local governments have faced big budget gaps before. Typically, things get tight for a while, then the economy perks up, tax revenues recover, and deficits are eliminated. Life goes back to normal.