Top Items:
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Desperate Dems try to Palinize Massachusetts Senate race — Frantic over the possibility that a Democrat might lose the race to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts, the Democratic National Committee has sent its top spinner, Hari Sevugan, to the aid of Democratic candidate Martha Coakley …
Discussion:
Another Black Conservative, Commentary, DaTechguy's Blog, TPMDC, The Other McCain, Power Line, The Plum Line and Riehl World View
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Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
DSCC Launches First MA Ad Buy — The DSCC will launch ads on behalf of AG Martha Coakley (D) as she battles to preserve Dems' 60-seat majority in the Senate. — The DSCC has purchased $567K in ads in the Boston and Springfield markets, a source tells Hotline OnCall.
neo-neocon:
Can Mr. Brown go to Washington? — Check this out, from tonight's debate in the Massachusetts Senatorial race: — In case you missed the money quote, Scott Brown said: … So please, people of Massachusetts, send Brown to Washington to fill your seat. — [UPDATE: Here's WHDH's pundit Andy Hiller on tonight's debate:
Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
Martha Coakley Is Not Just Wrong on Terror War - She's Dangerous (Must-See Video) — There are no terrorists in Afghanistan? — On Wednesday December 30 Jordanian doctor and Al-Qaeda blogger Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi killed 7 CIA officers in a suicide bomb attack at an outpost in southeastern Afghanistan.
Boston Globe:
Coakley, Brown in bitter debate — Exchange barbs on taxes, terror; Final face-off has sharper edge — Meeting for their final debate of the US Senate campaign, Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley tried to capitalize on voters' fears last night, with Brown raising the specter …
Discussion:
The Note, Maggie's Notebook, msnbc.com, The Politico, Townhall.com, RedState, The Corner on National …, Flopping Aces and Don Surber
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Brown and Coakley Debate in Massachusetts
Brown and Coakley Debate in Massachusetts
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit:
SCOTT BROWN: It's not the Kennedy seat, it's the people's seat.
SCOTT BROWN: It's not the Kennedy seat, it's the people's seat.
Discussion:
The Other McCain, PoliBlog, Sister Toldjah, AmSpecBlog, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Boston Globe, Gateway Pundit and Althouse
Ann Gerhart / Washington Post:
Sen. Reid and son Rory each considered a burden for the other's campaign in Nevada — LAS VEGAS — As if Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) didn't have enough problems, say hello to Rory Reid, his eldest son. Looks just like him. He's running for governor of Nevada.
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Ben Smith / The Politico:
Game over: The Clintons stand alone — A new book is out with a highly critical but unsourced portrait of Hillary Clinton. This familiar occurrence — it's happened too many times to count over the years — has usually been greeted with an equally familiar response: A fast and furious counterattack from the Clinton inner circle.
CBS News:
Racism Doesn't Always have a Southern Drawl — Posted by Jan Crawford Trent Lott was forced out as Senate majority leader for making racially charged remarks, with few rallying to his defense. But Harry Reid's explosive comment's about Barack Obama's “light skin” and “no Negro dialect” …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
McCain on Palin, Reid: No ‘looking back’ — Sen. John McCain is taking a pass on newly reported details about his chosen running mate in the 2008 presidential election - with the authors of that new book, Game Change, revealing more about GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's lack …
Christina Wilkie / The Hill:
Scheduled weeks ago, ‘African Americans for Harry Reid’ will go on as planned
Scheduled weeks ago, ‘African Americans for Harry Reid’ will go on as planned
Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit: “African-Americans For Harry Reid” Facebook Page Lists 5 Fans... 4 Are White
Neil Irwin / Washington Post:
Federal Reserve earned $45 billion in 2009 — Wall Street firms aren't the only banks that had a banner year. The Federal Reserve made record profits in 2009, as its unconventional efforts to prop up the economy created a windfall for the government. — The Fed will return about $45 billion …
Discussion:
Beat the Press, Open Left, The Hill, Felix Salmon, Free exchange, The Big Picture, Gawker, Wonk Room, The BLT, New York Times, The Corner on National … and AMERICAblog News
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Kevin Diaz / Hot Dish Politics:
Palin, Bachmann Tea Party sessions closed to press — It looks like the revolution will not be televised, after all. — At least not the Tea Party's revolution. — Word from Nashville on Monday was that the First National Tea Party Convention next month will be closed to the press …
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David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Reporters (Mostly) Barred From Tea Party Convention — For a while, I've been calling and emailing the organizers of the National Tea Party Convention with some basic logistical questions, to no avail. Kevin Diaz explains why: the convention, held in Nashville next month, will be closed to all but “selected” members of the press.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Divorce Rates Higher in States with Gay Marriage Bans — Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States. Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage.
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Harold Ford Jr / New York Post:
Ford: I'm gearing up for Senate race — It's true: I am strongly considering running for the United States Senate. — I do so because our best as a nation has always come when we test our ideas and ourselves, and when we trust competition to refine the steel of our convictions and the truth of our arguments.
Kevin Hechtkopf / CBS News:
Obama's Approval Rating Dips to New Low — President Obama's job approval rating has fallen to 46 percent, according to a new CBS News poll. — That rating is Mr. Obama's lowest yet in CBS News polling, and the poll marks the first time his approval rating has fallen below the 50 percent mark.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Commentary, Outside The Beltway, Scared Monkeys, Mouth of the Potomac, Wake up America, Coop's Corner, Hot Air, The Page, Gateway Pundit, Flopping Aces, Conservatives4Palin.com, Dan_Perrin's blog, Corrente, Pollster.com All Content, National Journal Online and Weasel Zippers
Christopher Hitchens / Vanity Fair:
Vidal Loco — What has happened to Gore Vidal, the witty, tough-minded subversive of American letters, the 20th century's only possible answer to Oscar Wilde? After 9/11, the author laments, Vidal's writings took a graceless lurch toward the crackpot, surpassing even the wilder-eyed efforts …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …
New York Times:
President Signals Flexibility on Health Plan Tax — WASHINGTON — President Obama told union leaders at a private White House meeting on Monday that he remained committed to taxing high-cost insurance policies as a way to drive down health costs. But he also signaled that he was willing …