Top Items:
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Obama Seeks Freeze on Many Domestic Programs — WASHINGTON — President Obama will call for a three-year freeze in spending on many domestic programs, and for increases no greater than inflation after that, an initiative intended to signal his seriousness about cutting the budget deficit, administration officials said Monday.
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Obama Budget to Call for Freeze in Non-Security Discretionary Spending — On an exciting phone call with progressive internet writers earlier this evening, a senior administration official outlined the Obama administration's plan to call for a freeze in non-security discretionary spending spending starting …
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Obama's 3 Year Freeze; Democrats Brain Freeze — Late Monday afternoon, a small group of reporters crowded into a conference room in the Eisenhower executive office building to hear two “senior administration officials” give an embargoed briefing on what will be the most debated part of the president's budget for 2011.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Wall Street Journal:
Budget Freeze Is Proposed — White House Plan Applies to Only 17% of Spending; Small Impact on Deficit — WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama intends to propose a three-year freeze in spending that accounts for one-sixth of the federal budget—a move meant to quell rising concern …
The Politico:
Obama to propose spending freeze — President Obama plans to announce a three-year freeze on discretionary, “non-security” spending in the lead-up to Wednesday's State of the Union address, Hill Democratic sources familiar with the plan tell POLITICO. — The move, intended to blunt …
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Obama to propose freeze on government spending
Obama to propose freeze on government spending
Discussion:
Politics Daily
Mark Mooney / ABCNEWS:
Exclusive: Obama Would ‘Rather Be Really Good One-Term President’ — Obama Tells Diane Sawyer That Health Care Bill Had Political Cost — President Obama, buffeted by criticism of his massive health care reform bill and election setbacks, said today he remained determined to tackle health care …
Discussion:
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CNN:
CNN Poll: Most Americans applaud Democrats' loss of supermajority — Washington (CNN) - Americans are divided on whether Democratic control of Congress is good for the country, according to a new national poll. — A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday also indicates …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
CNN Poll: For First Time, More Say Dem Control Is Bad For Country
CNN Poll: For First Time, More Say Dem Control Is Bad For Country
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
Berry: Obama said “big difference” between '10 and '94 is “me” — Rep. Marion Berry's parting shot, published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette [no link, subscription only] offers a warning to moderate Democrats and border state moderates — warning of a midterm bloodbath comparable to the 54-seat D-to-R swing in 1994.
Discussion:
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Joe Klein / Swampland:
Too Dumb to Thrive — Absolutely amazing poll results from CNN today about the $787 stimulus package: nearly three out of four Americans think the money has been wasted. On second thought, they may be right: it's been wasted on them. Indeed, the largest single item in the package …
Discussion:
Valley of the Shadow, CNN, Doug Ross, Matthew Yglesias, Big Government, JustOneMinute, The Atlantic Politics Channel, AMERICAblog News, Right Wing Nut House, Another Black Conservative, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Lonely Conservative, The Strata-Sphere, Media Blog on National …, Taylor Marsh, Left Coast Rebel, Taegan Goddard's …, Dennis the Peasant, Mediaite, American Power and The Jawa Report
Rush Limbaugh / The Onion:
I Don't Even Want To Be Alive Anymore — I know there are a lot of people out there who are upset about some of the things I've been saying on my radio program lately. My comments about the situation in Haiti have hurt and angered many Americans who genuinely care about the plight of the Haitian people …
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Could Democrats Lose The Senate? — The decision by Beau Biden not to run for Senate brings to mind an historical parallel. With no Biden in the race, with no Ted Kaufman serving another term, the Democratic candidate is likely to be New Castle County executive Chris Coons.
Jennifer Golson / New Jersey Online:
Somerset authorities seize grenade launcher, weapons cache from Virginia man at motel … BRANCHBURG — Somerset County investigators seized a cache of weapons including a grenade launcher and hundreds of rounds of ammunition today from the Branchburg motel room of a Virginia man …
Gawker:
Sources: John Edwards Has a Sex Tape — Sources have told us that, in the throes of their affair, John Edwards and Rielle Hunter made a sex tape that contains “several sex acts.” And that his aide, Andrew Young found it on an unmarked DVD. — The tape, say both our sources …
Discussion:
Hot Air, NewsReal Blog, Mediaite, Politics Daily, New York Magazine, Indecision Forever, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Liberal Values
Megan McArdle:
Forgotten, But Not Gone — Shocker: running against politicians who have left office is not a very effective electoral strategy. — There goes the secret Republican platform they were going to unveil in the SOTU response: Jimmy Carter screwed up the Iranian hostage crisis, and he looks funny in a cardigan, too.
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Dems' Bush-bashing goes bust
Dems' Bush-bashing goes bust
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, JOSHUAPUNDIT, No More Mister Nice Blog, QandO, Financial Times and Flopping Aces
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Dem: Senate thinks it's ‘House of Lords’ — The third-ranking House Democrat said the Senate thinks of itself as “a House of Lords” that is out of touch with voters. — Majority Whip James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) remarks are one of the most significant public shots taken at the Senate …
James Kwak / The Baseline Scenario:
Tim Geithner Says to Leave Your Money at Big Banks — But he's not sure why. During an interview with Mike Allen of Politico, Tim Geithner said that the Move Your Money campaign is a bad idea, but didn't actually give a reason why. Here's the whole segment of the interview (beginning around the 3:30 mark):
Peter Hamby / CNN:
South Carolina Republican regrets ‘stray animal’ metaphor — (CNN) - South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, under fire for drawing a comparison between needy people and “stray animals,” said Monday that he regrets his choice of words. — In a phone interview with CNN, Bauer …
Discussion:
The Politico, Greenville News, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, Truthdig, Wonkette, TPM LiveWire and Towleroad News #gay
James Rosen / Fox News:
Obama Administration Steers Lucrative No-Bid Contract for Afghan Work to Dem Donor — The Obama administration this month awarded a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan to a company owned by a prominent Democratic campaign contributor without entertaining competitive bids, Fox News has learned.
Justin Elliott / TPMMuckraker:
Bush Pentagon Hired Conspiracy Theorist As Al Qaeda Specialist — When the Pentagon's internal think tank decided in 2004 it needed a better understanding of Al Qaeda, it turned to an unlikely source: the terrorism analyst Laurie Mylroie, who was known as the chief purveyor of the discredited idea …
Michael Mishak / Las Vegas Sun:
Oscar Goodman decides not to run for governor — Las Vegas Mayor makes announcement at press conference at City Hall — Mayor Oscar Goodman laughs as he gives back microphones to television news reporters. Goodman announced he will not be running for governor of Nevada during …
Discussion:
Scorecard's Blog
People-Press.org:
Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism — Energy Concerns Fall, Deficit Concerns Rise — As Barack Obama begins his second year in office, the public's priorities for the president and Congress remain much as they were one year ago. Strengthening the nation's economy …
Paul Krugman:
Of Fate and Fumbles — It has not been a good year for Obama, or for the progressive agenda. But why? Ignore all the pontificating about how Obama needed to focus differently, seek bipartisanship with people who have no interest in making a deal, etc.. The primary factor in Obama's troubles is …
Matt Corley / Think Progress:
Lieberman: 'It's Possible' I Could Be ‘A Good Old-Fashioned New England Moderate Republican’ — During the 2008 presidential campaign, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) supported Republican John McCain and attacked then-candidate Obama while speaking at the Republican National Committee.
Gary Farber / Amygdala:
HEALTH CARE REFORM WON'T SAVE ME. — I'm asking for your help. — For several years I've, finally, been in the process of applying for Social Security Disability, something I desperately needed to do decades earlier, but wrongheadedly struggled to avoid as my life spiraled into hell.
The Note:
Levin: President Obama Could Address Gays in the Military During State of the Union Speech — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Will President Obama announce new policy regarding the sexual orientation of people serving in the military during his State of the Union address Wednesday?
Discussion:
The Politico, The Other McCain, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, The Page and Another Black Conservative
Elizabeth Benjamin / The Daily Politics:
Ford Targets Gillibrand, But Takes On Schumer (Updated) — Harold Ford Jr. today took the fight to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand - and her political mentor, Sen. Chuck Schumer - in the junior senator's own backyard, slamming his two fellow Democrats for failing to be sufficiently independent and put New Yorkers' needs first.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, City Room, New York Times, The Washington Independent, Gawker and New York Magazine