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.
Discussion:
Grasping Reality …, Associated Press, Angry Bear, TPMCafe, Truthdig, Hullabaloo, The Page, New York Magazine, AMERICAblog News, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Unfogged
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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 …
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.
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 — The headline on the new CNN poll is this: “Most Americans applaud Democrats' loss of supermajority.” — And that's bad for Dems. But what's worse for Dems is that the poll's internals also show that for the first time since …
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
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:
CNN, JustOneMinute, Matthew Yglesias, Doug Ross, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Big Government, Right Wing Nut House, AMERICAblog News, Another Black Conservative, The Strata-Sphere, The Lonely Conservative, Blue Crab Boulevard, Media Blog on National …, Taylor Marsh, Taegan Goddard's …, Left Coast Rebel, Dennis the Peasant, Mediaite, The Jawa Report, American Power and The Awl
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:
Neptunus Lex, Nice Deb, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Wizbang, Firedoglake, Scorecard's Blog, Political Byline, The Confluence, NO QUARTER, The Hill, Another Black Conservative, Townhall.com, The New Editor, America's Right, Betsy's Page, Perfunction, The Future of Capitalism, JOSHUAPUNDIT, The Lonely Conservative, Sister Toldjah, Gateway Pundit, Viking Pundit, YID With LID, marbury and JammieWearingFool
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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.
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, Mediaite, NewsReal Blog, Politics Daily, New York Magazine, Indecision Forever and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Dems' Bush-bashing goes bust — After three consecutive losses in statewide races, some top Democrats are questioning a tactic aimed at boosting the party's candidates in each of those contests: Bush-bashing. — Running as much against the Bush White House as he was running against Sen. John McCain …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Financial Times, JOSHUAPUNDIT, No More Mister Nice Blog, QandO and Flopping Aces
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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 …
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 …
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 …
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.
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):
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 …
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 …
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
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.
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, Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, Truthdig, Wonkette, TPM LiveWire and Towleroad News #gay
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.
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 …
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
Slate:
Steve Jobs delivers the annual presidential address. — Read all of Slate's coverage on the expected announcement of Apple's tablet computer. … —New York Times, Jan. 18, 2010 … Thank you for coming. And thank you to President Obama for asking me to deliver this year's speech.
Discussion:
Boing Boing
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, New York Times and The Page
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Obama: I'd rather be a really awesome one-term president than a mediocre two-termer — An irresistible soundbite from today's sitdown with Sawyer. Keep doing what you're doing, champ. You're right on track. — He's right, though, about how stupid the shifting narratives are concerning his Spock-like demeanor.
Newt Gingrich / About Newsmax.com:
How I'd Create a New ‘Contract With America’ — Dear Fellow Americans: — During the past few months, a number of people have asked me about the possibility of a new Contract with America for the 2010 elections. They remember the clarity, the positive focus, and the election results of the 1994 contract.