Top Items:
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Panel Weighs Deep Cuts in Tax Breaks and Spending — WASHINGTON — A draft proposal released Wednesday by the chairmen of President Obama's bipartisan commission on reducing the federal debt calls for deep cuts in domestic and military spending starting in 2012, and an overhaul of the tax code to raise revenue.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Politico, Washington Post, Swampland, ABCNEWS, Outside the Beltway, Danger Room, Wake up America, Bloomberg, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Wonk Room, Marginal Revolution, National Review, Politics Daily, Suburban Guerrilla, The Confluence, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, msnbc.com, ECHIDNE of the snakes, EconLog, Online NewsHour, Calculated Risk, Gawker and New York Magazine
RELATED:
Paul Krugman:
Unserious People — OK, let's say goodbye to the deficit commission. If you're sincerely worried about the US fiscal future — and there's good reason to be — you don't propose a plan that involves large cuts in income taxes. Even if those cuts are offset by supposed elimination of tax breaks elsewhere …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Hill, Raw Story, The Politico, AMERICAblog News and Swampland
Bloomberg:
U.S. Debt Proposal Would Cut Social Security, Medicare — The co-chairmen of President Barack Obama's debt-reduction commission will propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare, as well as reductions in income tax rates in exchange for curbing tax breaks, according to a Republican aide who attended the meeting.
Ezra Klein:
There is no report from the fiscal commission — Here is the most important fact about the proposal released by the co-chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform: It is not the commission's report. And here is the second most important fact to remember …
Megan Carpentier / TPMDC:
Fiscal Commission Co-Chairs Simpson And Bowles Release Eye-Popping Recommendations — The White House's fiscal commission's co-chairs, Erskine Bowles and former-Sen. Alan Simpson today released their draft recommendations on how to reduce the country's budget deficit.
Speaker Pelosi / The Gavel:
On the Proposal Released by Co-Chairs of the Fiscal Commission
On the Proposal Released by Co-Chairs of the Fiscal Commission
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Opinion L.A., The Plum Line, NPR Topics and Flypaper
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Drop Everything: The Simpson-Bowles Breakthrough
Drop Everything: The Simpson-Bowles Breakthrough
Discussion:
msnbc.com
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Drop Everything: The Simpson-Bowles Reax
Drop Everything: The Simpson-Bowles Reax
Discussion:
Grasping Reality …, National Review, The New Republic and Balloon Juice
Jonathan Cowan / The Politico:
Cuts so Medicare, Social Security and defense politically viable?
Cuts so Medicare, Social Security and defense politically viable?
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Daily Kos and The Hill
Dennis Cauchon / USA Today:
More federal workers' pay tops $150,000 — The number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year has soared tenfold in the past five years and doubled since President Obama took office, a USA TODAY analysis finds. — The fast-growing pay of federal employees has captured the attention …
RELATED:
Simmi Aujla / The Politico:
John Boehner to fly commercial as speaker
John Boehner to fly commercial as speaker
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Don Surber, CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Note and Washington Post
Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
John Boehner Skipping Military Jets, Will Fly Commercial
John Boehner Skipping Military Jets, Will Fly Commercial
Discussion:
HotAirPundit
Jake Sherman / Reuters:
Michele Bachmann drops out of leadership race — Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann dropped out of the race for House Republican Conference chair on Wednesday night, ensuring that the GOP's leadership elections will go on without any serious competition. — In a statement sent to a handful …
Discussion:
The Note, CNN, msnbc.com and Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Bachmann drops bid for conference post, backs Hensarling — Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) dropped her bid to become the next House GOP Conference Chairman late Wednesday. — Bachmann, a darling of the Tea Party movement, ended her week-long run against fellow conservative Rep. Jeb Hensarling …
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
‘The Onion’ Strikes Comic Gold With Biden Spoofs — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has never smashed a Whac-A-Mole game in a drunken fit. He has never invoked Freedom of Information laws to find out a female federal employee's work schedule. And to the best of anyone's knowledge …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and The Awl, more at Mediagazer »
MIke Lillis / The Hill:
New GOP chief of staff calls Pelosi ‘garbage’ — A newly named GOP chief of staff called the outgoing Democratic majority — and in particular Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — “garbage.” — Joyce Kaufman, the incoming chief of staff to Rep.-elect Allen West (R-Fla.), said …
Discussion:
Guardian, Weasel Zippers, TPMDC, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Politics Daily, Florida Independent and Page2Live.com
RELATED:
James Hibberd / Hollywood Reporter:
The Reign of Right-Wing Primetime … I'll name a hit TV show, and you guess if it's more popular among Republicans or Democrats. — First, NCIS — investigating military crimes on CBS. Safe bet conservatives love it, right? — How about ABC's Desperate Housewives — a racy soap, female audience.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Pirate's Cove, Big Hollywood, Gawker and Weigel, more at Mediagazer »
Jan Crawford / CBS News:
Bush: “The Wolves of Washington” and the Roberts/Miers/Alito Nominations — In his new book “Decision Points,” former President George W. Bush offers some fascinating tidbits about what could be his most lasting legacy: the nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
Discussion:
New York Times, Law Blog, Wonk Room, Althouse and The Volokh Conspiracy
RELATED:
Lee Fang / ThinkProgress:
Exclusive: Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito Dismisses His Profligate …
Exclusive: Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito Dismisses His Profligate …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Alaska_Politics / Anchorage Daily News:
Write-in counting begins — Counting ballots in Juneau today. — There have been questions from the ballot observers about the criteria Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai is using to rule on the Miller campaign challenges of Murkowski ballots. — Here's what Fenumiai told me:
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Weigel, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, NPR Topics and Associated Press
Pat Sajak / Ricochet.com:
Mea Culpa: I Put Keith Olbermann on National TV — This YouTube video reminded me that I was the person who introduced Keith Olbermann to America. — Keith was a sportscaster at the local CBS affiliate in Los Angeles at the same time I was doing a talk show for that network.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Other McCain, Mediaite and TVNewser
Kennebec Journal:
DAVID B. OFFER: Collins optimistic that moderation is key to success by Congress — The votes were barely counted last week before national columnists and pundits began analyzing the impact of the Republican victories. Many predicted more gridlock. — “Moderate Republicans will be less likely …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Fix, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, Collins Watch, Balloon Juice and FrumForum
RELATED:
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
GOP Sen. Collins: Palin ‘Likes Being A Celebrity Commentator’ Instead Of Governing
GOP Sen. Collins: Palin ‘Likes Being A Celebrity Commentator’ Instead Of Governing
Discussion:
Opinion L.A., Donkeylicious and Washington Post
Eli Sanders / Slog:
How Justice Richard B. Sanders Lost It — Yesterday I called the race for State Supreme Court Position No. 6 in favor of challenger Charlie Wiggins, and said I'd explain this morning what I think happened in this intense, down-to-the-wire contest. Here goes.
Dan Hirschhorn / The Politico:
Rick Santorum: No real tea party candidates in 2012 mix — Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum says none of the GOP presidential hopefuls can truly be called tea party candidates — but he and Gary Johnson come close. — “There isn't a single candidate running for president who can claim …
Myglesias / Yglesias:
Dire Consequences of NIH Cuts — I'm pretty sure the new House majority will succeed in enacting pretty severe cuts to means-tested programs that benefit poor people. But any talk of sweeping budget cuts is going to keep running into stories like this one:
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Center for American Progress, National Review, Dennis the Peasant and The Other McCain
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
House Republican: Bush ‘destroyed GOP’ — Former President George W. Bush is no “class act,” a Republican lawmaker insisted Wednesday. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) said Bush had “destroyed” the GOP during his eight years in office in a blunt shot at the former Republican president …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, USA Today, Weasel Zippers and Raw Story
Fox News:
U.N. Rejects Iran's Bid for Seat on Women's Rights Panel — The United Nations on Wednesday rejected Iran's bid for a seat to the board of the new U.N. agency to promote equality for women after fierce opposition from the United States and human rights groups to Tehran's treatment of women.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Nice Deb, Gateway Pundit, Atlas Shrugs and FP Passport
Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:
NY Times Editor on the ‘Beauty’ of Readers' Ignorance — Gerald Marzorati, center, with Marc Jacobs (L) and Paul Krugman. Image by Getty Images via @daylife — The New York Times cultivates an image as the preferred read of the intellectual elite, but at least one of the paper's higher-ups seems …
Discussion:
Big Journalism, Pajamas Media and Romenesko, more at Mediagazer »
Geoffrey Dickens / NewsBusters.org blogs:
George W. Bush Delivers a Basic Economics Lesson to Matt Lauer — In a follow-up interview to his prime time special with George W. Bush, NBC's Matt Lauer invited the former president on Wednesday's Today show and in the process got an education on how tax cuts can create jobs.
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Video: Christie names names in fight against inflated education salaries — “The new poster boy for all that's wrong with the public-school system...” — As part of his efforts to reform public school systems in New Jersey and apply resources more directly to students …
Discussion:
NewsReal Blog and Balloon Juice
Seton Motley / Big Government:
28-Year Democrat Rep. Ortiz Loses, But Keeps ‘Finding’ Ballots in Recount — What we're witnessing in the south Texas (TX-27 - Corpus Christi and Brownsville) Congressional recount that followed the race is a dramatic interpretation of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle magic act.
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, Hot Air and Brownsville Herald
Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:
Bombs Away: Afghan Air War Peaks With 1,000 Strikes in October — The U.S. and its allies have unleashed a massive air campaign in Afghanistan, launching missiles and bombs from the sky at a rate rarely seen since the war's earliest days. In October alone, NATO planes fired their weapons …
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog
Dina Kraft / New York Times:
Rapper Finds Order in Orthodox Judaism in Israel — JERUSALEM — The tall man in the velvet fedora and knee-length black jacket with ritual fringes peeking out takes long, swift strides toward the Western Wall. It's late in the day, and he does not want to miss afternoon prayers at Judaism's holiest site.
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
LaHood Threatens to Take High Speed Rail Stimulus from OH, WI — My favorite cabinet secretary is the one who knows how to play hardball with Republican obstructionists, who knows the leverage he holds and is not afraid to use it. I guess that's because he's the only Republican in the cabinet*.
Discussion:
CNN, pandagon.net and Dennis the Peasant
New Jersey Online:
Gov. Christie says he's skeptical that global warming is caused by humans — TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie says he's skeptical that humans are responsible for global warming. — The governor, a new darling of the Republican Party, made the remark at a town hall meeting he hosted in Toms River Tuesday afternoon.