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Many deficit commission staffers paid by outside groups — The leaders of President Obama's deficit commission sparked criticism from both sides of the political aisle Wednesday for proposing broad cuts to federal programs. — But the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Huffington Post and ECHIDNE of the snakes
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The details are worse — I wrote my initial post in such a hot rage …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Balloon Juice and The Huffington Post


Is the Deficit Commission Serious?
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Politics Daily, Firedoglake, Free exchange, National Review, The Atlantic Online, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Newsweek, The Hill, TPMCafe, Democracy in America, Ross Douthat, Yglesias, Achenblog, FrumForum, The Daily Dish, The Plum Line, Felix Salmon, The Impolitic, Hullabaloo, Grasping Reality …, Open Left, Crooks and Liars, Wake up America, Reuters and Talking Points Memo

Erskine Bowles, Morgan Stanley, and the Deficit Commission
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The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Lance Mannion, DownWithTyranny! and Firedoglake

Sorry, Alan and Erskine — it's not nearly enough
Discussion:
Hot Air, Swampland, Hit & Run, Washington Post and Balloon Juice


Should this ballot count? — Floyd Brown, the man responsible for the “Willie Horton” television ad that helped derail the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign in 1998, has signed up for the Joe Miller campaign. — Brown is here in Juneau today for the write-in ballot review and he has called …
Discussion:
Hot Air and The Maddow Blog
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Alaska May Offer a View to Future Elections
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Salon, The Politico, CNN, Anchorage Daily News and The Atlantic Online

How strong is Joe Miller's argument against the Leeza Markovsky vote?
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy

Miller's Chances of Victory Dim as Alaska Senate Write-In Count Begins
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications, Weigel, The Note and The Caucus


Observer Exclusive: Newsweek and Daily Beast to Merge — Newsweek and The Daily Beast will announce tomorrow morning that the two publications will merge, a source close to the deal tells The Observer. — It will be a 50-50 merger of the two companies. The editorial staffs will combine under …
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Sources: Pelosi Says Obama Must Be ‘Perfect’ to Win Again — Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic leaders Wednesday afternoon that President Barack Obama has to be “perfect” to win a second term, several senior Democratic aides told Roll Call. — Pelosi told leaders on a conference call …
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Weasel Zippers, Gateway Pundit and HotAirPundit
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White House Gives In On Bush Tax Cuts
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Opinionator, Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Rethink Afghanistan War Blog, Power Line, NationalJournal.com, The Confluence, The Reality-Based Community, Talking Points Memo, Moe Lane, Fox Nation, The Atlantic Online, CNN, Wonkette, The Politico, Time, Crooks and Liars, Wake up America, Salon, theblogprof, neo-neocon, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Phawker, Hot Air, Slate, msnbc.com, Washington Wire, Gawker, Zandar Versus The Stupid, RedState, Swampland, TPMDC, The Plum Line, USA Today, The Caucus, Mediaite, Politics Daily, New York Magazine, Oliver Willis, Economist's View, FrumForum, The Note, Political Punch, Indecision Forever, Emptywheel, Washington Monthly, News Desk, AMERICAblog News, Guardian, Raw Story and HotAirPundit

McConnell ‘willing to listen’ on temporary extension of Bush tax cuts
Discussion:
The Page, Firedoglake and No More Mister Nice Blog

Sen. Conrad: Extend All Tax Cuts; Time to Get ‘Serious’ About Deficit
Discussion:
Firedoglake, ThinkProgress, The Politico, Daily Kos, msnbc.com and The Atlantic Online

2012 Contenders to Bet Against — I'm not quite sure whom I'd call the odds-on favorite to capture the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. But I have a pretty good idea of who I'd bet against. — The table below compiles a number of statistics related to prospective G.O.P. candidates in 2012.
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Some good signs for Palin — PPP's newest batch of 2012 Republican primary polls conducted right before last week's election finds Mitt Romney ahead in the critical early state of Florida, Tim Pawlenty surprisingly weak in his home state of Minnesota, and Sarah Palin posting leads in Texas, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Maine.

Rep.-elect West says conservative talk radio host won't be his chief of staff — Rep.-elect Allen West (R-Fla.) announced Thursday that a controversial radio host would not serve as his chief of staff after all. — West said in a statement that Joyce Kaufman, the conservative radio talk show host …
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Allen West's chief of staff resigns …
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TPMDC, Weigel, Firedoglake, The Other McCain, Guardian, Florida Independent and Wonkette


Does This Google Veterans Day Logo Look Muslim to You? — Boy howdy, Google has done it now! The company's special Veterans Day logo this year, you see, features a mysterious crescent shape. And you know who loves crescent shapes? The Muslims. Yeah, some people are actually upset about this.
Discussion:
The Awl, Wonkette, Indecision Forever, TechCrunch, Balloon Juice and New York Magazine


It's “Otb” Time: One-Term Barack — The wreckage of the Democratic Party is strewn just about everywhere. President Obama's carefully constructed 2008 Electoral College breakthrough is now just broken, a long-ago memory of what might have been a lasting shift in partisan alignment.
Discussion:
Commentary, WILLisms.com, Zandar Versus The Stupid, The Moderate Voice, Ben Smith's Blog and NPR Topics


Some Muslims Attending Capitol Hill Prayer Group Have Terror Ties, Probe Reveals — An Al Qaeda leader, the head of a designated terror organization and a confessed jihadist-in-training are among a “Who's Who” of controversial figures who have participated in weekly prayer sessions …
Discussion:
Commentary, The Jawa Report and Atlas Shrugs

Glenn Beck's “monstrous” Soros accusations rile Holocaust survivors, Jewish groups — Fox news commentator Glenn Beck may have thought he had an easy target in the controversial financier George Soros - but he didn't reckon with Jews who care about Holocaust remembrance and don't take kindly …
Discussion:
TPMCafe, Media Matters for America, Right Wing News, Raw Story, YID With LID and News Hounds
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Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Attacks
Discussion:
NewsReal Blog, Salon and Liberal Values


Sarah Palin plans heartland tour — Sarah Palin — accompanied at times by family members — later this month will launch a nine-day, 16-stop signing tour for her new book, “America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag.” — Among the destinations sure to get buzz: Des Moines and Spirit Lake, Iowa.

How Joe Lieberman helped the Democrats lose the election — Since the election, there's been a lot of talk about what President Obama and the Democratic leadership could've done differently. I offered six ideas here. But there's been rather less discussion of what individual legislators could've done differently.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Right Wing News and Economist's View


POLITICO, NBC News co-host first 2012 debate at Reagan Library — Former first lady Nancy Reagan announced plans Thursday to invite the leading Republican contenders to the first debate of the presidential primary season, to be held at her late husband's presidential library and co-hosted by POLITICO and NBC News.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Salon, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air and FrumForum
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Why the GOP Should Insist on New Debate Rules for 2012
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin

Bristol Palin Survives ‘Dancing’ Elimination Round With Help of Tea Party — Bristol Palin survived another elimination round on ABC's “Dancing With the Stars” as fans including Tea Party supporters mustered enough votes to overcome low scores from the talent show's judges.
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Time says Tea Party will cause hyperinflation
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org blogs, The Curious Capitalist and Conservatives4Palin.com

Media Matters Pays $86,000 In Auction To Have Lunch With Murdoch — What's Your Reaction? — facebook Twitter stumble reddit del.ico.us — Amazing — Inspiring — Important — Weird — WASHINGTON — In one of the more clever moments of issue advocacy in recent memory …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Media Decoder, Gawker and FrumForum, more at Mediagazer »


Mixed Reactions to Republican Midterm Win — Public Less Happy Than After 2006 and 1994 Elections — The public, voters and non-voters alike, has a subdued reaction to the Republican Party's midterm election victory. Four years ago, the response to the Democrats regaining full control …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Plum Line, Ballot Box, CNN and The Page


Poppy-burning Muslim protesters mar Armistice Day commemorations as millions fall silent to remember war dead — Islamic protesters sparked fury today after they burned a model of a poppy and deliberately broke the silence at Armistice Day commemorations in central London.
Discussion:
Atlas Shrugs, Gates of Vienna, TigerHawk, Spectator and The Jawa Report