Top Items:
Robert Draper / New York Times:
The Palin Network — On the night of the midterm elections earlier this month, Sarah Palin stayed up until 3 in the morning. From her hotel bedroom in Manhattan, she and her husband, Todd, followed the returns while she wrote e-mails on her iPad — congratulating winners, consoling losers …
Discussion:
CNN, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, The Politico, ABCNEWS, The New Republic, Guardian, Weigel, Anchorage Daily News, Salon, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, Little Green Footballs, The Note, MyFox Philadelphia, The Nation, Indecision Forever, msnbc.com, USA Today, Washington Post, GOP 12 and Swampland
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Mary Bruce / ABCNEWS:
Sarah Palin Says She Could Beat Obama — In Interview With Barbara Walters, Palin Says She Is Seriously Considering Entering Race in 2012 — Sarah Palin says she is seriously considering a run for the White House, and she believes she could beat President Obama in 2012, the former Alaska governor told ABC News' Barbara Walters.
Discussion:
Guardian, msnbc.com, National Review and GOP 12
Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Nancy Pelosi Elected to Lead House Dems in New Congress; Boehner to Lead GOP — Updated 4:07 p.m. Eastern Time — Nancy Pelosi has been elected to lead House Democrats in the new Congress despite presiding over the loss of more than 60 House seats in the midterm elections.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Hot Air, Fox Nation, Weasel Zippers, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Queerty and Wake up America
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The Politico:
Nancy Pelosi survives Democratic revolt — Democrats elected Nancy Pelosi as their minority leader on Wednesday, but only after a brutal two days of arguing behind closed doors and a 150-43 vote that revealed a bloc of disgruntled Democrats to be firmly in the anti-Pelosi camp.
Discussion:
The Nation, Weigel, Weasel Zippers, Gawker and ProfessorBainbridge.com
The Hill:
House Dems elect Pelosi as leader
House Dems elect Pelosi as leader
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Associated Press, Washington Wire, HotAirPundit and AMERICAblog News
Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:
Pelosi Elected House Democratic Leader
Pelosi Elected House Democratic Leader
Discussion:
Another Black Conservative, The Gateway Pundit, Patterico's Pontifications and Pajamas Media
The Politico:
Why Democrats don't dump Nancy Pelosi
Why Democrats don't dump Nancy Pelosi
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, CNN, American Thinker and Right Wing News
Carl Hulse / The Caucus:
House Democrats Re-Elect Pelosi as Their Leader
House Democrats Re-Elect Pelosi as Their Leader
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, FiveThirtyEight, Salon, ChattahBox News Blog and Joe. My. God.
The Smoking Gun:
Man Shoots TV Over Bristol Palin Dancing — Suspect surrendered after 15-hour standoff with Wisconsin cops … Like most Americans, Steven Cowan has been perplexed by Bristol Palin's curious ability to keep advancing in TV's “Dancing with the Stars” competition.
Discussion:
Cubachi, The Jawa Report, Big Hollywood, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, Hot Air and Liberty Pundits Blog
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JSOnline:
Bristol Palin's dancing prompts man to shoot his TV — By Sharif Durhams of the Journal Sentinel — A rural Dane County man believes Bristol Palin should not be on “Dancing With The Stars.” — He demanded his wife get his pistols to emphasize his point.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Another Black Conservative
Jezebel:
How Palin Conservatives Are Cheating The DWTS Voting System — It's been alleged that the Tea Party's “Operation Bristol” is keeping the teen mom in the competition. However, the real conspiracy is that her conservative supporters have figured out a way to exploit ABC.com's email-voting feature, allowing infinite votes.
Ed Treleven / host.madison.com:
Bristol Palin's dancing on TV set off man in standoff, complaint says
Bristol Palin's dancing on TV set off man in standoff, complaint says
Discussion:
Speakeasy, theblogprof and Show Tracker
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Behind delayed summit: Republican distrust of President Obama — The roots of the partisan standoff that led to the postponement of the bipartisan White House summit scheduled for Thursday date back to January, when President Barack Obama crashed a GOP meeting in Baltimore to deliver a humiliating rebuke of House Republicans.
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
That's the Story? (#GalacticFail Edition)
That's the Story? (#GalacticFail Edition)
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Impolitic, The Plum Line, Balloon Juice, TPMDC, Gawker, CNN, The Politico, Politics Daily, Wonkette, The Mahablog, No More Mister Nice Blog and Daily Kos
Jordy Yager / The Hill:
Leader of TSA offers pat-downs to senators — The head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offered on Wednesday to have airport screeners come to Capitol Hill to give senators a pat-down so they could fully understand the mechanics of the newly deployed, controversial technique.
Discussion:
Liberty Pundits Blog and AmSpecBlog
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Noah Shachtman / Wall Street Journal:
Has Airport Security Gone Too Far? — Pilots and travelers are rebelling against scanners that douse them with X-rays and reveal their private parts. There must be a better way. — In May, Transportation Security Administration screener Rolando Negrin pummeled a co-worker with his government-issued baton.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, CBS News, Danger Room, Associated Press, Left Coast Rebel, Israel Matzav and Prairie Weather
Joshua Norman / CBS News:
Senators and TSA Defend “Love Pats” at Airports
Senators and TSA Defend “Love Pats” at Airports
Discussion:
Swampland, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, LewRockwell.com Blog and Raw Story
Sean Cockerham / Anchorage Daily News:
Murkowski's lead more than 10,000 votes — Today's review of write-in ballots ended with Sen. Lisa Murkowski enjoying an apparently insurmountable 10,420-vote lead over Joe Miller. — Murkowski also now has collected more votes that went unchallenged by Miller ballot observers than Miller's total vote count.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Politics Daily, The Fix, Associated Press, PostPartisan, Hot Air, Ballot Box, USA Today, Hotline On Call, The Other McCain, Talking Points Memo, Gawker and Outside the Beltway
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Huma Khan / ABCNEWS:
Lisa Murkowski Makes History, Wins Alaska Senate Race
Lisa Murkowski Makes History, Wins Alaska Senate Race
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs and Joe. My. God.
Fhardingj / CNN:
BREAKING: GOP Sen. Murkowski to declare victory in Alaska Senate race
BREAKING: GOP Sen. Murkowski to declare victory in Alaska Senate race
Discussion:
The Politico
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
One Way to Trim Deficit: Cultivate Growth — We look back on the late 1990s as a rare time when the federal government ran budget surpluses. We tend to forget that those surpluses came as a surprise to almost everybody. — As late as 1998, the Congressional Budget Office was predicting a deficit for 1999.
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David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Domenici, Rivlin Offer Another Deficit Commission Report …
Domenici, Rivlin Offer Another Deficit Commission Report …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Ezra Klein, The New Republic, Daily Kos, The Atlantic Online and National Review
Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:
Roger Ailes Lets Rip — In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, the Fox News chief says Obama thinks differently from most Americans, defends Murdoch's GOP donations, and admits Beck sometimes goes too far. — In the media world, as in politics, having a high-profile target can be a very good thing.
David Dayen / news.firedoglake.com:
Reed, Casey Seek One-Year Extension of Unemployment Benefits — Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Bob Casey (D-PA) want the Senate to take up and pass a one-year extension of unemployment insurance benefits from 26 to 99 weeks, but they did not sound hopeful on a conference call that this could get done …
Discussion:
The Washington Independent and ECHIDNE of the snakes
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Steven Pearlstein / Washington Post:
GOP to jobless: Drop dead
GOP to jobless: Drop dead
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Monthly, National Review and Daily Kos
Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:
Fighting the Fed — Sarah Palin is leading conservatives' most sinister campaign to date.
Fighting the Fed — Sarah Palin is leading conservatives' most sinister campaign to date.
Discussion:
TPMDC, National Review, Swampland, Oliver Willis, Weigel and naked capitalism
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
White House backs ‘Four Loko’ ban — The White House on Wednesday threw its support behind a ban on beverages that infuse alcohol and caffeine. — Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske said he welcomed a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would effectively ban drinks like Four Loko and Joost …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and Gawker
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Warren E. Buffett / New York Times:
Pretty Good for Government Work — My mother told me to send thank-you notes promptly. I've been remiss. — Let me remind you why I'm writing. Just over two years ago, in September 2008, our country faced an economic meltdown. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the pillars that supported …
Discussion:
The Big Picture, Mediaite, Felix Salmon, Ezra Klein and ChattahBox News Blog
Fhardingj / CNN:
CNN Poll: Only one-third favor tax cut extension for wealthy — Washington (CNN) - Only a third of all Americans think Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for families regardless of how much money they make, according to a new national poll. — A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Hill, Washington Monthly, The Politico, Hullabaloo, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and AMERICAblog Gay
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Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Democrats Press GOP Lawmakers to Turn Down Government Health Care
Drew Armstrong / Bloomberg:
Insurers Gave U.S. Chamber $86 Million Used to Oppose Obama's Health Law — Health insurers last year gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $86.2 million that was used to oppose the health-care overhaul law, according to tax records and people familiar with the donation.
Aaron Wiener / The Washington Independent:
The Washington Independent, signing off — Nearly three years ago, The Washington Independent was launched as a bold experiment in online journalism. The idea was to combine hard-nosed investigative reporting with all the web had to offer: the nimbleness of real-time coverage …
Discussion:
Weigel, ATTACKERMAN, The Other McCain, Gawker and Oliver Willis, more at Mediagazer »
Kris Kitto / The Hill:
The speaker who speaks softly — John Boehner doesn't yell. — Unlike other powerful Washington insiders, the soon-to-be-Speaker of the House doesn't berate his staff or colleagues. The Ohio Republican has a management style that is unique, one that will be tested repeatedly in the next Congress.
Discussion:
The Politico
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Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Boehner favored as 61st House Speaker on his 61st birthday
Boehner favored as 61st House Speaker on his 61st birthday
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Reid's new chief of staff is also his top donor — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) new chief of staff is a heavy-hitting Democratic donor, who's contributed at least $35,000 to Reid himself. — David Krone, a former Comcast executive and telecommunications lobbyist whom Reid tapped …
Discussion:
PaperTrail Blog
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The Huffington Post:
Michael Bloomberg & Joe Scarborough: The Independent Odd Couple — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — There's no campaign yet, and there may never be, but New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and MSNBC's morning talk-show host Joe Scarborough have begun trying to figure out whether …
Discussion:
Philly.com, Mediaite, City Room, No More Mister Nice Blog, Weigel, New York Magazine, Front Row Washington, Weasel Zippers, Daily Kos, Guardian, Wonkette and Gawker
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ThinkProgress:
Senate Republicans Vote Unanimously Against Bill To Help Guarantee Fair Pay For Women — Our guest blogger is Rebecca Lefton, a Researcher with Progressive Media. — Today, Senate Republicans voted unanimously against legislation to close the pay gap between women and men.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Lez Get Real, nwlc.org, Taylor Marsh, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and ECHIDNE of the snakes