Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Freezing Out Hope — After the Democratic “shellacking” in the midterm elections, everyone wondered how President Obama would respond. Would he show what he was made of? Would he stand firm for the values he believes in, even in the face of political adversity?
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Washington Post:
Obama, GOP in quiet talks to extend tax cuts — The White House and congressional Republicans have begun working behind the scenes toward a broad deal that would prevent taxes from going up for virtually every U.S. family and authorize billions of dollars in fresh spending to bolster the economy.
The Huffington Post:
Harkin: If Obama Caves On Taxes, He Better Pray For Palin In 2012 — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — The sense of frustration among Senate Democrats over the White House's handling of the tax cut debate has grown throughout the week, culminating in a series of articles …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and GOP 12
Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
CBS News Poll: Most Oppose GOP Tax Plan — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Republicans have argued that the midterm elections have given them a mandate on what they are calling one of the most …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Frank: White House ‘gravely mistaken’ in tax cut strategy
Frank: White House ‘gravely mistaken’ in tax cut strategy
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers and Associated Press
Motoko Rich / New York Times:
Disappointing Job Growth in U.S. as Jobless Rate Hits 9.8% — In a significant setback to the recovery and market expectations, the United States economy added just 39,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent, according to the Department of Labor.
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Wall Street Journal:
Economy Added Fewer Jobs Than Expected in November — WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected in November and the unemployment rate rose to its highest level since April, underlining the continued weakness in the labor market 17 months into the recovery.
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Commentary, iOwnTheWorld.com and American Power
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
AWFUL MONTHLY JOBS REPORT SHOULD WAKE UP WASHINGTON. …
AWFUL MONTHLY JOBS REPORT SHOULD WAKE UP WASHINGTON. …
Discussion:
McClatchy Washington Bureau, Crooks and Liars and New York Times
Ezra Klein:
An ugly jobs report
An ugly jobs report
Discussion:
Free exchange, Calculated Risk, The Atlantic Online and The Daily Dish
Erik Wasson / The Hill:
Deficit panel's plan goes down to defeat — In an 11-7 vote, President Obama's fiscal commission on Friday failed to adopt a sweeping plan for reining in the federal budget deficit. — The panel had been working since February on a plan that would cut almost $4 trillion in deficit spending …
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
14 Dems want deficit action despite failed fiscal commission vote
14 Dems want deficit action despite failed fiscal commission vote
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online
Bristol Palin / Facebook:
Mr. Olbermann—Sorry We Can't All Be As Perfect As You — Recently, a left wing commentator named Keith Olbermann attacked me for being a spokesperson for abstinence education and for being an Ambassador for the Candies Foundation, which promotes teen pregnancy awareness and prevention education.
Discussion:
Gawker, Big Journalism, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org blogs, Patterico's Pontifications, Wonkette and JammieWearingFool
Roxana Tiron / The Hill:
Military chiefs advocate keeping 'Don't ask' for now; McCain threatens block — The top Marine Corps, Army and Air Force officers said Friday Congress should not scrap the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy in the near-term, and a key Senate Republican threatened to block a bill containing repeal language from being debated.
Discussion:
FrumForum, Maggie's Farm and New York Times
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Jeff Dunetz / YID With LID:
Helen Thomas is At it Again-Says Those Rich Jews Control America — Proving once again that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, former White House Correspondent Helen Thomas told an anti-Arab-Bias workshop in Dearborn Michigan that she absolutely stands by her ugly comments about Jews …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News, NewsBusters.org blogs, Pajamas Media, Elder of Ziyon and Solomonia
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Niraj Warikoo / Detroit Free Press:
Defiant Helen Thomas defends remarks that led to exit
Defiant Helen Thomas defends remarks that led to exit
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and FrumForum
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Rangel: I don't deal in average American citizens — One might have thought, given all of the handwringing from Capitol Hill last night over the horrors of censuring, that Charlie Rangel would have learned a little humility from the process. For instance, on CNN moments after Nancy Pelosi read aloud …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org blogs and The Daily Caller
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Kerry Picket / Washington Times:
Rangel to TWT: I don't deal in average American citizens (VIDEO)
Rangel to TWT: I don't deal in average American citizens (VIDEO)
Discussion:
Breitbart.tv, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and Pajamas Media
ABCNEWS:
President Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan, Sources Tell ABC News — Visit Comes Amid Backdrop of Wikileaks Report Highlighting Afghan Corruption — President Obama is in Afghanistan on a surprise visit, sources told ABC News' Martha Raddatz. — Obama's surprise trip comes …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Politico, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Gateway Pundit
Andy Kessler / Wall Street Journal:
Time to Shut Down the FCC — More transistors exist today than ever and there is plenty of capacity inside fiber-optic cables and out in the air. What's missing is competition for consumers. — It's time to close the Federal Communications Commission. This week, FCC Chairman Julius …
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James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
The Mystery of John McCain — I have been on the road, got home late tonight (while my wife is traveling elsewhere), and amused myself with.... the C-SPAN rebroadcast of today's Don't Ask Don't Tell Senate hearings. Yes, this is exciting life for a member of The Atlantic's team.
Discussion:
Daniel W. Drezner, The Moderate Voice, Prairie Weather, The Daily Dish and A plain blog about politics
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Igor Volsky / Wonk Room:
McCain Exudes Grumpiness At DADT Hearing
McCain Exudes Grumpiness At DADT Hearing
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, BLACKFIVE, Pam's House Blend, Daily Kos and Open Left
Reuters:
Hillary Clinton says she in her last public job — (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton said on Friday that her current job as U.S. secretary of state was probably her last public position and that she would in future return to her roots as an advocate for women. — Clinton, who has repeatedly …
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Magazine
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Ryan Singel / Threat Level:
Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans' Credit Cards in Real Time — Federal law enforcement agencies have been tracking Americans in real-time using credit cards, loyalty cards and travel reservations without getting a court order, a new document released under a government sunshine request shows.
Discussion:
Classical Values, Outside the Beltway, LewRockwell.com Blog, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
David Brooks / New York Times:
A Tax Reform Vision — I have a vision. — Sometime over the next couple of weeks, President Obama issues a statement that reads: “Over the past several months, Republicans and Democrats have been fighting over what to do with the Bush tax cuts. I have my own views …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, NewsBusters.org blogs, Right Turn, The Huffington Post and EconLog
Marc Lacey / New York Times:
Arizona Cuts Financing for Transplant Patients — PHOENIX — Even physicians with decades of experience telling patients that their lives are nearing an end are having difficulty discussing a potentially fatal condition that has arisen in Arizona: Death by budget cut.
Discussion:
Gawker
Guardian:
Julian Assange answers your questions — The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, answers readers' questions about the release of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables — Fwoggie … Julian Assange: — I am an Australian citizen and I miss my country a great deal.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, msnbc.com, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, techPresident, Gothamist, The Nation and News: News blog, more at Techmeme »
Roger Highfield / Telegraph:
Are we freezing because of global warming? — Climate change could bring Britain ever more extreme weather, says Roger Highfield. — As a blanket of snow settles across the country, train services grind to a halt and roads become impassable, you could be forgiven for thinking that global warming seems more remote than ever.
Discussion:
YID With LID and Right Wing News
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
The Mind in Motion — Going through one of Martin Luther King's assessments of Black Power, and I came across this quote: … King doesn't retreat from his ultimate belief that Black Power is a “nihilistic philosophy.” But what I love here is that there's actual movement in King's writing …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein
Erika Lovley / The Politico:
Women's bathroom in House: $200K — Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner's idea to build a women's bathroom could be a costly proposition. — The incoming Republican House leader proposed plans to build female members a new restroom off the House floor, but the project could cost the taxpayers …
Discussion:
Right Turn, The Confluence and Right Wing News