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?
Discussion:
Brilliant at Breakfast, CANNONFIRE, Left Coast Rebel, Commentary, Shot in the Dark, Washington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Confluence, The New Republic, Prairie Weather, Taylor Marsh, Suburban Guerrilla, AMERICAblog News, Balloon Juice, Connecting.the.Dots, Riehl World View, The Impolitic, The Huffington Post and The Hill
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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:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Monthly, Guardian, PERRspectives, Washington Post and GOP 12
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.
Brad Reed / Crooks and Liars:
Dear Democrats, please, please, please don't eff this up
Dear Democrats, please, please, please don't eff this up
Discussion:
Washington Post and Squawk Box
John Stanton / Roll Call:
Menendez Likens Tax Fight to Negotiating With Terrorists
Menendez Likens Tax Fight to Negotiating With Terrorists
Discussion:
National Review
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, The Note and Weasel Zippers
Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
CBS Poll Finds Only 46 Percent Of Republicans Support GOP's Stand …
CBS Poll Finds Only 46 Percent Of Republicans Support GOP's Stand …
Discussion:
CBS News, Boston Globe and Washington Post
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Can we please have some nuance? — It's being widely reported right now that at the Senate hearings this morning, the Service Chiefs issued very stark warnings against repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. And it's true that Army Chief of Staff George Casey and U.S. Marine Corps Commandant James Amos …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and The Daily Dish
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Scott Brown comes out in favor of DADT repeal — This is potentially important. The statement just out from Senator Scott Brown's office: … A few quick points on this. First, it shows beyond doubt — as I thought would happen — that Robert Gates's handling of this whole affair …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and AMERICAblog Gay
Roxana Tiron / The Hill:
Military chiefs advocate keeping 'Don't ask' for now; McCain threatens block
Military chiefs advocate keeping 'Don't ask' for now; McCain threatens block
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Maggie's Farm, FrumForum and New York Times
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Sen. Brown offers key support for 'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal
Sen. Brown offers key support for 'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Towleroad News #gay
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Scott Brown Announces Support for Repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”
Scott Brown Announces Support for Repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”
Discussion:
Omaha World-Herald, Hullabaloo and Open Left
Steve Kornacki / Salon:
Is Scott Brown boxed in on DADT?
Is Scott Brown boxed in on DADT?
Discussion:
scottbrown.senate.gov, Pam's House Blend and The Daily Dish
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.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Economy Added Fewer Jobs Than Expected in November
Economy Added Fewer Jobs Than Expected in November
Discussion:
Commentary, Washington Wire, 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
Chusa / ConservativeHome's Survey blog:
The top ten pundits among Republican activists — 1,152 Republican activists, as identified by YouGov America and polled by ConservativeHome.com, have chosen their favorite pundits. — These pundits, more than any other, will be the talking heads who will influence the choice of the GOP's nominee for 2012.
Discussion:
Lean Left, The Other McCain, The Enterprise Blog and The Daily Dish
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 …
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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 …
RELATED:
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Ron Paul stands up for Julian Assange — Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange's few defenders in Washington, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should get the same protections as the media. — Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, Ben Smith's Blog and Lawfare
RELATED:
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.
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Hillary Clinton: State is ‘last’ public post — Hillary Clinton says, ‘I think I will serve as secretary of state as my last public position.’ — Secretary of state will be Hillary Clinton's “last public position,” she said Friday, yet again tamping down speculation that she's plotting …
RELATED:
Reuters:
Hillary Clinton says she in her last public job
Hillary Clinton says she in her last public job
Discussion:
The Hill, Mediaite, Wonkette and New York Magazine
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 …
RELATED:
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:
Big Journalism, Gawker, NewsBusters.org blogs, Weasel Zippers, Wonkette, Patterico's Pontifications and JammieWearingFool
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:
Washington Monthly, The Incidental Economist, The Reality-Based Community and Gawker
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.
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, FT Alphaville, Right Turn, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Huffington Post and EconLog
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:
Washington Times, NewsBusters.org blogs, Breitbart.tv, The Daily Caller and Pajamas Media
Enid Nemy / New York Times:
Elaine Kaufman, Who Fed the Famous, Dies at 81 — Elaine Kaufman, who became something of a symbol of New York as the salty den mother of Elaine's, one of Manhattan's best-known restaurants and a second home for almost half a century to a bevy of writers, actors, athletes and other celebrities, died Friday at Lenox Hill Hospital.
Discussion:
City Room and Gothamist, more at Mediagazer »