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Obama: On the way to a failed presidency? — Ronald Reagan famously quipped that the Democratic Party left him before he left the party. Like many progressive supporters of Barack Obama, I'm beginning to have the same feeling about this president. — Consider what we've seen since …
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The Deal — So the tax deal is out. Obama extracted some concessions, with the big surprise being a payroll tax cut. How much better do these concessions make the thing? — Well, for starters we have the two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts. As I pointed out yesterday …
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The Politico, Greg Mankiw's Blog, Free exchange, The Huffington Post, The Note, CNN, Rortybomb, TPMDC, ThinkProgress, AmSpecBlog, The Reality-Based Community, Pajamas Media, Ezra Klein, Real Time Economics, The New Republic, Swampland, New Deal 2.0, Ben Smith's Blog, Arkansas Blog, Peter Daou and Lawyers, Guns & Money


How the White House cut its deal and lost its base — If you look at the numbers alone, the tax cut deal looks to have robbed Republicans blind. The GOP got around $95 billion in tax cuts for wealthy Americans and $30 billion in estate tax cuts. Democrats got $120 billion in payroll-tax cuts …
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Zandar Versus The Stupid and The New Republic

Obama Defiant in Defending Tax-Cut Plan as ‘Good Deal’ — WASHINGTON — President Obama, facing a Democratic revolt over his tax accord with Republicans, defended the package on Tuesday, saying his party's lawmakers ought to support it as a “good deal for the American people” …

Senior White House Official: ‘We Wanted a Fight,’ too. Congressional Dems 'Wouldn't Throw a Punch' — Vice President Biden heads to Capitol Hill today to lobby Senate Democrats to support the tax cut compromise, as President Obama faces criticism from congressional Democrats …

Sen. Durbin: Dems could ‘walk out’ on tax cut deal — A bloc of Senate Democrats could decide not to support a White House-brokered deal on tax cuts and unemployment benefits, thereby putting the plan in danger, according to the second-ranking Senate Democrat.
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The Hill, Roll Call, Outside the Beltway, Ben Smith's Blog, CNN, Wonkette, James Pethokoukis, Washington Monthly and Right Turn

Mary Landrieu: ‘Obama-McConnell’ Plan Is ‘Almost Morally Corrupt’ — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — Sen. Mary Landrieu, a conservative Democratic from Louisiana, lashed out Tuesday at President Obama's deal with congressional Republicans that allows tax cuts for the wealthy to be extended for two years.
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Ben Smith's Blog, Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, Colorlines, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Daily Kos

Tax Deal Opponents Shut Down White House Phones — Liberal activists angry about President Barack Obama's concession on tax cuts for upper-income Americans crashed two phone lines at the White House and are gearing up for another onslaught of calls to Senate Democratic leaders in an eleventh-hour push to kill the deal.
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Raw Story

Obama sells out the left: a Republican win on taxes — There really is no other way to say it: the Republicans won, the liberal Democrats lost, and the president sided with the Republicans. The subject, of course, is an agreement to extend all the Bust tax cuts.
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NY Daily News, Cato @ Liberty, The Daily Beast, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Washington Wire, PoliPundit.com, Economix, National Review, The Politico, RedState, The Daily Caller, Betsy's Page, iOwnTheWorld.com, Classical Values, The Foundry, New York Magazine, JustOneMinute and The Other McCain

Pelosi escalates criticism of tax-cut deal — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) escalated the Democratic criticism of the tax cut deal President Obama struck with Republicans and singled out the GOP-favored estate tax proposal as “a bridge too far.” — Pelosi, speaking to reporters …
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National Review and FrumForum

Poll: Obama supporters strongly opposed to deal extending Bush tax cuts
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NationalJournal.com, Power Line, Slate, The Atlantic Online, TPMDC, Hot Air, Little Green Footballs and Eunomia

Tax deal a good, not great, bargain for Republicans
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Outside the Beltway, Commentary, South Capitol Street, msnbc.com and driftglass

Bush tax cuts just 37 percent of the total deal
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The New Republic

Landrieu: ‘Obama-McConnell Plan’
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Taegan Goddard's … and Cafe Hayek

Pelosi attacks Obama-GOP tax plan as House Dems signal fight
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The Hill, Pundits Blog, PERRspectives, Daily Kos and The Page

Left sees tax surrender, says Obama reelection bid now crippled
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CNNMoney.com, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Washington Post, Commentary and The Note

Dem Vows Filibuster of Obama Tax Deal
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The Atlantic Online, CNN and The Politico

President Obama takes on deal's Democratic critics
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Hot Air, The Daily Caller, CNN, The Daily Dish and New York Times

Tax-cut deal has liberal Democrats fuming
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The Politico, The Fix, ThinkProgress, Associated Press and PostPartisan


The Wikileaks sex files: How two one-night stands sparked a worldwide hunt for Julian Assange — A winter morning in backwoods Scandinavia and the chime of a church bell drifts across the snowbound town of Enkoping. Does it also toll for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange?
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British Court Denies Bail to Assange — LONDON — Julian Assange, the founder of the beleaguered WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group, was denied bail by a London court on Tuesday after he was arrested on a Swedish extradition warrant for questioning in connection with alleged sex offenses.
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Anti-WikiLeaks lies and propaganda - from TNR, Lauer, Feinstein and more
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WikiLeaks: US Senator Joe Lieberman suggests New York Times could be investigated
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Don't shoot messenger for revealing uncomfortable truths
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NPR, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, Guardian, Examiner and The Nation, more at Techmeme »

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London
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Julian Assange Captured by World's Dating Police
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Associated Press, The Awl, Raw Story and AMERICAblog News


Cancer claims Elizabeth Edwards — Elizabeth Edwards, author of ‘Saving Graces’ , greets and autographs copies of her book for the community in 2006. — Elizabeth Anania Edwards, who became a national figure in her fight against cancer and as a partner in her husband John's political career, died today.
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Taegan Goddard's …, Crooks and Liars, Taylor Marsh and Mediaite
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Obama administers a stern scolding to lefty critics — I noted this morning that Obama's strategy going forward will be to position himself as Washington's lone resident adult in a town full of squabbling children on right and left, and at his presser just now, Obama offered a surprisingly stern …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Ben Smith's Blog

Palin Success Triggered FCC Complaints — Voting, hug angered “Dancing with the Stars” viewers … In the days after Bristol Palin was voted into the finals of “Dancing with the Stars,” viewers from across the country wrote to the Federal Communications Commission accusing the ABC show …
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Cubachi, Don Surber, Mediaite and Liberty Pundits Blog
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Rebuffed by Sarah Palin, tea party group picks Saul Anuzis
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USA Today


GOP taps Hal Rogers for House Appropriates Committee Chair — House Republicans have tapped Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) to be chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, setting up an old bull appropriator with a history of earmarking to deliver on the anti-spending tea party platform that carried the GOP to victory this fall.
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So much for bipartisanship: Obama calls GOP “hostage-takers,” Boehner a “bomb-thrower;” attacks lib critics, too — President Obama looks haggard and peeved and petulant at his White House press briefing on the tax deal, still underway as I type. — Exuding his typical gracelessness …
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The Right Scoop, Pundit & Pundette, National Review, RedState, Nice Deb and Commentary
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Christie's bully act getting old — Two years ago, when Chris Christie announced he was running for governor, he dismissed questions about his days as the Godzilla freeholder — when he breathed fire on almost every issue, insulted Morris County colleagues and needlessly stomped on countless toes.
Discussion:
Salon


Shanghai Test Scores Stun Educators — With China's debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.


Tax and Unemployment Agreement Leads to Jobs Growth — Agreement Will Create or Save 2.2 Million Jobs Despite Wasteful Tax Policies — A job seeker fills out an application while attending a job fair in Livonia, MI. The Obama administration clearly had its eye on job creation …
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Yglesias, ThinkProgress, Wonk Room, Economix, Washington Monthly, Democracy in America, Ezra Klein and The Politico