memeorandum: U.S. Proposes Rules on Raising Insurance Premiums (Robert Pear/New York Times)

5:00 PM ET, December 21, 2010

Top Items:

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Conservative bloggers agree: Haley Barbour is toast — I noted here yesterday that the real problem with Haley Barbour's comments about the Citizens Councils is that they show an unwillingness to avoid urinating on the third rail of race. Today several conservative bloggers came …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, neo-neocon, New York Magazine, PostPartisan, The Daily Beast, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, FrumForum, The Caucus, Politics Daily, New York Times, Yglesias and Democracy in America

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Barbour clarifies: Citizens councils ‘indefensible’ — Haley Barbour responds to a day of criticism of his statements on race with an explanation of the comment that has drawn the most fire: — When asked why my hometown in Mississippi did not suffer the same racial violence when I was a young man …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Little Green Footballs, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, TPMMuckraker, Salon, Colorlines, National Review, TPMDC, USA Today, Da Techguy's Blog and Swampland

Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Haley Barbour, Take Two — Ben Smith of Politico finds …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online, The Daily Dish, The Note, Hot Air, msnbc.com, Salon, American Prospect, Main page collection, Betsy's Page, Ben Smith's Blog, Swampland, Politics Daily, No More Mister Nice Blog and JustOneMinute

Brett / Majority In Mississippi:
Barbour's Speech From Philadelphia In 2004

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and The Politico

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Haley Barbour: How he hurt himself (and how he can come back)

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Politics Daily, The Note and Hullabaloo

New York Times:

Census Data Show Regional Shift in U.S. — WASHINGTON — The Census Bureau rearranged the country's political map on Tuesday, giving more Congressional seats to the South and the West, and taking away from the Northeast and the Midwest, in largely anticipated changes that will have far reaching implications …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, National Review, New York Magazine, City Room, Yglesias, Booman Tribune, Wonkette and American Power

Slate:

Ohio -2 — Pennsylvania -1 — This is about as bad as it could get for Democrats, and as good as it could get for Republicans. The next GOP presidential candidate gets six free electoral votes from South Carolina, Texas, Utah. The Democratic caucus in the House is about to see internal warfare …

Discussion: Associated Press, A plain blog about politics, TPMDC and The Daily Dish

Fox News:
Eight States in South, West to Gain House Seats Based on 2010 Census Results

Discussion: The Politico, The Gateway Pundit, PoliPundit.com, Pat Dollard, AOL News, alicublog, Swampland and This Just In

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Reapportionment costs Obama 6, leaves path

Discussion: Swampland and FrumForum

Shane D'Aprile / The Hill:
Census data offers Republicans the chance to solidify hold on House

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Politico, The Sundries Shack, National Review, Ben Smith's Blog, Hot Air and Gawker

Jim O'Sullivan / NationalJournal.com: In New Maps, ‘An Embarrassment of Riches’ for GOP

Ezra Klein:
Who does the census help?

Discussion: Wake up America and Guardian

Cecilia Kang / Post Tech:

FCC passes first net neutrality rules — update: 3:23 p.m. with statement of support from President Obama, plans for Congressional hearings from House Republicans. — The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to approve its first ever Internet access regulation …

Discussion: Politics Daily, The Huffington Post, GigaOM, Outside the Beltway, Blue Wave News, Hot Air, AT&T Public Policy Blog and The Page

Sara Jerome / The Hill:

FCC commissioners ratify net neutrality, fulfilling Obama pledge — After nearly a decade of battle, the Federal Communications Commission approved contentious net-neutrality regulations on Tuesday over the strong objections of two Republican commissioners.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers and Pirate's Cove

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
F.C.C. Approves Net Rules and Braces for Fight

Discussion: Firedoglake, Tech Daily Dose, New York Times, TechCrunch, Little Green Footballs, Wake up America, CableTechTalk and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »

The Politico:
FCC approves Net neutrality rules

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Ben Smith's Blog, The Moderate Voice, Epicenter, Colorlines, The Hill, Engadget and Geekosystem, more at Techmeme »

Meredith Attwell Baker / Washington Post:
Hands off tomorrow's Internet

Discussion: CNN, Shopfloor, Technology Liberation Front, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and Wall Street Journal

Manu Raju / The Politico:

Coburn may block 9/11 bill — New York Democrats hoping for quick action on a bill to give health care compensation to Ground Zero workers are about to run into Tom Coburn. — The Oklahoma Republican and physician — known in the Senate as “Dr. No” for his penchant in blocking bills …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Wire, The Note, The Hill, Firedoglake, PointOfLaw Forum, Raw Story, The Plum Line, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Monthly and TPMDC

Jillian Rayfield / TPM LiveWire: Shep Smith Names Every GOPer Who Wouldn't Talk 9/11 Bill With Him

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Coburn Will Block 9/11 First Responders Bill, Potentially Killing …

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Magazine, The Hill, Daily Kos and Crooks and Liars

Glynnis MacNicol / The Wire:
Shep Smith Names Every Single Republican Who Refused To Come …

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Lindsey Graham: Senate owes Jon Kyl an apology for moving forward with New START — Look, I get that being an elected member of the world's greatest deliberative body is a really awesome gig, with lots of perks — secret holds, Senators-only elevators — that encourage a rather outsized view of the importance of individual Senators.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Times, Wonk Room, Daily Kos, Foreign Policy and ThinkProgress

Alexander Bolton / The Hill: Senate votes to advance START; treaty on course for approval

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Graham: GOP to blame for ‘capitulation ... of dramatic proportions’ in lame-duck

Discussion: TPMDC

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:
New START clears vote threshold; Kyl won't admit defeat

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Atlantic Online, Eunomia, Commentary and National Review

George Monbiot / Guardian:

That snow is what global warming looks like — Unusually cold winters may make you think scientists have got it all wrong. But the data reveal a chilling truth — There were two silent calls, followed by a message left on my voicemail. She had a soft, gentle voice and a mid-Wales accent.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Examiner, Left Coast Rebel, Pajamas Media, Pirate's Cove, EU Referendum, The Mahablog, neo-neocon and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Anthony Watts / Watts Up With That?:
Australia's white summer, Monbiot's red fury

Discussion: blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Fausta's Blog and TigerHawk

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

WHITE HOUSE EXTENDS WELL-DESERVED PRAISE TO JON STEWART.... It's too soon to say for sure whether Republican obstructionism will kill the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The supermajority appears to be coming together, and Senate Democrats are keeping the pressure on …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, NY Daily News and Slate

The Hill:
For Obama, START treaty is ‘personal’

Discussion: The Caucus, ABCNEWS, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, CNN, Washington Monthly, Prairie Weather and Daily Kos

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
White House praises Jon Stewart for plugging bill to help 9/11 responders

Discussion: The Plum Line

Larry David / New York Times:

Thanks for the Tax Cut! — THERE is a God! It passed! The Bush tax cuts have been extended two years for the upper bracketeers, of which I am a proud member, thank you very much. I'm the last person in the world I'd want to be beside, but I am beside myself! This is a life changer, I tell you.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Left Coast Rebel, Mediaite, NPR Blogs and PopEater

Sara A. Carter / Washington Examiner:

Afghan sex practices concern U.S., British forces — A document released by WikiLeaks described efforts by high-ranking Afghan officials to quash reports of police officers and other Afghans arrested for “purchasing a service from a child.” — The leaked diplomatic cable quoted former Minister …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and iOwnTheWorld.com

Lbentzterp / CNN:

Specter issues parting blow to Roberts, Alito — (CNN) - Sen. Arlen Specter, the outgoing Pennsylvania Republican-turned-Democrat, directed a parting blow Tuesday to members of the Supreme Court's conservative bloc. — In his final speech on the Senate floor, Specter …

Discussion: The Politico, Law Blog and Althouse

New York Times:

U.S. Military Seeks to Expand Raids in Pakistan — WASHINGTON — Senior American military commanders in Afghanistan are pushing for an expanded campaign of Special Operations ground raids across the border into Pakistan's tribal areas, a risky strategy reflecting the growing frustration …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Nation, democracyarsenal.org, Main page collection, BLACKFIVE, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, RealClearWorld, Prairie Weather and New York Magazine

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The NYT spills key military secrets on its front page

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

Marine Corps commandant has to go — I am a fan of the old World War II movies, the ones where the platoon was composed of typical Americans, Hollywood-style. There was a guy named Farmer and one called Preacher and another called Brooklyn (who was killed shortly after receiving a salami from home) …

Discussion: SWJ Blog, AmSpecBlog and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Cassy Fiano / The Greenroom:
Hysterics Over DADT Repeal Are An Insult To The Military

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, Associated Press, National Review, BLACKFIVE and Shakesville

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

A SENATOR SCORNED.... Quick quiz — only one Republican senator has sided with Democrats on DADT repeal, the tax deal, New START cloture, and the DREAM Act in the lame-duck session. Who was it? — The obvious guesses would likely be Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), or Scott Brown (R-Mass.).

Discussion: Hotline On Call and Pat Dollard

Daily Mail:

Harry Potter actress was beaten and branded a prostitute by her brother after dating man ‘who was not a Muslim’ — A Harry Potter actress fled her home after her father and brother threatened to kill her for going out with a Hindu man, a court heard yesterday.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, The Gateway Pundit, Patterico's Pontifications and Weasel Zippers

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

The RNC food fight everyone saw coming — Jonathan Martin wrote months ago that Republican leaders feared that dumping Michael Steele would lead to a racially charged food fight, and, well, here we go, as former Steele aide and current rival Gentry Collins looks to shake up the race and pick …

Discussion: CNN, ThinkProgress and Wonkette

ArtsBeat:

Actor Injured in Fall During ‘Spider-Man’ Performance — An actor playing Spider-Man was injured during a performance of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” on Monday night. Above, an image from a video taken by a New York Times reader. — Updated