Top Items:
Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Gibbs to Leave as White House Press Secretary — Updated Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and close confidante to President Obama, said Wednesday that he will step down and become an outside political adviser to the president and his re-election campaign.
Discussion:
Political Punch, USA Today, The Hill, Hot Air, Economix, Mediaite, The Note, The Impolitic, The Politico, Pam's House Blend, The Atlantic Online, Sister Toldjah, Washington Monthly, Swampland, TPMDC, Washington Post, AOL News, CANNONFIRE, Left Coast Rebel, Ballot Box, Wonkette, RedState, Emptywheel, Weasel Zippers, Fox Nation, The Fix, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, BLACKFIVE, Hotline On Call, AmSpecBlog, New York Magazine, Weigel, Atlas Shrugs, Gawker and Towleroad News #gay, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Howard Dean endorses Daley for chief of staff, rips White House — Former DNC chairman and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Wednesday that William Daley would be a “huge plus” for the Obama administration if he is tapped to be the president's new chief of staff.
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, The Nation, Weasel Zippers and TPMDC
Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
Howard Dean on Tea Party: ‘Last Gasp of the 55-Year-Old Generation’ — Speaking to reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning, former Vermont governor and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Dr. Howard Dean shared his thoughts on the Tea Party.
Discussion:
Fausta's Blog, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Fox Nation and Nice Deb
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Daley visits White House, renewing chief of staff speculation
Daley visits White House, renewing chief of staff speculation
Discussion:
The Politico
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:
Administration reverses on end-of-life counseling
Administration reverses on end-of-life counseling
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog and National Review
Robert Pear / New York Times:
U.S. Alters Rule on Paying for End-of-Life Planning — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday.
Discussion:
Cubachi, Washington Post, Conservatives4Palin, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Don Surber, National Review, The Plum Line, Right Turn, Weasel Zippers, Politics Daily, JustOneMinute, Connecting.the.Dots, Liberty Pundits Blog, Outside the Beltway, Pirate's Cove, Ezra Klein, Hullabaloo, Shakesville, AMERICAblog News, The Incidental Economist, Da Techguy's Blog, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The BLT and The Politico
RELATED:
Juli Weiner / Vanity Fair:
Republicans to Spend $1.1 Million Reciting Constitution on House Floor
Republicans to Spend $1.1 Million Reciting Constitution on House Floor
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News and Raw Story
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
New team, same rules
New team, same rules
Discussion:
The Caucus, Washington Monthly, The Hill and American Spectator
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO BREAK KEY PROMISE ON DAY 1. …
HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO BREAK KEY PROMISE ON DAY 1. …
Discussion:
CNN, ThinkProgress, PERRspectives and Bankrupting America
Ezra Klein:
A very smart speech by Speaker Boehner — If you spent the afternoon watching C-SPAN, as I did, you heard applause. A lot of it. Over and over again. And when John Boehner took the podium to be sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives, it swelled back up, and stayed there.
Discussion:
PostPartisan, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Dish, Hot Air and Prairie Weather
RELATED:
The Politico:
19 Democrats vote against Nancy Pelosi — Nearly 20 Democrats abandoned their party's pick for speaker of the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a sign of their concerns about supporting the unpopular former speaker and of the difficulty she will have in marshaling her forces …
Discussion:
CNN, Michelle Malkin, The Note, The Caucus, The Hill, GayPatriot, Big Government, Wake up America, The Impolitic, Weasel Zippers, Balloon Juice and ABCNEWS
Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:
19 Democrats Oppose Pelosi's Bid for Speaker
19 Democrats Oppose Pelosi's Bid for Speaker
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay
Catalina Camia / USA Today:
House elects Boehner as speaker
House elects Boehner as speaker
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Truthdig
John R. Parkinson / ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: President Michele Bachmann? — Sources: Tea Party Favorite Is Mulling a Presidential Bid in 2012 — Forget the fervent chatter speculating that Tea Party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann is considering launching a campaign to challenge Sen. Amy Klobuchar for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat …
Discussion:
Ballot Box, TPMDC, Politics Daily, The Politico, Left Coast Rebel, New York Magazine, Hot Air, SpyTalk, AOL News, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Right Pundits, Salon, Conservatives4Palin, Comments from Left Field, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Plum Line, Derek Wallbank, CNN, Wonkette, Towleroad News #gay, The Note, Washington Monthly, neo-neocon, ThinkProgress, Joe. My. God., Indecision Forever, National Review, Outside the Beltway and GOP 12
RELATED:
Garance Franke-Ruta / The Atlantic Online:
Michele Bachmann for President?
Michele Bachmann for President?
Discussion:
PostPartisan and The Daily Caller
Sean Higgins / Investor's Business Daily:
Hoyer: Tea Party People Come From Unhappy Families — On the eve of his demotion by voters from House Majority Leader to House Minority Whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Hoyer offered this insight into the psychology of the Tea Party movement: … So, there you have it.
Discussion:
Gates of Vienna, Fox Nation, Weasel Zippers, Right Pundits, Hot Air and National Review
RELATED:
CNN:
Tea Party leaders not swayed by Lugar meeting
Tea Party leaders not swayed by Lugar meeting
Discussion:
Ballot Box, Hotline On Call and National Review
Henri Paget / ninemsn:
KFC employee screams insults at customer — A worker at a KFC restaurant in Sydney has been suspended after he was filmed screaming vicious insults and threatening to attack a customer. — The violent outburst happened at a Halal-friendly KFC in Punchbowl on December 26 …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Andrew Bolt, American Power and Tim Blair
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Here it is: The filibuster reform package! — Here's a copy of the filibuster reform resolution that Senate Democrats will introduce later today, sent over by an aide to Tom Udall, one of the key Senators driving this campaign. — While the broad outlines of the proposal were already public …
Discussion:
TPMDC, Crooks and Liars, Big Think, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, RedState and A plain blog about politics
RELATED:
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Ben Nelson on filibuster: ‘The last thing we need to do is start changing rules’
Ben Nelson on filibuster: ‘The last thing we need to do is start changing rules’
Discussion:
The Note, Omaha World-Herald, Washington Monthly, Firedoglake and Grist
Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:
GOP Rep. Mulvaney, Against Raising Debt Ceiling, Admits He Doesn't ‘Know’ What Will Happen If It Isn't Raised — In recent weeks, a number of high-profile Republicans have stated their intention to vote against any increase to the U.S. debt limit. From Sen. Mike Lee (UT) to Rep. Michelle Bachmann …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Balloon Juice and George's Bottom Line
RELATED:
James Hamilton / Econbrowser:
Debt ceiling politics
Debt ceiling politics
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Commentary, Clusterstock and The Daily Dish
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Post-Midterm Approval Ratings Don't Predict Re-Election Chances — Barack Obama got some good news to start his new year: his Gallup approval rating ticked up to 50 percent yesterday, against 42 percent disapproval. That's the first time it has been at the 50 percent threshold since early June.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, Prairie Weather, The Fix and Gallup
Philly.com:
Man found in landfill tied to arson attempt — Source: John P. Wheeler 3d planted incendiary devices at a neighbor's home in Del. days before his disappearance. — Police in Delaware have discovered evidence that a former Pentagon aide may have been involved in an attempted arson days before his murder …
Discussion:
delawareonline, The Politico, Raw Story, Gawker, Mediaite, TPMMuckraker and Talking Points Memo
Ezra Klein:
Repealing health-care reform would cost hundreds of billions of dollars — and Eric Cantor knows it — House Republicans are in a pickle: One of their new rules says that new legislation must be paid for. But the health-care bill reduces the federal deficit by more than $100 billion over the next 10 years.
Naomi Wolf / Guardian:
Julian Assange's sex-crime accusers deserve to be named — The shielding of sex-crime accusers is a Victorian relic. Women are moral adults and should be treated as such — As Swedish prosecutors' sex-crime allegations against Julian Assange play out, one aspect of the case merits serious scrutiny.
Discussion:
Samizdata.net, Harry's Place and Shakesville
Aftenposten:
S E C R E T TEL AVIV 002447 — NEA/IPA INR/TNC TREASURY FOR GLASER, D. — E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2018 TAGS: PREL, KPAL, KTFN, EFIN, IS SUBJECT: CASHLESS IN GAZA? — REF: A. 10/22/08 AGOR-BURNETT HOLMSTROM ET. AL. E-MAIL B. TEL AVIV 2144 C. TEL AVIV 2291 D. TEL AVIV 1742 E. TEL …
Discussion:
The Lede, msnbc.com, Informed Comment, Obsidian Wings and Open Left
Tim Kane / The Atlantic Online:
Why Our Best Officers Are Leaving — Why are so many of the most talented officers now abandoning military life for the private sector? An exclusive survey of West Point graduates shows that it's not just money. Increasingly, the military is creating a command structure that rewards conformism and ignores merit.
Paul Krugman:
Fiscal Shock — I see that the Washington Post editorial board is shocked, shocked to discover that the incoming Republicans aren't serious about deficit reduction. Who could have suspected? — I was going to be snarky all the way here, but actually let's be serious …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Open Left, The Huffington Post and Suburban Guerrilla
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Democratic Party ID Drops in 2010, Tying 22-Year Low — Democrats still outnumber Republicans, while independent identification increases — PRINCETON, NJ — In 2010, 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, down five percentage points from just two years ago and tied …
Discussion:
Politics Daily and Right Turn
Political Correction RSS:
GOP Budget Chairman Paul Ryan: “I Can't Tell You The Answer” To Specific Spending Cuts — 3 hours and 30 minutes ago — Matt Finkelstein — This morning on NBC, incoming House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) discussed the spending cuts that Republicans plan to enact in the new Congress.
Discussion:
The New Republic, Daily Kos and Eschaton
Michael Klein / Philly.com:
Trial set for firing over use of ‘n’ word — A federal jury will be asked to decide whether it is acceptable for an African American person, but not a white person, to use the “n” word in a workplace. — U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick has ruled that former Fox29 reporter-anchor …
Discussion:
Vox Popoli and protein wisdom
Nick Rowe / Worthwhile Canadian Initiative:
Robots, slaves, horses, and Malthus — I think this is the model that Karl Smith has in mind. — Assume robots are the same as humans. Robots can do all the work that humans can do. Robots need the same amount of energy/food to stay functioning as humans do, but robots themselves …
Discussion:
Grasping Reality …