Top Items:
Reuters:
Anti-Nancy Pelosi vote looms — House Democrats are closely watching who votes against Rep. Nancy Pelosi during the floor session that officially taps the next speaker of the House — a roll call that may show some lingering anti-Pelosi sentiment among a handful of Democrats.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Note, The Politico, Weasel Zippers and The Caucus
RELATED:
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Republicans Lower Goal for Cuts to Budget — WASHINGTON — Many people knowledgeable about the federal budget said House Republicans could not keep their campaign promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending in a single year. Now it appears that Republicans agree.
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Wall Street Journal, Rasmussen Reports, Bankrupting America, Reuters, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller, AOL News, The Other McCain, The Hill, The New Republic, New York Magazine, George's Bottom Line, The Hill, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway and TPMDC
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
As Boehner Ascends, His Power Comes With Caveats — WASHINGTON — Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio is set to complete a remarkable political revival Wednesday when he becomes the 61st speaker of the House, placing him squarely at the crossroads between the desires of conservative activists …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO BREAK KEY PROMISE ON DAY 1.... When House Republican leaders unveiled their Pledge to America in September, it included a pretty striking promise to voters — if elected, the GOP majority would “roll back government spending” by “at least $100 billion in the first year alone.”
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 O'Brien / The Hill:
Boehner, congressional leaders change Twitter titles in web change-of-power
Boehner, congressional leaders change Twitter titles in web change-of-power
Brobinson / Fox Nation:
Speaker Pelosi Leaves With a Whopper
Speaker Pelosi Leaves With a Whopper
Discussion:
Hot Air, theblogprof, Cold Fury, Wake up America, Michelle Malkin, TigerHawk, The Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, Weasel Zippers and Doug Ross
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Erik Wasson / The Hill:
House Republicans back away from pledge to cut $100 billion from budget
House Republicans back away from pledge to cut $100 billion from budget
Discussion:
Yglesias and National Review
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
GOP congressional leaders are acting a lot like their predecessors
GOP congressional leaders are acting a lot like their predecessors
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Washington Monthly, American Spectator, The Politico, Firedoglake and Prairie Weather
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda
In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Caucus, The Incidental Economist, Online NewsHour, Hot Air, The Other McCain and The BLT
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Happy 112th Congress — Speaker Boehner: 'This is the people's …
Happy 112th Congress — Speaker Boehner: 'This is the people's …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, The Page and News Desk
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, Washington Monthly, Ballot Box, Sister Toldjah, The Politico, Left Coast Rebel, Swampland, Fox Nation, CANNONFIRE, The Fix, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Impolitic, AOL News, Hotline On Call, Wonkette, RedState, Emptywheel, Weigel, BLACKFIVE, TPMDC, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, AmSpecBlog, 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, Weasel Zippers and TPMDC
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Robert Gibbs will leave job as White House press secretary
Robert Gibbs will leave job as White House press secretary
Discussion:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Nation, Weasel Zippers and TPMDC
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.
RELATED:
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:
Administration reverses on end-of-life counseling
Administration reverses on end-of-life counseling
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog and National Review
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:
Politics Daily, The Atlantic Online, TPMDC, SpyTalk, Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, Salon, ThinkProgress, The Note, New York Magazine, Conservatives4Palin, Comments from Left Field, Wonkette, Towleroad News #gay, Indecision Forever, National Review, Outside the Beltway, GOP 12 and Joe. My. God.
CNN:
Tea Party leaders not swayed by Lugar meeting — Washington (CNN) - Hoping to head off a primary challenge from the right, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, sat down with Tea Party leaders last month but did little to persuade them of his conservative credentials.
Discussion:
Ballot Box and National Review
RELATED:
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:
Right Pundits and National Review
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
How the Tea Party's fetish for the Constitution as written may get it in trouble.
How the Tea Party's fetish for the Constitution as written may get it in trouble.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Politics Daily, Don Surber, The Plum Line and The Atlantic Online
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.
Warren P. Strobel / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
WikiLeaks: ‘Voluptuous’ nurse cable costs diplomat his job — WASHINGTON — In what appears to be the first diplomatic casualty from the latest WikiLeaks revelations, the U.S. ambassador to Libya has returned to Washington and is likely to leave his post, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Discussion:
AOL News, The Politico, New York Magazine and Guardian
Myglesias / Yglesias:
Biting the Bullet on Majority Rule — Ruth Marcus says filibuster reformers should watch what we wish for: … This is the most frequent objection I hear to Senator Udall's proposal, but I don't think it makes sense. The 113th Senate will change the rules to adopt a majority voting procedure …
RELATED:
Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
Be careful what you wish for on filibusters, Democrats
Be careful what you wish for on filibusters, Democrats
Discussion:
RedState, The Daily Caller, Swampland and Right Turn
Aharding / CNN:
Gingrich and Santorum heading to South Carolina — Washington (CNN) - Two Republicans increasingly likely to seek the White House in 2012 are returning to South Carolina this month to court key constituencies. — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will address the Grand Strand Business Association in Myrtle Beach next Wednesday.
Discussion:
GOP 12
RELATED:
Aharding / CNN:
More signals Santorum is preparing for a White House run
More signals Santorum is preparing for a White House run
Discussion:
The Politico and The Note
Ezra Klein:
The incumbent's advantage — In theory, I'm the perfect customer for the Nissan Leaf. I don't drive frequently. I don't need a car with much space. I never need to go farther than 100 miles at a time. — But the Nissan Leaf wouldn't work for me at all, as I don't own a garage …
Discussion:
Slate
David Harsanyi / Denver Post:
The Constitution is dead. Long live the Constitution. — Every patriotic fiber of my body tells me that reading the Constitution aloud at the commencement of congressional sessions is a good idea. Heck, a pop quiz might even be in order. It is vital that members of Congress fully immerse themselves …
Discussion:
Cold Fury
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:
The Huffington Post and Suburban Guerrilla
USA Today:
‘Earmarks’ to nowhere: States losing billions — WASHINGTON — Almost 13 years ago, Rep. David McIntosh, R-Ind., directed $375,000 in federal funding “to improve State Road 31” in Columbus, Ind., a city at the edge of his district. — The McIntosh “earmark” seemed routine at the time …
Discussion:
The Politico, Americans for Prosperity, msnbc.com and Bankrupting America
Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:
Reading between Constitution's lines — And the Founders said: Let there be a constitution. And the Founders looked at the articles and clauses and saw that it was good. — For more than 200 years, Americans have revered the Constitution as the law of the land, but the GOP and tea party heralding …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool
Wall Street Journal:
Facebook Deal Spurs Inquiry — SEC Launches Review of 1960s-Era Disclosure Regulations for Private Firms — The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun examining whether disclosure rules for privately held firms need to be rewritten as a result of recent deals allowing investors …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Paul Kedrosky's …