Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Depression and Democracy — It's time to start calling the current situation what it is: a depression. True, it's not a full replay of the Great Depression, but that's cold comfort. Unemployment in both America and Europe remains disastrously high. Leaders and institutions are increasingly discredited.
Discussion:
Catholic Bandita, Outside the Beltway, Prairie Weather, Business Insider, US Politics, Daily Kos, Vox Popoli and Truthdig
Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
Mitt Romney, ‘human-like’ — HUDSON, N.H. — Meet Mitt Romney, human. — In the past 24 hours, the former Massachusetts governor has talked about his father, experiences while working as a missionary that weren't even in his memoir — and twice in two days, he's brought up the Mormon faith …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Indecision Forever, The New Republic, The Caucus, Iowa Caucuses, Business Insider, Reuters and National Review
RELATED:
Christian Heinze / GOP 12:
Kidding around: Romney defends bet — Mitt Romney on Fox & Friends this morning, responding to controversy surrounding his offer of a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry during last weekend's GOP debate. … He then blamed Barack Obama for advancing a narrative that Romney is out-of-touch.
Discussion:
CBS News, No More Mister Nice Blog and Patterico's Pontifications
Maeve Reston / Los Angeles Times:
Under fire for bet, Mitt Romney recalls more austere times
Under fire for bet, Mitt Romney recalls more austere times
Discussion:
Hot Air, Washington Post, The Last Tradition and ABCNEWS
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
Barack Obama's ‘60 Minutes’ Interview Has Me Screaming at My TV Again — Today on Morning Joe, they were playing clips of Steve Kroft's 60 Minutes interview with President Obama, and I literally started screaming. There is only so much of this bulls-t I can endure without talking back to my TV:
Discussion:
Questions and Observations, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative and Daily Pundit
RELATED:
Jewel Samad / Investor's Business Daily:
As Americans struggle, the Obamas make do with 37 Christmas trees
As Americans struggle, the Obamas make do with 37 Christmas trees
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Jammie Wearing Fools
CBS News:
President Obama: The economy, the Congress, the future
President Obama: The economy, the Congress, the future
Discussion:
Mediaite, Washington Post and Business Insider
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Obama on CBS: 'I didn't overpromise'
Obama on CBS: 'I didn't overpromise'
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, US Politics, Taylor Marsh, Pirate's Cove and Weasel Zippers
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Supreme Court to consider Arizona illegal immigration law — The Supreme Court announced Monday they will hear a challenge to Arizona's controversial immigration law, setting up another high-profile decision for the court's coming term, according to the AP.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, CNN and Hot Air
RELATED:
Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Supreme Court to hear challenge of Arizona's restrictive immigration law
Supreme Court to hear challenge of Arizona's restrictive immigration law
Discussion:
New York Times and National Review
Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Political winds shift to Democrats — The political winds have shifted to the Democrats' backs over the last month. — President Obama is in better shape at the prospect of a prolonged GOP primary battle between former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Mitt Romney.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune and Prairie Weather
RELATED:
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Boehner faces toughest leadership test — John Boehner's first year as Speaker has been filled with conflict as the Ohio Republican has battled President Obama, Senate Democrats and members of his House majority. — This week arguably is Boehner's biggest challenge of 2011 …
Discussion:
The Heritage Foundation
Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Congress edges toward a compromise on spending
Congress edges toward a compromise on spending
Discussion:
NY Daily News, The Politico and Shakesville
Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:
Iowa audience members yell at Rick Perry after Ames appearance [includes video] — Ames, Ia. - A packed coffee house where Rick Perry spoke this afternoon turned into a bit of a ruckus that left the candidate heading out the back door and straight to his vehicle after several Iowans screamed questions about his views on gays.
RELATED:
Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:
Perry going for broke in Iowa with 3 weeks to go
Perry going for broke in Iowa with 3 weeks to go
Discussion:
Boston Herald, Washington Wire and Washington Post
David Fisher / New Zealand Herald:
Sperm-donor kept wife in the dark — A conservative Christian politician has a secret life as a sperm donor for lesbian couples - even though he has campaigned against gay marriage. — American politician Bill Johnson has spent most of this year in Christchurch helping run the earthquake recovery …
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Raw Story and Towleroad News #gay
RELATED:
Daniel B. Klein / The Atlantic Online:
I Was Wrong, and So Are You — A libertarian economist retracts a swipe at the left—after discovering that our political leanings leave us more biased than we think. — BACK IN JUNE 2010, I published a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the American left was unenlightened, by and large, as to economic matters.
Discussion:
American Spectator
David Carr / New York Times:
When Truth Survives Free Speech — Last week, a story came across my desk that seemed to suggest that a blogger had been unfairly nailed with a $2.5 million defamation award after a judge refused to give her standing as a journalist. A businessman who was the target of the blogger's inquiries brought the suit.
Discussion:
Poynter and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »
Paul Rincon / BBC:
Higgs boson: Excitement builds over ‘glimpses’ at LHC — The Higgs search is approaching its endgame at Cern — Scientists are widely expected to present evidence on Tuesday that the most coveted prize in particle physics - the Higgs boson - has been glimpsed.
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and The PJ Tatler
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Record 64% Rate Honesty, Ethics of Members of Congress Low — Ratings of nurses, pharmacists, and medical doctors most positive — PRINCETON, NJ — Sixty-four percent of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as “low” or “very low,” tying the record “low” …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Big Government, Connecting.the.Dots, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and Hotline On Call
David Streitfeld / New York Times:
As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised — The Kindle Fire, Amazon's heavily promoted tablet, is less than a blazing success with many of its early users. The most disgruntled are packing the device up and firing it back to the retailer. — A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Mashable!, The Atlantic Online and GeekWire, more at Techmeme »
Hans Villarica / The Atlantic Online:
Study of the Day: Drinking Alcohol Fuels the Desire for Unsafe Sex — New research shows that liquor consumption affects a person's intention to have unprotected sex, one of the leading causes of HIV infection — PROBLEM: Alcohol consumption has long been implicated in the incidence of unsafe sex, the leading cause of HIV infection.