memeorandum: Obama, the Courts, and Gay Marriage (Richard Socarides/News Desk)

10:40 AM ET, December 20, 2011

Top Items:

Obama's job-approval rating is highest since summer, Post-ABC poll finds — View Photo Gallery — President Obama's reelection campaign and the DNC together raised $70 million in the third quarter of 2011. Outside of fundraising, the president is ramping up support for his reelection …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Hot Air, The Caucus and Outside the Beltway

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:

Gingrich, Romney Go to a Tie; More See Obama as Competitive — Newt Gingrich has relinquished sole front-runner status almost as quickly as he gained it, landing at a dead heat with Mitt Romney in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. And as the GOP hopefuls battle it out, ratings of Barack Obama's prospects have warmed.

Discussion: Ricochet Conversations Feed

Newt Gingrich / Washington Post:

2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling [ITEM]? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat? — NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion a. The economy 41 17 24 56 13 43 2 b.

Discussion: Mediaite, Ballot Box and Hot Air

Frank Newport / Gallup:
Congress Ends 2011 With Record-Low 11% Approval

Discussion: The Politico, Weasel Zippers and Slate

Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Gingrich's Lead Over Romney Among Republicans Collapses

Washington Post:
Poll: Gingrich, Romney in dead heat nationally

Discussion: Hot Air, americanthinker.com, Fox News, ABCNEWS and Los Angeles Times

A.Killough / CNN:
Romney blasts Gingrich over judiciary ideas

Discussion: The Politico

PolitiFact:

Lie of the Year 2011: ‘Republicans voted to end Medicare’ — Republicans muscled a budget through the House of Representatives in April that they said would take an important step toward reducing the federal deficit. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the plan kept Medicare intact …

Discussion: American Prospect, ThinkProgress, CBS News, The Daily Pulp and JSOnline

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

PolitiFact ought to be ashamed of itself — The fact-checking website PolitiFact has announced its “Lie of the Year” for 2011. It made a poor, credibility-killing choice. … This is simply indefensible. Claims that are factually true shouldn't be eligible for a Lie of the Year designation.

Discussion: US Politics

Paul Krugman:

Politifact, R.I.P. — This is really awful. Politifact, which is supposed to police false claims in politics, has announced its Lie of the Year — and it's a statement that happens to be true, the claim that Republicans have voted to end Medicare. — Steve Benen in the link above explains it, but let me just repeat the basics.

Washington Post:

House Republicans intent on killing Senate payroll tax cut deal — House Republicans returned to Washington on Monday, intent on ditching a bipartisan Senate deal to extend a federal payroll tax holiday for two months, charging that the deal represented the old ways of doing business that they were elected to change.

Discussion: ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, msnbc.com, Prairie Weather, The Week, Hot Air and New York Times

The Politico:
House GOP postpones payroll vote

Discussion: Wonkette, americanthinker.com, News Desk, Bloomberg, The Reaction, Daily Kos and Michelle Malkin

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Two-Month Payroll Tax Holiday Passed By Senate, Pushed By President, Cannot Be Implemented Properly, Experts Say

Discussion: Erick's blog, Hot Air, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, National Review, The Politico, Washington Times, Don Surber, Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News, Big Government, CNN, RedState, The Lonely Conservative, RealClearPolitics Video Log, Campaign 2012 and Swampland

Ian Swanson / The Hill:
House GOP to vote Tuesday on tax conference with Senate

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Heritage Foundation, The Politico and The Maddow Blog

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
DCCC unleashing Carville on House GOP

Discussion: CNN, tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com, The Hill, Weasel Zippers and Taylor Marsh

Marin Cogan / The Politico:
House GOP freshmen stand their ground

Discussion: Speaker, CNN and The Hill

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: The weeping North Koreans; Update: New leader may be more psycho than dad, says U.S. intel — Don't just sample the clip for 10 seconds. Watch to the end and drink in the full spectacle of grown men, prostrate, screaming in grief at the death of their subjugator.

Discussion: Sense of Events, National Review, Michael Totten and Patterico's Pontifications

New York Times:

In Kim's Death, an Extensive Intelligence Failure — Televisions at an electronics store in Seoul, South Korea, featured reports on Monday about the death of Kim Jong-il, the North Korean Leader. North Korea said Mr. Kim, 69, died on Saturday. More Photos »

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Washington Post, FP Passport and Belmont Club

Wall Street Journal:
Portrait of New Leader Takes Shape

Discussion: Daniel W. Drezner and americanthinker.com

Brad Plumer / Washington Post:
Kim Jong Il's economic legacy, in one chart

Discussion: The Daily Dish and Hit & Run

Washington Examiner:

GOP unhappiness with field fuels buzz for Jeb Bush — There's no doubt some Republicans remain unhappy with the GOP presidential field. They wish other candidates — Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush — had entered a long time ago. But the Iowa caucuses are in two weeks.

Discussion: americanthinker.com and No More Mister Nice Blog

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
Draft Jeb!

Discussion: American Power, American Spectator, americanthinker.com and The Moderate Voice

Max Abelson / Bloomberg:

Bankers Seek to Debunk ‘Imbecile’ Attack on Top 1% — Jamie Dimon, the highest-paid chief executive officer among the heads of the six biggest U.S. banks, turned a question at an investors' conference in New York this month into an occasion to defend wealth.

Discussion: Felix Salmon

Jonathan Martinand Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Will Ron Paul kill the caucuses? — SIOUX CITY, IOWA -The alarms are sounding in Iowa. — Conservatives and Republican elites in the state are divided over who to support for the GOP nomination, but they almost uniformly express concern over the prospect that Ron Paul and his army …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Christian Science Monitor, msnbc.com, Iowa Caucuses, Campaign 2012, New York Times and Rush Limbaugh

New York Times:
Bias in Ron Paul's Newsletters Draws New Attention

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Raw Story, National Review, FrumForum, Bloomberg, The Huffington Post, Campaign 2012 and Runnin' Scared

Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Pays Homage to Obama—But Not Jesus — (CNSNews.com) - The 63-foot Sierra White Fir lighted at the U.S. Capitol Grounds on Dec. 6 as the official 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree includes a prominently displayed ornament paying homage to President Barack Obama …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:

POTUS Has Coffee with Progressive Media Stars — An all-star list of progressive and liberal media folks came to the White House today to chat with President Obama over coffee in the Roosevelt Room. — The group chatted with the president about economic messaging, his agenda for 2012 …

Discussion: UrbanGrounds, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers and Big Journalism

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:

Secrecy defines Obama's drone war — Since September, at least 60 people have died in 14 reported CIA drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal regions. The Obama administration has named only one of the dead, hailing the elimination of Janbaz Zadran, a top official in the Haqqani insurgent network, as a counterterrorism victory.

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Secrecy News

Nando Di Fino / Mediaite:

Sarah Palin Tells Fox Business Network That 'It's Not Too Late' To Jump Into The GOP Race — In a pre-taped interview set to air tonight on Fox Business Network's “Follow The Money,” Eric Bolling mentioned to Sarah Palin that people constantly tell him they wish she was running for President.

Discussion: The Reaction, NewsHounds blog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and nation.foxnews.com

Robin Bravender / The Politico:

Industry: Light bulb war a dim idea — Big Business usually loves it when the GOP goes to war over federal rules. — But not when it comes to light bulbs. — This year, House Republicans made it a top priority to roll back regulations they say are too costly for business.