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4:35 PM ET, December 20, 2011

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
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 …
RELATED:
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.
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.
Matthew Yglesias / Slate:
Politifact's Bizarre “Lie of the Year” … - Lithwick: Newt Gingrich's Insanely Stupid Attack on the Judicial Branch  — What I Learned From Coaching a Women's Basketball Team in Qatar  — True Fact: Greeks and Italians Work Way Harder Than Germans Do  — Can We Please Start Calling Kesha a Rapper?
Sam Baker / The Hill:   Attacks on Paul Ryan's Medicare reform proposal named ‘lie of the year’
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 …
RELATED:
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Ron Paul's Shaggy Defense  —  The Times notes that Ron Paul's racism newsletters are, again, becoming an issue.  The standard defense has generally been Paul didn't write the newsletters.  I think an honest reckoning with that defense would have someone question the faculties of an adult …
Rich Lowry / National Review:
Paul, the Fringe Frontrunner  —  Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is in a bid to make history in Iowa.  Can he become the first marginal, conspiracy-minded congressman with an embarrassing catalog of racist material published under his name to win the caucuses?
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
House Republicans Find Smarmiest Way Possible to Reject Payroll Tax Deal  —  Speaker Boehner weeps over payroll tax cut (Image: DonkeyHotey)  —  The procedural wizards in the House Republican caucus stayed up late last night to concoct this scheme, a way to dispose of the Senate's payroll tax deal by voting affirmatively.
Discussion: Hullabaloo, Open Congress and The Hill
RELATED:
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Schumer predicts GOP will fold in payroll fight
The Politico:
House rejects Senate payroll tax deal
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House rebuffs Senate payroll tax cut extension, calls for conference
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
GOP Sen. Brown slams House for ‘playing politics’ with tax vote
Discussion: Weasel Zippers
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Mr. Speaker, your weakness is showing
Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
CNN Poll: President's approval nearing 50%  —  Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama's approval rating, a crucial indicator of his reelection chances, is on the rise, according to a new national survey.  —  A CNN/ORC International Poll out Tuesday also indicates that the partisan battle …
RELATED:
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Congress Ends 2011 With Record-Low 11% Approval  —  Annual average for 2011, 17%, also lowest in Gallup history  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new record-low 11% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, the lowest single rating in Gallup's history of asking this question since 1974.
The Caucus:
Vander Plaats Endorses Santorum  —  Bob Vander Plaats, speaking in Iowa in March, endorsed Rick Santorum on Tuesday.  —  12:51 p.m. |  Updated CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Two weeks before the Republican nominating contest opens at the Iowa caucuses, former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania …
RELATED:
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.
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.
Mj Lee / The Politico:
Bill Clinton: Newt Gingrich tall tale on the budget  —  Former President Bill Clinton called out Newt Gingrich on Tuesday for claiming more credit than he deserves, saying the Republican presidential candidate actually led the opposition to efforts in 1993 to balance the nation's budget.
Discussion: CNN
RELATED:
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Romney: ‘Get rid of these super PACs’
Discussion: Political Mojo and CNN
New York Post:
Ugly inside & out  —  His face horribly charred from his alleged gasoline attack on a beloved Brooklyn mom, Jerome Isaac was jailed without bail yesterday, as the woman's devastated family pressed the DA to lock him up for life.  —  “I know this is the defendant's first offense …
Discussion: Gothamist and CBS New York
Mj Lee / The Politico:
Blogs bash Obama's historic claim  —  NewsBusters calls Obama's statements made during his ‘60 Minutes’ interview ‘laughable.’  —  Newt Gingrich isn't the only one on the campaign trail who sees himself as a towering historical figure.  President Barack Obama has just joined the club.
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 »
Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Instead Of Extending Tax Cut For 160 Million Americans, House Commissioned Bust Of Winston Churchill  —  While House Republicans couldn't get their act together to approve an extension of the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits last night, they were able to do something far more frivolousness …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Tony Romm / The Politico:
AT&T's lobbying turned back in T-Mobile bid
Discussion: The Atlantic Online
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Caribbean Newspapers Publish Ad Promoting Ex-Gay Therapy
Discussion: Truth Wins Out
Aaron Carroll / The Incidental Economist:
Why the Plan B decision matters
Stephanie Jones / Journal Times:
Ryan for VP? Law allows running for both VP and Congress at the same time
Discussion: Campaign 2012 and Hotline On Call
Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
Finding Fault in the Palestinian Messages That Aren't So Public
Bruce Bartlett / Economix:
Cutting the Corporate Tax Rate Is No Economic Panacea
Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:
Man publishes book of 200 blank pages: ‘Everything Obama Knows About The Economy’
Discussion: Hot Air
Scott Pelley / CBS News:
Panetta: Iran will not be allowed nukes
Discussion: Elliott Abrams and The PJ Tatler
 Earlier Items: 
Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post:
Denver Broncos Respond To Petition For Team To Produce ‘It Gets Better’ Video
Discussion: Towleroad News #gay
Roque Planas / NY Daily News:
Santa says 'I don't do poor countries' in new UNICEF Christmas ad
Ramya / YouTube Trends:
The Top Political Videos of 2011
Discussion: CNN, FishbowlDC and Iowa Caucuses
Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Secrecy defines Obama's drone war
Patrick Marley / JSOnline:
Gableman voted with law firm after receiving free legal services
Discussion: ThinkProgress and First Draft
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
National World, one of the UK's biggest newspaper groups, gets a £56.2M buyout offer from shareholder Media Concierge, a 40% premium to its Nov. 21 stock price

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

 
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