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 …
Discussion:
The Hill, Liberal Values, Washington Post, American Prospect, The Gateway Pundit, Big Journalism, ThinkProgress, Swampland, The Heritage Foundation, CBS News, Little Green Footballs, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Indecision Forever, The Other McCain, New York Magazine, Wake up America, Taylor Marsh, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Washington Wire, The Daily Pulp, Weasel Zippers, The New Republic, Don Surber, American Power, National Review, The Lonely Conservative, INSTAPUTZ, Lawyers, Guns & Money and JSOnline, more at Mediagazer »
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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?
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 …
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CNN, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, msnbc.com, ABCNEWS, The Humble Libertarian, Swampland, The Moderate Voice, Iowa Caucuses, Wall Street Journal, Indecision Forever, Christian Science Monitor, American Prospect, Campaign 2012, Booman Tribune, The Gateway Pundit, Betsy's Page, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, The Daily Dish, Vox Popoli and Public Policy Polling
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Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney leads Obama — For the first time in PPP's monthly national polling since July 2010 Mitt Romney's taken a lead, albeit a small one, over Barack Obama. He's up 47-45. — Romney has two main things going for him. He leads the President 45-36 with independents.
Discussion:
The Politico, Ballot Box and Fox News
Scott Clement / Washington Post:
Poll: Paul as third party candidate could doom GOP in 2012 — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas) is gaining steam in his race for the GOP nomination, up to his highest level yet — 15 percent — in the new Washington Post-ABC News national poll.
Discussion:
Campaign 2012, National Review and Mediaite
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 …
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?
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Eunomia, Campaign 2012, The Daily Dish, Rush Limbaugh, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg
Newt Gingrich / Washington Post:
2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling [ITEM]? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?
2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling [ITEM]? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Ron Paul's Shaggy Defense
Ron Paul's Shaggy Defense
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, The Daily Dish and Little Green Footballs
A.Killough / CNN:
CNN Poll: Obama gains strength in 2012 matchups
CNN Poll: Obama gains strength in 2012 matchups
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, 2012 Decoded and ABCNEWS
Elizabeth Hartfield / ABCNEWS:
Gingrich Campaign Steps Up Efforts to Qualify For Virginia Primary
Gingrich Campaign Steps Up Efforts to Qualify For Virginia Primary
Discussion:
National Review, Indecision Forever, Trail Blazers Blog and Ricochet Conversations Feed
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
McCain: Payroll-tax fight ‘harming the Republican Party’ — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the failure of the House to approve the bipartisan Senate bill to extend the payroll-tax cut is “harming the Republican Party.” — Speaking Tuesday on CNN's “Situation Room,” McCain …
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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 …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Gawker, Daily Kos, The Hill, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Politico
Erik Wasson / The Hill:
Rep. Pelosi on Speaker Boehner: ‘He is not Lucy and we are not Charlie Brown’ — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other House Democratic leaders on Tuesday denied that they share any blame for the stalemate over extending a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits that has ensued in Congress.
Discussion:
CNN
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
House Republicans Find Smarmiest Way Possible to Reject Payroll Tax Deal
House Republicans Find Smarmiest Way Possible to Reject Payroll Tax Deal
Discussion:
Open Congress, Hullabaloo and The Hill
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Rep. Jackson Lee: Obama should use executive power to extend payroll tax cut
Rep. Jackson Lee: Obama should use executive power to extend payroll tax cut
Discussion:
The Hill, The Politico, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers and Ballot Box
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Reid Won't Appoint Negotiators To Hammer Out Payroll Tax Cut Deal
Reid Won't Appoint Negotiators To Hammer Out Payroll Tax Cut Deal
Discussion:
Naked Politics, The Politico, Crooks and Liars, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Schumer predicts GOP will fold in payroll fight
Schumer predicts GOP will fold in payroll fight
Discussion:
The Politico, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers and CNN
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Mr. Speaker, your weakness is showing
Mr. Speaker, your weakness is showing
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice
Josh Dorner / ThinkProgress:
BREAKING: House Republicans Walk Away From Bipartisan Compromise on Payroll Tax Cut, Jobless Benefits
BREAKING: House Republicans Walk Away From Bipartisan Compromise on Payroll Tax Cut, Jobless Benefits
Discussion:
American Prospect, Speaker and New York Magazine
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
GOP Sen. Brown slams House for ‘playing politics’ with tax vote
GOP Sen. Brown slams House for ‘playing politics’ with tax vote
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House rebuffs Senate payroll tax cut extension, calls for conference
House rebuffs Senate payroll tax cut extension, calls for conference
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway
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 …
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight, Taegan Goddard's …, Guardian, American Prospect, The Politico, The Caucus, Balloon Juice, Gallup, The Raw Story, Booman Tribune and Weasel Zippers
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Washington Post:
Obama's job-approval rating is highest since summer, Post-ABC poll finds
Obama's job-approval rating is highest since summer, Post-ABC poll finds
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, 2012 Decoded, ThinkProgress, The Daily Dish, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Is Republican Infighting Helping Obama?
Is Republican Infighting Helping Obama?
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Hot Air, Connecting.the.Dots and Washington Post
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.
Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
Gary Johnson to drop out of GOP primary to run as Libertarian — Gary Johnson will quit the Republican primaries and seek the Libertarian Party nomination instead, POLITICO has learned. — The former two-term New Mexico governor, whose campaign for the GOP nomination never caught fire …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, CNN and The Daily Caller
Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
Source: Bob Vander Plaats asked Michele Bachmann to quit — DES MOINES - Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats called Michele Bachmann and urged her to drop out of the race and endorse Rick Santorum, a source with knowledge of the conversation told POLITICO Tuesday.
Discussion:
Business Insider and Hullabaloo
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The Politico:
Santorum gets evangelical boost
Santorum gets evangelical boost
Discussion:
Ballot Box, The Hill and Trail Blazers Blog
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.
Discussion:
Indecision Forever, The PJ Tatler, JustOneMinute and The Gateway Pundit