memeorandum: Rep. Pelosi on Speaker Boehner: ‘He is not Lucy and we are not Charlie Brown’ (Erik Wasson/The Hill)

9:10 PM ET, December 20, 2011

Top Items:

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 …

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.

Discussion: Democracy in America, Hullabaloo, Firedoglake, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Truthdig, pandagon.net, Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice

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: The Impolitic, The Apothecary, PolitiFact, Hit & Run, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Gawker, AlterNet, The New Republic, Michelle Malkin, Daily Kos, Patterico's Pontifications, National Review and US Politics

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?

Discussion: Political Mojo, The New Republic, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and National Review, more at Mediagazer »

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 …

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 …

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, 2012 Decoded, CBS News, The Other McCain, NOM Blog, Hot Air, Rick Santorum for President, Swampland, American Prospect, Towleroad News #gay, Right Wing Watch, Little Green Footballs, Indecision Forever and The Huffington Post

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?

Discussion: News Desk, Daily Kos, New York Times, Pundits Blog, Firedoglake, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, Fox News, Ballot Box, americanthinker.com, Donklephant, ABCNEWS, Clemson University, CBS News and Hot Air

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
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

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, 2012 Decoded and ABCNEWS

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

Discussion: Slate, Hit & Run, The Politico, The Raw Story, Ron Radosh, msnbc.com, Business Insider, Townhall.com, Latest Open Salon Blog, Los Angeles Times, FrumForum, The Daily Dish and Campaign 2012

Elizabeth Hartfield / ABCNEWS:
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 …

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

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

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

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

Discussion: The Politico, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers and CNN

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
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

Discussion: American Prospect, Speaker and New York Magazine

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
GOP Sen. Brown slams House for ‘playing politics’ with tax vote

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Washington Post:
House Republicans intent on killing Senate payroll tax cut deal

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, The Huffington Post, The Hill, Mediaite, ThinkProgress, Bloomberg, 2012 Decoded, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Prairie Weather, Wonkette, msnbc.com, New York Times and The Politico

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
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

Washington Post:
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?

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.

Discussion: Firedoglake, ThinkProgress, Felix Salmon, Hullabaloo, TBogg, Outside the Beltway, The Future of Capitalism, Paul Krugman, New York Magazine, Gothamist, Corey Robin, emptywheel, Shakesville and Gawker

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

The Politico:
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.