Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
The GOP's Payroll Tax Fiasco — How did Republicans manage to lose the tax issue to Obama? — GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously said a year ago that his main task in the 112th Congress was to make sure that President Obama would not be re-elected.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Little Green Footballs, The New Republic, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Gawker, Financial Times, The Hill, msnbc.com, Los Angeles Times, Rush Limbaugh, ThinkProgress, The Monkey Cage, National Review, Firedoglake, Washington Wire, Slate, ABCNEWS, The Atlantic Online, neo-neocon, DownWithTyranny!, RedState, The Mahablog, Business Insider, Big Journalism, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Campaign 2012, NationalJournal.com, The Politico, Las Vegas Sun, FrumForum, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, DCCC, Patterico's Pontifications, Ballot Box, Daily Kos, The Hill, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, The Lonely Conservative, CNN and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »
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ABCNEWS:
Capitol Stand-off: Republicans Caving? — My prediction: House Republicans will soon - probably within 24 hours - cave in and accept the two-month extension of the payroll tax cut passed last week by the Senate. — I base this on conversations with House Republicans who know they are losing …
Discussion:
National Review, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Los Angeles Times, Washington Monthly, The Hill, The New Republic and Booman Tribune
Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Speaker Cuts Off C-SPAN Cameras When Dems Attempt To Bring Vote On Payroll Tax Cut — During a quick pro-forma session of the House this morning, Republicans rebuffed a Democratic attempt to force an up-or-down vote on the Senate-passed payroll tax holiday extension, which Republicans have thus far refused to allow.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Literally walking away from a fight — It was rather remarkable this morning to watch the proceedings on the House floor. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) wanted to try again to bring up the Senate's bipartisan payroll-tax-break compromise, and instead of debating, Republicans literally walked away from the fight.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Maddow Blog and Washington Post
Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Romney Refuses To Take Position On Payroll Tax Holiday — In two TV interviews today, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney refused to take a stance on the biggest issue in Washington today: the extension of the payroll tax holiday. A huge bipartisan majority in the Senate passed …
Discussion:
CBS News and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:
Gingrich to House GOP: Give In on Payroll Tax — DES MOINES, Iowa - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who famously lost budget battles to President Bill Clinton amid two government shutdowns, had some advice to House Republicans at loggerheads with another Democratic president: Give in.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, National Review and The Huffington Post
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House Republicans stiff attempt from Democrats to call up Senate payroll bill
House Republicans stiff attempt from Democrats to call up Senate payroll bill
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, Wake up America, DownWithTyranny! and Hullabaloo
Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — Watch GOPer Literally Walk Out On Dem Attempt To Push Payroll Tax Cut
TPMDC — Watch GOPer Literally Walk Out On Dem Attempt To Push Payroll Tax Cut
Discussion:
The Daily Dish and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Mj Lee / Reuters:
WSJ: GOP a ‘circular firing squad’
WSJ: GOP a ‘circular firing squad’
Discussion:
The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Rush Limbaugh, Washington Post and The Reaction
Manu Rajuand John Bresnahan / The Politico:
McConnell leaves Boehner on limb
McConnell leaves Boehner on limb
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, FrumForum, Daily Kos, The Hill and The Hill
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
The point at which Mitt Romney loses his mind — Mitt Romney unveiled a brand-new stump speech in New Hampshire last night, reading a carefully-crafted, poll-tested text from two teleprompters. Confident that his Republican primarily rivals simply won't (or can't) catch him …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The Caucus and Balloon Juice
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Alexander Burns / The Politico:
You, sir, are no Teddy Roosevelt — In a speech to be delivered in Bedford, N.H., this evening, Mitt Romney will push back explicitly on Barack Obama's recent invocation of Teddy Roosevelt in a speech the president used to frame the 2012 campaign in terms of “fairness.” Here's what Romney will say:
James Q. Lynch / Iowa Caucus 2012:
ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll: Ron Paul new frontrunner — CEDAR RAPIDS — Just two weeks before Iowa's first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses there's a new leader, but the race remains “remarkably fluid,” according to a new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll of likely Republican caucusgoers.
Discussion:
The Politico, Ballot Box, CNN and GOP 12
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Ron Paul / Washington Post:
Ron Paul becoming serious contender in Republican presidential race
Ron Paul becoming serious contender in Republican presidential race
Discussion:
Ron Paul 2012 Presidential …
news.iastate.edu:
Paul now top pick in new ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll, but voters still uncertain
Paul now top pick in new ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll, but voters still uncertain
Discussion:
CNN, NMPolitics.net, New York Times and msnbc.com
James Lynch / KCRG-TV:
Vote 2012: Ron Paul Takes Lead in KCRG/Gazette/ISU Poll
Vote 2012: Ron Paul Takes Lead in KCRG/Gazette/ISU Poll
Discussion:
American Spectator, The Other McCain, Unlikely Voter, Wake up America and Ricochet Conversations Feed
Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:
Newt Gingrich to gay Iowan: Vote for Obama — Gingrich and his wife Callista at tonight's event in Oskaloosa. Oskaloosa, Ia. - Newt Gingrich told a gay man and longtime resident of Oskaloosa here today that he should vote for President Obama. — “I asked him if he's elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans.
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Evan McMorris-Santoro / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Newt's Campaign Comes Down To Earth As Iowan Calls Him 'F …
TPM2012 — Newt's Campaign Comes Down To Earth As Iowan Calls Him 'F …
Discussion:
The Humble Libertarian, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, CNN, The Caucus, New York Magazine, Wonkette, Talking Points Memo and The Raw Story
Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Newt Gingrich Tells Gay Iowan To Vote For Obama
Newt Gingrich Tells Gay Iowan To Vote For Obama
Discussion:
Fox News, Guardian, Feministing and Prairie Weather
Benjamin Kang Lim / Reuters:
Exclusive: North Korea's military to share power with Kim's heir — (Reuters) - North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Gothamist, New York Magazine, ThinkProgress and neo-neocon
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Scott Whitlock / NewsBusters.org:
Whoopi Goldberg: Communism Is ‘a Great Concept’ That ‘Makes Perfect Sense’ on Paper
Whoopi Goldberg: Communism Is ‘a Great Concept’ That ‘Makes Perfect Sense’ on Paper
Discussion:
Doug Ross and Big Hollywood
Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:
The Most Important Graphs of 2011 — What is it about graphs and economics? In a discipline where facts are murky and certainty is elusive, graphs offer a bright light of information and a small confidence that the world can be summed up between two axes.
Discussion:
Business Insider and Real Time Economics
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Obama's Hawaii Christmas dilemma — President Obama faces a most difficult decision with the payroll tax extension up in the air, and it isn't whether to compromise with Republicans. — The toughest call for the president this holiday season could be whether to join his family for Christmas in Hawaii or stay in lonely Washington.
Discussion:
Hawaii Reporter, Pundit & Pundette and Outside the Beltway
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Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Explaining Obama's Approval Rating Bounce
Explaining Obama's Approval Rating Bounce
Discussion:
The Reaction, Philly.com and Outside the Beltway
Tom Gantert / Michigan Capitol Confidential:
Chevy Volt Costing Taxpayers Up to $250K Per Vehicle — Analyst: ‘This might be the most government-supported car since the Trabant’ — Each Chevy Volt sold thus far may have as much as $250,000 in state and federal dollars in incentives behind it - a total of $3 billion altogether …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Enterprise Blog and Michelle Malkin
Betsy Rothstein / FishbowlDC:
Lawmaker Says Michelle Obama Has ‘Large Posterior’ — Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), known for his cantankerous ways and for not speaking to media unless it's his idea, was overheard at the Delta Crown lounge at Reagan National Airport today talking on his cellphone about an incident …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
The Politico:
POLITICO Influence: Endgame — K STREET NONPLUSSED OVER CONGRESSIONAL STALEMATE: House GOP leaders' move to appoint conferees and not pass a two-month extension has lobbyists of all stripes unsure of what an endgame looks like. Several downtowners predicted to PI over the past week …
Discussion:
Eduwonk
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
The 50 Best Political Quotes For 2011 (Third Annual) — 50) Get the hell off the Beach in Asbury Park and get out. You're done. It's 4:30 PM. You've maximized your tan. Get off the beach. Get in you cars and get out of those areas. — Chris Christie 49) NPR is a very elitist …
Discussion:
Betsy's Page and YID With LID
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
$335 Million Settlement on Countrywide Lending Bias — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced the largest residential fair-lending settlement in history, saying that Bank of America had agreed to pay $335 million to settle allegations that its Countrywide Financial unit discriminated …
Associated Press:
34 Congress Members Call For NYPD-CIA Probe — WASHINGTON (AP) — More than two dozen members of Congress are calling for investigation into the CIA's relationship with the New York Police Department. — The members of Congress want to know more about the CIA's collaboration …
Discussion:
Atlas Shrugs, Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch
McSweeney's:
Newt Gingrich's Letter to Virginia, Regarding the Existence of Santa Claus and Claims That He Said Otherwise by John Flowers — Dear Virginia: — I'm not going to talk about what I have previously said on the topic of Santa Claus. The record is perfectly clear: Yes, Virginia, I am in favor of a Santa Claus.
Discussion:
TBogg
Paul Glastris / Washington Monthly:
Obama's Rising Poll Numbers: The Dog-That-Didn't-Bark Factor — As Steve noted yesterday there are plenty of reasons why, going into the Christmas break, Barack Obama is looking surprisingly strong politically. The economy is slowly improving. The troops are out of Iraq.