Top Items:
NationalJournal.com:
House Republicans Agree To Payroll Deal — House Republicans on Thursday crumpled under the weight of White House and public pressure and have agreed to pass a two-month extension of the payroll-tax cut, Republican and Democratic sources told National Journal.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, American Prospect, The Raw Story, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Campaign 2012, The Page, National Review and Daily Kos
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Susan Jones / CNSNews:
‘Waa, No Pizza Night’: Sad Stories Roll In at Request of Obama White House — (CNSNews.com) - The White House says it's been flooded with responses to the question it posed Wednesday: “What does $40 mean to you?” — One day after the White House asked “working” people to …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Michelle Malkin, The Lonely Conservative and Hot Air
The Politico:
McConnell: Pass short-term extension — In a blow to House Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has called on the House to pass a two-month payroll tax extension — while pushing Democrats to negotiate a full year extension of the tax break. — McConnell's statement came …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, Booman Tribune, The Mahablog, Daily Kos and US Politics
The Politico:
On payroll tax cut, GOP ready to cave — House Republicans are on the verge of caving in to President Barack Obama's demand for a two-month payroll tax cut extension, with Republican leaders floating a plan to slightly tweak the Senate-passed version of the bill and send it back across the Capitol, GOP aides said.
John Parkinson / ABCNEWS:
Boehner Asks White House to Negotiate, but Obama Declines Invitation — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, phoned President Obama this morning and asked him to send members of his economic team to the Capitol to end the political stalemate and negotiate a path toward a one-year extension of the payroll tax credit.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler and The Gateway Pundit
CNN:
Payroll tax standoff continues — What does $40 mean in your household? Let us know in a short video. — Washington (CNN) — Embattled House Republicans are facing mounting pressure across the political spectrum Thursday to yield in their opposition to a bipartisan plan for a short-term extension …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, The Lonely Conservative and This Just In
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
McConnell sides with Dems over Boehner — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been awfully quiet the last few days, as House Republicans rebel against the bipartisan payroll-tax-cut compromise he negotiated and helped pass last weekend. This morning that changed.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Firedoglake and Talking Points Memo
CBS News:
Karl Rove piles on, tells Republicans to cut bait in tax standoff
Discussion:
Guardian, American Prospect, DCCC, NO QUARTER, Gothamist, The Week and SQUATLO RANT
msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: What we learned from the Romney interview
Discussion:
Reuters, The Politico and Washington Monthly
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate GOP worries tax standoff could cost them chance at upper chamber
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, CNN, Outside the Beltway, The Politico, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post, Prairie Weather and ThinkProgress
David Jackson / USA Today:
Obama endorses McConnell payroll tax cut plan
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The New Republic and White House.gov Blog
National / NationalJournal.com:
McConnell Breaks With Boehner, Says House Should Pass Payroll Extension
Discussion:
Mediaite, National Review and 89.3 WFPL News
Dorothy Rabinowitz / Wall Street Journal:
What Ron Paul Thinks of America — It seemed improbable that the best-known American propagandist for our enemies could be near the top of the pack in the Iowa contest, but there it is. — Ron Paul's supporters are sure of one thing: Their candidate has always been consistent …
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Paul in 1995: Say, have you read my newsletters? — Mitt Romney can breathe a sigh of relief, because Andrew Kaczynksi has shifted his attention to Ron Paul this week. Andrew dug up a 1995 interview with C-SPAN, a year before running for Congress after a decade out of office.
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Old News Cont.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Daily Dish and ThinkProgress
Alex Alvarez / Mediaite:
Hey, CNN? Can We Talk About What's Going On Between You And Ron Paul?
Discussion:
Gawker, The Week, THEROOT.COM, The Moderate Voice, Indecision Forever, The Reaction, GOP 12 and The Humble Libertarian
Kevin Hoffman / The Blotter:
Gay community apologizes to Amy Koch for ruining her marriage — The gay and lesbian community of Minnesota has issued a letter of apology to recently resigned Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch for ruining the institution of marriage and causing her to stray from her husband and engage in an “inappropriate relationship.”
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Boing Boing, Gawker, Box Turtle Bulletin, Mediaite, Truth Wins Out, Daily Kos and Hot Dish Politics
Joe Holley / Rick Perry 2012 Campaign for President:
Bush 41 backs Romney for president, admits he's not Gingrich's ‘biggest advocate’ — 1,587 — Less than two weeks before Iowa Republicans make their crucial caucus choices on the night of Jan. 3, George H.W. Bush offered words of support, if not an official endorsement, to an old friend, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Discussion:
The Caucus, American Prospect, CNN, The Politico, The Hill, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Mediaite, GOP 12, Campaign 2012 and The Raw Story
Annie Lowrey / New York Times:
Signs Point to Economy's Rise, but Experts See a False Dawn — WASHINGTON — As the fourth quarter draws to a close, a spate of unexpectedly good economic data suggests that it will have some of the fastest and strongest economic growth since the recovery started in 2009 …
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CNBC:
Jobless Claims Drop Again; GDP Growth Slows to 1.8%
Discussion:
U.S. Bureau …, MarketBeat, Hot Air and msnbc.com
New York Post:
Former Congressman Anthony Weiner's wife gives birth to baby boy — After a year filled with ridicule and scandal, disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner finally has something he can feel proud about — a new baby boy. — Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, gave birth to the wee Democrat yesterday …
Discussion:
Gothamist, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Runnin' Scared and msnbc.com
Mackenzie Weinger / The Politico:
Jim Sensenbrenner sorry for ‘big butt’ quip — Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner sent a note of apology Thursday to Michelle Obama for referring to her “large posterior” and “big butt,” his spokesperson told POLITICO. — Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) was overheard talking about the first lady's healthy food initiative …
Discussion:
Mediaite, FishbowlDC, Weasel Zippers, Gawker and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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Daniel Bice / JSOnline:
Sensenbrenner apologizes to first lady over “big butt” remark
Discussion:
Colorlines, FishbowlDC, ABCNEWS, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Gingrich, the anti-conservative — When discussing his amazingness, Newt Gingrich sometimes exaggerates somewhat, as when, discussing Bosnia and Washington, D.C., street violence, he said, “People like me are what stand between us and Auschwitz” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jan. 16, 1994].
Stephen Colbert / The State:
Colbert guest editorial: Naming rights, state mottoes and the GOP primary + video — As a proud son of South Carolina I must address recent unsubstantiated rumors published in The State that I, Stephen Colbert, tried to buy the naming rights to the 2012 Republican primary.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times and 2012 Decoded
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Why Must We Care About the Whims of So Few Iowans? — In the next-to-last Morning Jolt before the Christmas holiday, a look at whether Jimmy Carter sent condolences to North Korea, the cost of ... and this assessment of what's going on in Iowa, and doubts about why we should care so much about all that:
Discussion:
The Other McCain, RedState, Rasmussen Reports, Iowa Caucuses and ABCNEWS
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James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
What I Want for Christmas — Now that you ask. — Thanks to my old Shanghai/Beijing colleague Louisa Lim of NPR for the tip. Place your orders here.
Discussion:
The Washington Note
ProPublica:
How Democrats Fooled California's Redistricting Commission — This spring, a group of California Democrats gathered at a modern, airy office building just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting was House members only — no aides allowed — and the mission was seemingly impossible.
Discussion:
RedState, Big Government, Hotline On Call, Political Mojo, Campaign 2012 and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Santorum: Vander Plaats said ‘he needed money to promote the endorsement’ — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - One of the most influential Christian leaders in Iowa told Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum “he needed money to promote the endorsement” of the candidate, Santorum told CNN on Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Politico, Iowa Caucuses, GOP 12, National Review, The Other McCain and Good As You
Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Christie's open to V.P. nod — (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie left the door open Thursday to serving as the vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket in 2012. — Christie, who endorsed Mitt Romney after deciding against a White House bid of his own, did not rule out the No. 2 spot …
Discussion:
The Politico
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