Top Items:
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
The GOP's payroll tax debacle — Now that Congress has reached agreement on what must be one of the worst pieces of legislation in years — the temporary payroll tax holiday extension — let's survey the damage. — To begin with, what even minimally rational government enacts payroll tax relief for just two months?
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CNN:
Congress passes payroll tax cut extension — Washington (CNN) — Both chambers of Congress passed an amended version of the two-month payroll tax cut extension Friday, sending the measure to President Barack Obama's desk and handing Democrats a hard-fought victory on an issue — taxes …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Althouse, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, American Prospect, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and ThinkProgress
Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — Boehner Takes Strong Hand With House GOP After Payroll Tax Meltdown — In a conference call with House Republicans early Thursday evening, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) took no questions after making it clear to his members that the game was up and they would have to swallow the Democratic payroll tax extension.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Balloon Juice
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
News Analysis: For Obama, Payroll Tax Victory Was Aided by Republicans
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Page
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Dems win one as GOP caves
Discussion:
Speaker, Prairie Weather, New York Times and Outside the Beltway
NationalJournal.com:
House Republicans Agree To Payroll Deal
Discussion:
Washington Post, American Power, Speaker, Sky Dancing, The Talking Dog, Taylor Marsh, NO QUARTER, Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, CNN, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, White House Dossier, The Raw Story, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Gawker, Firedoglake, Campaign 2012, American Prospect, National Review, Hullabaloo, Wake up America, Indecision Forever and The Politico
Dustin Weaver / The Hill:
House Republicans cave on payroll tax
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Daily Mail, Daily Kos, The Heritage Foundation and Bloomberg
Reuters:
In ad for newsletter, Ron Paul forecast “race war” — (Reuters) - A direct-mail solicitation for Ron Paul's political and investment newsletters two decades ago warned of a “coming race war in our big cities” and of a “federal-homosexual cover-up” to play down the impact of AIDS.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, A Blog For All, The Politico, Riehl World View, The Daily Caller, Questions and Observations, Campaign 2012, americanthinker.com, iOwnTheWorld.com, Catholic Bandita, ABCNEWS, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Right Scoop, Little Green Footballs, CBS News, Doug Ross, The New Republic and msnbc.com
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The New Republic:
TNR Exclusive: A Collection of Ron Paul's Most Incendiary Newsletters
Discussion:
The Daily Dish and GOP 12
David Weigel / Slate:
The Newsweek Curse — This isn't the problem that's kept …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Iowa Caucuses and Salon.com
ABCNEWS:
Iowa Conservative Leader Mired in Controversy After Rick Santorum Endorsement — ABC News' Shushannah Walshe and Michael Falcone report: — DAVENPORT, Iowa — An Iowa Christian conservative leader who bestowed his highly sought-after endorsement on presidential candidate Rick Santorum …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Hill, GOP 12, Catholic Bandita, FiveThirtyEight, Iowa Caucuses and Iowa Caucus 2012
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Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Santorum's pop-up Iowa pitch — Rick Santorum's campaign will release a new 60-second ad in Iowa this morning — an upbeat spot in the style of VH1's “Pop Up Video,” emphasizing Santorum's credentials as a family man and cultural conservative. — “Rick Santorum. Karen Santorum.
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, CNN, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, Good As You and The Other McCain
Joe Biden / Des Moines Register:
Vice President: This is what a real opportunity society looks like — M itt Romney recently laid out his plan for America. Reading about it, I thought of my dad. My dad was a hard worker. He took pride in what he did. And, like millions of Americans, that pride was put to the test …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, CNN, Pirate's Cove, Ballot Box and Fox News
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Post-Truth Campaign — Suppose that President Obama were to say the following: “Mitt Romney believes that corporations are people, and he believes that only corporations and the wealthy should have any rights. He wants to reduce middle-class Americans to serfs, forced …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Balloon Juice
Bill Adair / PolitiFact:
Fact-checking in the Echo Chamber Nation — At a Republican campaign rally a few years ago, I asked one of the attendees how he got his news. — “I listen to Rush and read NewsMax,” he said. “And to make sure I'm getting a balanced view, I watch Fox.” — My liberal friends …
Wall Street Journal:
Oh Wow! — Some highlights of 2011. — The great words of the year? “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” — They are the last words of Steve Jobs, reported by his sister, the novelist Mona Simpson, who was at his bedside. In her eulogy, a version of which was published in the New York Times …
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
CNN:
State media: Suicide bombers strike government buildings in Damascus — (CNN) — Two suicide car bombs shook the seat of Syrian power on Friday, said state-run media, a strike the government blames on terrorists and opposition forces call the work of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report and americanthinker.com
Steve Tetreault / Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Poll: Berkley holds slim lead over Heller for Senate seat — WASHINGTON — For many people, the dawn of a new year can mean a fresh start, a clean slate. For the politicians running to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate, the view close to the new year is a nearly level battlefield judging from the latest measure of public sentiment.
Discussion:
Ballot Box and Hotline On Call
Scot Paltrow / Reuters:
Special Report: The watchdogs that didn't bark — (Reuters) - Four years after the banking system nearly collapsed from reckless mortgage lending, federal prosecutors have stayed on the sidelines, even as judges around the country are pointing fingers at possible wrongdoing.
Discussion:
naked capitalism and The Big Picture
Noreen Malone / New York Magazine:
A Brief History of Teenage First Daughters — Malia Obama greets Justin Bieber onstage during Christmas in Washington 2011 at the National Building Museum on December 11, 2011 in Washington, DC. — It has been nearly six months since Malia Obama turned 13.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Political Mojo
Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:
Dog days: Bo's whereabouts spark latest White House controversy — President Obama shops for Christmas presents with his dog Bo at Petsmart on Dec. 21, 2011 in Alexandria, Va. (Kevin Dietsch / Pool/Getty Images) — We live in world of conspiracy theories — where nothing is as it seems …
Discussion:
Washington Post and cab drollery
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