memeorandum: A done deal — Congress sure can move quickly when it wants to. (Steve Benen/Washington Monthly)

12:40 PM ET, December 23, 2011

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?

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Business Insider, Campaign 2012, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Lonely Conservative, The Right Sphere, Outside the Beltway, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, National Review and The PJ Tatler

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

House approves payroll tax bill, sends to Obama for signature — The House on Friday morning approved a bill extending the payroll tax holiday and unemployment insurance for two months, and also prevents a planned cut to reimbursements for Medicare physicians.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Hot Air

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

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

A done deal — Congress sure can move quickly when it wants to. — Late yesterday, House Republicans caved to Democratic demands agreed to accept a slightly-tweaked bipartisan compromise from the Senate. This morning, just to move the process along, the Senate preemptively approved the tweaked version by unanimous consent.

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The Suicidal House Republicans

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Slate and Wall Street Journal

Jennifer Steinhauer / The Caucus:
For Payroll Tax Cut, Next Step Is Obama's Signature

Discussion: Daily Kos, New York Times, Connecting.the.Dots, Prairie Weather and ABCNEWS

Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — Boehner Takes Strong Hand With House GOP After Payroll Tax Meltdown

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Balloon Juice and The Impolitic

Jamie Klatell / The Hill: GOP freshman: House caved to Dems again, gave gift of uncertainty

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, Washington Monthly, Prairie Weather, New York Times and Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:
House GOP agrees to 2-month extension of payroll tax cut

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, New York Post, Betsy's Page, Guardian, NewsBusters.org, The Politico, The Atlantic Online, THEROOT.COM, Daily Kos, Moe Lane and Calculated Risk

NationalJournal.com:
House Republicans Agree To Payroll Deal

Dustin Weaver / The Hill:
House Republicans cave on payroll tax

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Daily Mail, The Heritage Foundation, Daily Kos 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.

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:

Ron Paul's Iowa Edge: A Rock-Solid Caucus Campaign — Unlike the other candidates who have topped the polls, he's not a flavor of the week — and that's why his candidacy poses such a threat. — ANKENY, IOWA — Just when you thought the tortuous, topsy-turvy 2012 campaign couldn't get any more insane …

Discussion: Discourse.net, Los Angeles Times, Salon.com and THEROOT.COM

The New Republic:
TNR Exclusive: A Collection of Ron Paul's Most Incendiary Newsletters

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway and GOP 12

David Weigel / Slate:
The Newsweek Curse — This isn't the problem that's kept …

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, The Right Sphere and dallasmorningviewsblog …

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: The Hill, Catholic Bandita, GOP 12, FiveThirtyEight, Iowa Caucuses and Iowa Caucus 2012

Zack Ford / ThinkProgress:

Bob Vander Plaats' Pay-For-Play Scandal: Charged A Million Bucks For Endorsement, Asked Candidates To Drop Out — Bob Vander Plaats' endorsement of Rick Santorum has produced a backlash among conservatives in Iowa, some of whom are accusing the FAMiLY LEADER president of engaging in …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Indecision Forever and Good As You

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Santorum's pop-up Iowa pitch

Discussion: CNN, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, Good As You, The Other McCain and Iowa Caucuses

Andrew Cain / Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Bachmann, Huntsman, Santorum not on Va. primary ballot

Discussion: Shakesville, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, The Other McCain, Catholic Bandita, Hot Air, Wake up America, msnbc.com, National Review, Ballot Box, The Politico, Moe Lane and The Hill

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, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Pirate's Cove, Fox News and Ballot Box

Sara Sorcher / NationalJournal.com:

QUICK TAKE: Obama: 'Deep Down ... There's a Laziness in Me' — The personality trait President Obama says he most deplores in himself and others is not exactly one you'd expect from, presumably, one of the busiest people in the world: laziness. — “You're lazy?”

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller and The Right Sphere

Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:
Dog days: Bo's whereabouts spark latest White House controversy

Discussion: Washington Post and cab drollery

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

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

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 …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, Right Wing Nut House, Wake up America, CANNONFIRE, Paul Krugman, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, Blue Virginia, Wizbang, Campaign 2012, US Politics, Pressthink and americanthinker.com, more at Mediagazer »

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