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?

TNR Exclusive: A Collection of Ron Paul's Most Incendiary Newsletters  —  For years, Ron Paul published a series of newsletters that dispensed political news and investment advice, but also routinely indulged in bigotry.  Here's a selection of some especially inflammatory passages …

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 …

Obama Blames Hawaii for his ‘Deep Down’ Laziness  —  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?”  Barbara Walters incredulously asked Obama …

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 …

Fox Celebrates Holidays With Outrageous Race-Based Attack On Obama  —  Fox News' animosity toward President Obama, three years into his presidency, is by now well-known.  This is the network that routinely calls Obama a socialist, accuses him of being involved in all sorts of conspiratorial plots, and claims that he hates America.

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 …

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.

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 …

The Newsweek Curse  —  This isn't the problem that's kept the actual candidates up at night, but I'm in the media, damn it, and it's annoying.  The fickle Republican base keeps choosing new frontrunners right after reporters are caught up on the last frontrunners.  Exhibit A: Newsweek.

Voters leaving Republican, Democratic parties in droves  —  WASHINGTON - More than 2.5 million voters have left the Democratic and Republican parties since the 2008 elections, while the number of independent voters continues to grow.  —  A USA TODAY analysis of state voter registration …

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.