memeorandum: Republicans Balk at White House Plan to Avert Fiscal Crisis (Jonathan Weisman/New York Times)

9:20 AM ET, November 30, 2012

Top Items:

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Republicans Balk at White House Plan to Avert Fiscal Crisis — WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner presented the House speaker, John A. Boehner, a detailed proposal on Thursday to avert the year-end fiscal crisis with $1.6 trillion in tax increases over 10 years …

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

McConnell ‘Burst Into Laughter’ as Geithner Outlined Obama's Plan — Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, says he “burst into laughter” Thursday when Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner outlined the administration proposal for averting the fiscal cliff.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Whiskey Fire, Philly.com, The Lonely Conservative, Guardian, National Review and The Hill

Daniel Newhauser / Roll Call:

Boehner Angered by Leak of Phone Call — Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Republican leaders are fuming after a late night phone call with President Barack Obama was leaked to the press, despite an agreement that it would not be, according to several GOP aides.

Discussion: Reuters, The Other McCain, Nice Deb, Power Line and Taylor Marsh

Wall Street Journal:

GOP Rejects Cliff Offer From Obama — President Barack Obama made an opening bid in budget talks with Republicans that calls for a $1.6 trillion tax increase, $50 billion in infrastructure spending in 2013 and new power to raise the federal debt limit, a provocative set of demands that Republicans …

Discussion: Robert Reich, Business Insider, Washington Wire and National Review

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

Boehner, House GOP reject debt deal offer from White House — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday rejected a White House offer to avoid the “fiscal cliff” that would include $1.6 trillion in tax increases, $400 billion in spending cuts and a more permanent increase in the debt ceiling, Republican aides said.

Discussion: Politico and Booman Tribune

USA Today:
GOP calls White House cliff offer a non-starter

Discussion: Guardian, The Last Refuge, Weasel Zippers and Weekly Standard

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
Obama to GOP: I'm done negotiating with myself

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Alexis Levinson / The Daily Caller:
Gingrich: House Republicans should stop negotiating with President Obama

Discussion: Washington Wire, Mediaite, Doug Ross, Political Insider, Twitchy, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Michelle Malkin, Politico and White House Dossier

Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Obama, Romney have White House turkey chili summit

Discussion: CNN, Ballot Box, Taking Note, The Hill and The Hill

BuzzFeed:
Why President Obama Isn't Using His Most Powerful Weapon — Again

Discussion: Liberal Values, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Business Week

Washington Post:
Obama makes fresh demands on ‘fiscal cliff’

Discussion: Politico, National Review, The Fix, Prairie Weather, New York Magazine and Hot Air

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
White House: Obama And Romney “Pledged To Stay In Touch”

Discussion: The Caucus and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Fox News:
Boehner says negotiations over looming fiscal crisis ‘not a game’

Discussion: Algemeiner.com

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
The GOP's Medicare confusion

Discussion: MyDD, New York Magazine, Hit & Run, The Impolitic, Salon, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Maddow Blog and Washington Monthly

US Department of State:

Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Following UN General Assembly Vote on Palestinian Observer State Status Resolution — Thank you, Mr. President. — For decades, the United States has worked to help achieve a comprehensive end …

Discussion: National Review and The Spectacle Blog

New York Times:

General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N. — UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to grant Palestine the upgraded status of nonmember observer state in the United Nations, a stinging defeat for Israel and the United States and a boost for President Mahmoud Abbas …

Discussion: NPR, News Desk, The Hill, Hot Air, Los Angeles Times, msnbc.com, Weekly Standard and Balloon Juice

Associated Press:

UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to recognize state of Palestine; US, Israel object — UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to recognize a Palestinian state, a long-sought victory for the Palestinians but an embarrassing diplomatic defeat for the United States.

Discussion: “The Lid”, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Gateway Pundit

Ron Prosor / Wall Street Journal:
What Kind of Palestinian State?

Discussion: New York Times, Pirate's Cove, Spectator, The Investigative Project …, Telegraph, BREITBART.COM and Hot Air

Joshua Mitnick / Wall Street Journal:
Palestinians Granted U.N. ‘State’ Status

Discussion: New York Magazine, Palestinian Media Watch, Atlas Shrugs and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:

For Secretary of State, G.O.P. Pushes Old Hand — WASHINGTON — As President Obama's potential nominee for secretary of state, Susan E. Rice, comes under increasing fire, Congressional Republicans appear to be coalescing around a familiar name as an alternative candidate …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Dan Frosch / Green:
Stake in Keystone Pipeline Is Potential Conflict for Susan Rice

Discussion: Daily Yonder, Mother Jones, Addicting Info, Towleroad News #gay and Washington Post

Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
McCain Gets Petty On Susan Rice Attacks: It's ‘Meaningless To Take Out Core Al-Qaeda’

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Rush Limbaugh:

Just Walk Away, Republicans — RUSH: I'm having trouble coming up with a term for this. But the conventional wisdom, the groupthink, I mean, folks, I don't care where you go, and this is not a criticism. I'm actually looking at this in wonderment. I don't care where you go.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and PoliticusUSA

Pew Social & Demographic Trends:

U.S. Birth Rate Falls to a Record Low; Decline Is Greatest Among Immigrants — OVERVIEW — The U.S. birth rate dipped in 2011 to the lowest ever recorded, led by a plunge in births to immigrant women since the onset of the Great Recession. — The overall U.S. birth rate …

Discussion: The Week, Washington Examiner, BBC, NBC Latino, Wonkblog and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Tara Bahrampour / Washington Post:
U.S. birth rate plummets to its lowest level since 1920

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Pew Social & …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Reid must wrestle with undecided Dems to reform filibuster rules — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may be short on votes he needs to force changes to the Senate's filibuster rules, as nine Democratic senators sit on the fence about the proposed reforms.

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Cruz lays out pathway for more inclusive GOP — Washington (CNN) - Ted Cruz, the Republican senator-elect from Texas who's replacing retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, knows he doesn't quite fit certain molds found in Washington. — “I'm something that's not supposed to exist: An Hispanic Republican,” he said.

Discussion: Politico and Taegan Goddard's …

Keith Laing / The Hill:

GOP fumes as TSA head skips aviation security hearing — Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sharply criticized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for skipping a scheduled hearing on Thursday. — TSA Administrator John Pistole was listed …

William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:

Strauss-Kahn Said to Reach Deal to Settle With Hotel Housekeeper — Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the hotel housekeeper who accused him of sexually assaulting her last year have quietly reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit she brought against him stemming from the case that made international headlines …

Discussion: Colorlines, BBC, Daily Mail and New York Magazine