Top Items:
Michael Grunwald / TIME:
Fiscal Cliff Fictions: Let's All Agree to Pretend the GOP Isn't Full of It — It's really amazing to see political reporters dutifully passing along Republican complaints that President Obama's opening offer in the fiscal cliff talks is just a recycled version of his old plan …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Balloon Juice and Mother Jones
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Mitch McConnell makes an offer — So this afternoon, Mitch McConnell made the most specific “fiscal cliff” offer we've seen thus far from Republicans. Here it is: … McConnell's offer is this: We'll give you increased revenues via the closing of loopholes — and in exchange …
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
House Dems try to force vote on extending middle-class tax rates — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday announced Democrats would circulate a discharge petition to force a House vote to extend current tax rates only on annual household income below $250,000.
Wall Street Journal:
GOP Takes Aim at Entitlements — Senate Minority Leader Calls for Bipartisan Support of Changes to Medicare, Social Security to Get Deal — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outlined potential changes to Medicare and Social Security in an interview Friday, providing fresh clarity …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, Wonkblog, Washington Wire and Daily Kos
Jake Sherman / Politico:
Fiscal cliff: John Boehner declares stalemate — Speaker John Boehner declared an impasse Friday in negotiations with the White House over avoiding the fiscal cliff that's just 32 days away. — “There's a stalemate,” Boehner said at a news conference in the Capitol. “Let's not kid ourselves.
Discussion:
CNN, Reuters, Daily Kos and Shakesville
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Cliff-jumping with Barack
Cliff-jumping with Barack
Discussion:
Mediaite, Mother Jones, Betsy's Page, Vodkapundit and Daily Kos
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Don't jump off the cliff yet
Don't jump off the cliff yet
Discussion:
The Caucus, The Week, Wall Street Journal, Connecting.the.Dots, The Daily Caller, The Fix and UrbanGrounds
Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post:
Fiscal Cliff Talks: Behind Obama's Opening Bid
Fiscal Cliff Talks: Behind Obama's Opening Bid
Discussion:
TIME, Guardian, Hullabaloo, Omaha World-Herald and First Read
Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
No action on same-sex marriage — The Supreme Court, after taking most of the day to prepare new orders, took no action Friday on the ten same-sex marriage pleas now on the docket. It did agree to rule on whether taking a human gene out of the body for research is a process that can be patented.
Discussion:
ACS Blog, Advocate, Towleroad News #gay, The Raw Story and The Political Carnival
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Tom Goldstein / SCOTUSblog:
History — At their Conference today, the Justices …
History — At their Conference today, the Justices …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, AMERICAblog and BuzzFeed
Amy Howe / SCOTUSblog:
Court to consider same-sex marriage cases: In Plain English
Court to consider same-sex marriage cases: In Plain English
Discussion:
Law Blog, msnbc.com and Box Turtle Bulletin
Guy Benson / Townhall.com:
Republicans' Ace in the Hole: Simpson-Bowles? — Democrats appear to have the upper hand on the politics of the fiscal cliff, which might explain their brash pronouncements and mind-blowing conceptualization of “compromise.” This morning I outlined three possible contingencies for Republicans, none of which is especially attractive.
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and National Review
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Bfearnowcbs / CBS DC:
Study: American Households Hit 43-Year Low In Net Worth — WASHINGTON (CBS DC) - The median net worth of American households has dropped to a 43-year low as the lower and middle classes appear poorer and less stable than they have been since 1969. — According to a recent study …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and The Lonely Conservative
Ronald D. White / Los Angeles Times:
Small union is causing big problems for ports — A strike by about 800 clerical workers is disrupting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and costing them an estimated $1 billion a day. Above, trucks line up Thursday to enter Pier J at the Port of Long Beach. (Bob Chamberlin, Los Angeles Times / November 30, 2012)
Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Down and Out With Ted Cruz and the GOP — As Republicans regroup from electoral disaster, some — including a rising star in the Senate — insist conservatism was not to blame. — Associated Press — Why did Republicans lose the 2012 election? Ask Ted Cruz, the newly elected Republican senator from Texas.
Discussion:
The National Memo, The Week and ABCNEWS
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New York Times:
Complaints Aside, Most Face Lower Tax Burden Than in the Reagan '80s — What Is Fair?: — BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Alan Hicks divides long days between the insurance business he started in the late 1970s and the barbecue restaurant he opened with his sons three years ago.
Kevin Freking / Associated Press:
Congress looks at doing away with the $1 bill — Congressional auditors say doing away with dollar bills entirely ...more — WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers have shown about as much appetite for the $1 coin as kids do their spinach. They may not know what's best for them either.
Discussion:
CNN, Outside the Beltway, LewRockwell.com Blog and The PJ Tatler
Zack Beauchamp / ThinkProgress:
Arizona Governor Compares Undocumented Immigrants To Drunks And Children — Since President Obama issued an administrative directive allowing some undocumented young immigrants to temporarily remain in the country, states have adopted policies to ensure they have equal work opportunity.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Noonan: The Drawn-Out Crisis—It's the Obama Way — The president seems to prefer frustration to good-faith negotiation. — The president's inviting Mitt Romney for lunch is a small thing but a brilliant move. It makes Mr. Obama look big, gracious. It implies the weakened …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, The Lonely Conservative, National Review and Hullabaloo
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Associated Press:
US government releases once-secret Watergate files — WASHINGTON — The government on Friday released more than 850 pages of once-secret documents from the Watergate political scandal, providing new insights on privileged legal conversations and prison evaluations of some burglars in the case.
New Jersey Online:
Paulsboro bridge collapse derails train, dumps tank car contents into Mantua Creek — PAULSBORO — Four railroad tank cars have been dumped into the Mantua Creek and are leaking vinyl chloride after the train bridge collapsed at about 7 a.m. — Ambulances are being sent to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, BuzzFeed and ABCNEWS
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Christie strongly favored for reelection, voters still lukewarm on 2016 bid — Chris Christie's the most popular Governor PPP's polled on all year, and he looks pretty safe for reelection next year. But New Jersey voters still aren't sold on him as a Presidential candidate in 2016.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Capital New York and The Daily Caller
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