memeorandum: NY Gov. Cuomo meeting with Boehner, Reid to discuss hurricane aid (Daniel Strauss/The Hill)

8:55 AM ET, December 3, 2012

Top Items:

Pushing G.O.P. to Negotiate, Obama Ends Giving In — WASHINGTON — Amid demands from Republicans that President Obama propose detailed new spending cuts to avert the year-end fiscal crisis, his answer boils down to this: you first. — Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations in his first term …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Week, Prairie Weather, Wall Street Journal and msnbc.com

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

‘Fiscal cliff’ talks at a stalemate over tax hikes — View Photo Gallery — The ‘fiscal cliff’: Meet the key players: With the election behind them, Obama and lawmakers have turned their attention to the fiscal cliff. Here's a look at some of the leaders who will influence whether the country can avoid falling off the cliff.

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Times, Campaign for America's …, The BLT and Politico

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Chambliss defends tax pledge stance, says he won't be ‘dictated to’ — Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) on Saturday defended his decision to break with conservative activist Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge, telling constituents he would not be “dictated to by anybody in Washington.”

Discussion: CNN

Kyle Balluck / The Hill: Obama seeks to bolster his negotiating chops in debt talks

Lori Ziganto / Twitchy:

Narcissist in chief: President Obama honors Rosa Parks anniversary with picture of himself; Update: Adam Baldwin with the win — Just when you think President Obama's impossibly large ego can't grow further, he makes it happen! — President Obama loves to insert himself in other people's biographies.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys, Little Green Footballs, The Gateway Pundit, iOwnTheWorld.com and Althouse

John Bresnahan / Politico:

J.C. Watts for RNC chair? — Former GOP Rep. J.C. Watts says he is being “encouraged” by supporters to run for chairman of the Republican National Committee, a move he says could broaden the party's appeal to minorities. — Watts is not formally entering the race, and he is not critical …

Discussion: Post Politics, The Moderate Voice, INSTAPUTZ, The Political Carnival and CNN

Ben Shapiro / BREITBART.COM:

HILLARY: ISRAEL LACKS ‘EMPATHY,’ ‘GENEROSITY’ TOWARD PALESTINIANS — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has never been a friend to Israel. Today, speaking at the 2012 Saban Forum on US-Israel Relations, a liberal organization, she railed against Israel for supposed insensitivity …

Discussion: Chicago Boyz, Atlas Shrugs, Weasel Zippers and The Daily Caller

Chana Ya'ar / Arutz Sheva:
Abbas ‘Victory Speech’: Jerusalem ‘Eternal Capital of Palestine’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post:
Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah: Now, we have a state

Discussion: Hot Air and The Hill

Philip Pullella / Reuters:

Vatican discloses Pope's Twitter handle: @pontifex … VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - It's official. Pope Benedict's handle on Twitter will be @pontifex. — He already has 1.2 billion “followers” in the standard sense of the word but next week he will have another type when he enters …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

David Remnick / News Desk:

Hillary is Running: A Dispatch from the Saban Forum — Hillary Clinton is running for President. And the Israeli political class is a full-blown train wreck. These are two conclusions, for whatever they are worth, based on a three-day conference I attended this weekend at the annual Saban Forum, in Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Israel Matzav and No More Mister Nice Blog

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Congress Retains Low Honesty Rating — Nurses have highest honesty rating; car salespeople, lowest — PRINCETON, NJ — As Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending “fiscal cliff” that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1 …

Discussion: Politico and Mediaite

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:

NY Gov. Cuomo meeting with Boehner, Reid to discuss hurricane aid — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is visiting top Democrats and Republicans on Monday to discuss additional relief funding to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. — Cuomo has meetings scheduled with House Speaker John Boehner …

Discussion: Capital New York, New York Times and CNN

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:

2016 contenders court mega-donors — A week after Election Day, three Republican governors mentioned as 2016 presidential candidates — Bobby Jindal, John Kasich and Bob McDonnell — each stopped by the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino to meet privately with its owner Sheldon Adelson …

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Obama pays tribute to Kennedy Center honorees at White House reception — President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Sunday paid tribute to this year's Kennedy Center Honors award recipients, celebrating the art and music world talents at a White House reception.

Discussion: Politico, The Gateway Pundit and CNN

Misstripleem / Twitchy:

Singer Alanis Morissette defies boycott, threats over Israel concert — Pop singer Alanis Morissette arrived in Israel today for a concert at Tel Aviv's Nokia Theater; she last performed there in 2000. … Alanis Morissette in Israel — The usual voices of intolerance are protesting the Grammy Award-winning songwriter's visit.

Discussion: Arutz Sheva, Scared Monkeys, The Other McCain and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Talking Points Memo:

McCaskill: ‘I Feel Almost Sorry For John Boehner’ — Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said that she feels “almost sorry” for House Speaker John Boehner during an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press” Sunday, explaining that Boehner is in a tough spot because of the far-right wing of the Republican Party.

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Gateway Pundit