memeorandum: As Americans face a fiscal cliff, the Obamas make do with 54 Christmas trees (Andrew Malcolm/Investor's Business Daily)

3:40 PM ET, December 3, 2012

Top Items:

Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:

Republican Doomsday Plan: Cave on Taxes, Vote ‘Present’ — Republicans are seriously considering a Doomsday Plan if fiscal cliff talks collapse entirely. It's quite simple: House Republicans would allow a vote on extending the Bush middle class tax cuts (the bill passed in August by the Senate) …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, ABCNEWS and “The Lid”

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Criticized as Weak in Past Talks, Obama Takes Harder Line — 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 …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Hill, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Week, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog, Daily Kos, Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, msnbc.com and ABCNEWS

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

White House willing to go over fiscal cliff if absolutely necessary — David Corn has a piece up this morning arguing that John Boehner is hampered in the fiscal cliff talks by his right flank — the House Tea Partyers who oppose compromise with the White House at any cost, just as they did during the 2011 showdowns.

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, Daily Kos and Hullabaloo

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Republican “Doomsday Plan” Allows Tax Increase, Uses Debt Limit For Future Leverage — Under “Doomsay Scenario,” Republicans vote “present” en masse so they don't take ownership of tax increase — Jonathan Karl has early notice of a potential “doomsday” plan devised by Republicans:

Discussion: ABCNEWS

Keith Hennessey / Wall Street Journal: Time to Call the President's Budget Bluff

John W. Schoen / Economy Watch:
Facing the fiscal cliff: American taxpayers have had it easy for decades

Discussion: msnbc.com and The Agonist

E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Why sane bargaining looks strange

Discussion: The Daily Dish, msnbc.com, New York Times, The Week and The Fix

Peter H. Stone / The Huffington Post:

Sheldon Adelson Spent Far More On Campaign Than Previously Known … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Elections 2012, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Campaign Finance, Elections 2012, Newt Gingrich, Video, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Las Vegas Sands, Sheldon Adelson, Fcpa, Mitt Romney 2012, Sands Casino …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Post Politics, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, The Raw Story and Balloon Juice

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 …

Discussion: CNN, Roland Martin Reports and GOP 12

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Obama offers congrats to Kate, William — President Obama has congratulated Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Katherine over the news that they are having a baby. — White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president and first lady Michelle Obama were extending …

Discussion: Associated Press and CNN

BBC: Prince William and Kate expecting a baby

Mark Duell / Daily Mail:
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ‘delighted’ as they announce they are expecting their first baby

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Sam Jones / Guardian:
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expecting baby - live coverage

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Big Budget Mumble — In the ongoing battle of the budget, President Obama has done something very cruel. Declaring that this time he won't negotiate with himself, he has refused to lay out a proposal reflecting what he thinks Republicans want. Instead, he has demanded that Republicans themselves say, explicitly, what they want.

Discussion: Washington Post, the daily howler, Paul Krugman, New York Magazine, xpostfactoid, Prairie Weather, Discourse.net, Daily Kos and American Spectator

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:
Republicans ready to forget Romney and embrace Rep. Ryan on Medicare

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hit & Run and Daily Kos

Lori Ziganto / Twitchy:

Shameful: Pope Benedict XVI joins Twitter, vile hate starts before his first tweet — Twitter is buzzing today, as Pope Benedict XVI 's new Twitter account has been revealed. The buzz started yesterday, when it was reported that the pope would launch a personal Twitter account.

Discussion: LifeNews.com, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and Blazing Cat Fur

Philip Pullella / Reuters:
Vatican discloses Pope's Twitter handle: @pontifex

Discussion: New York Times, Guardian, Dependable Renegade and NewsBusters.org

Daniel W. Drezner:

Introducing the Drezner Intelligence Explainer — David Sanger and Eric Schmitt have a story in today's New York Times about... well, as near as I can figure, the purpose of the story is that the intelligence comnunity wants to communicate with the Assad regime in Syria. Here's the opening:

Discussion: New York Times, AEIdeas, emptywheel, Via Meadia and The Agonist

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:
Clinton Warns Syria Against Using Chemical Weapons

Discussion: Wired, Belmont Club, Outside the Beltway, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and New York Magazine

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: CNN, BuzzFeed, Politico, ABCNEWS, Mediaite, The Hill, msnbc.com, Poynter and Post Politics

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:

Again, no gay marriage orders (FINAL UPDATE) — The Supreme Court on Monday released additional orders from its Friday Conference, but the list did not show any action on the ten cases dealing with the same-sex marriage issue. UPDATED: The Court later Monday morning posted on its electronic docket …

Discussion: Advocate and Outside the Beltway

New York Times:

Homeless Man Is Grateful for Officer's Gift of Boots. But He Again Is Barefoot. — After Officer Lawrence DePrimo knelt beside a barefoot man on a bitterly cold November night in Times Square, giving him a pair of boots, a photo of his random act of good will quickly took on a life of its own …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, BuzzFeed, msnbc.com, Outside the Beltway, Runnin' Scared, New York Magazine, Gawker and iOwnTheWorld.com

Allison Samuels / The Daily Beast:

Michelle Obama's Next Move — What's next for our incredibly popular first lady? Samuel L. Jackson and other super-fans weigh in. — Chatting with a group backstage on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October, Michelle Obama made it clear that she wasn't thinking about what she might do in the future.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers and National Review

Fox Sports:

In KC, it's no time for a game — KANSAS CITY, MO. — Football is embarrassingly tone deaf. — Jovan Belcher, a starting linebacker for the Chiefs, murdered the mother of his child shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday. He hopped in his car, drove to the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility …

Christine Haughney / Media Decoder:

New York Times Seeks Buyouts From 30 in Newsroom — Aiming to cut costs in an increasingly troubled advertising environment, The New York Times announced on Monday morning that it would offer buyout packages to newsroom employees. While the primary goal of the buyout program is to trim managers …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, Business Insider, driftglass, Capital New York, Poynter, Roger Ailes and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Mike Allen / Politico:

OBAMA TO REAPPOINT REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ AS DNC CHAIR — Congress may return after Christmas — Sen. Marco Rubio, Bob Woodward headline Playbook Breakfast on Wed. — EXCLUSIVE - A senior Democratic official: “Because of the outstanding job she has done, the President will ask the members …

Discussion: Hot Air, Political Watch, The Fix and The Caucus

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Santorum launches column for ‘birther’ website — Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has taken a job as a columnist for World Net Daily, a conservative website best known for articles advancing “birther” conspiracy theories about President Obama.

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Post Politics, Politico, The Agonist, The Raw Story and Mother Jones

Keegan Hamilton / The Atlantic Online:

Why Legalizing Pot Won't Curb the Drug War — Advocates may think their recent initiatives have set Mexican traffickers back, but the cartels have already moved on. — Over the course of two days in late March, a coalition of U.S. law enforcement groups rounded up more than 40 people accused …

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community