memeorandum: Obama orders Led Zeppelin to ‘settle down’ as they receive award (Raf Sanchez/Telegraph)

12:20 PM ET, December 4, 2012

Top Items:

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Truly Grand Bargain — Sometimes you have to walk through the desert to get to the Promised Land. That's the way it is for Republicans right now. The Republicans are stuck in a miserable position at the end of 2012, but, if they handle things right, they can make 2013 an excellent year …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Post, msnbc.com, the daily howler, Mother Jones and Opinionator

Josh Barro / Bloomberg:

What's Wrong With the Republican Fiscal Cliff Counteroffer — Here are three big problems with the letter they sent to the White House: — 1. It's not really a proposal — it's just a set of headline numbers without specific policies. The letter says Republicans want to cut $900 billion …

Discussion: Paul Krugman, Hullabaloo, The Daily Dish, Business Insider, Hit & Run, Wonkblog, AEIdeas and ABCNEWS

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Palin regrets calling GOP lawmakers ‘wusses’ on deficit talks — One-time Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin apologized for calling some GOP lawmakers “wusses” in their negotiations with Democrats over the “fiscal cliff.” — “Well, I guess I shouldn't call politicians names …

Discussion: CNN and Political Watch

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Boehner tries to call a mulligan — House Speaker John Boehner is trying to call a mulligan. — In 2011, not long after an election in which Democrats were utterly routed, Erskine Bowles testified before the debt supercommittee. “I tried to think...if it was possible …

Discussion: First Read, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Prairie Weather, Business Insider and Hot Air

Politico:

Conservative groups rebel against John Boehner — Several prominent conservative organizations lashed out against a pair of decisions by Speaker John Boehner's leadership team as House Republicans saw their tightly held grip on the right loosen a bit on Monday.

Discussion: Boston Globe, The Hill and CNN

Katie Glueck / Politico: Sarah Palin: Sorry for calling GOP ‘wusses’

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Poll finds majority would blame GOP if deficit negotiations fail

Discussion: CNN and The Fix

Jessica Yellin / CNN:
White House won't counter Boehner's fiscal proposal

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, ABCNEWS, The Week, The Hill, ABCNEWS, Wonkblog, Jared Bernstein and Weasel Zippers

Susan Davis / USA Today:
GOP's $4.6T ‘fiscal cliff’ counterproposal rebuffed

Discussion: Politico, Los Angeles Times, NationalJournal.com, The Week, ABCNEWS and Hot Air

Manu Raju / Politico:

Ashley Judd exploring Senate run — Ashley Judd vs. Mitch McConnell? — It might not be as far-fetched as you think. — The Hollywood movie star and eighth-generation Kentuckian is seriously exploring a 2014 run for the Senate to take on the powerful Republican leader, four people familiar with the matter tell POLITICO.

Discussion: The Week, msnbc.com, LifeNews.com, Outside the Beltway, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Post Politics, Taegan Goddard's …, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and Shakesville

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:

The Democrats' Strange Zeal for Filibuster Reform — The filibuster makes hypocrites of everyone in Washington. In 2005, Harry Reid was the leader of the minority party in the Senate. He said that it would be an “abuse of power” to reduce the minority's power with a simple majority vote.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Bob Woodward / Washington Post:

Fox News chief's failed attempt to enlist Petraeus as presidential candidate — Roger Ailes, the longtime Republican media guru, founder of Fox News and its current chairman, had some advice last year for then-Gen. David H. Petraeus. — So in spring 2011, Ailes asked a Fox News analyst headed …

Discussion: emptywheel, Media Decoder, Wonkette, Taegan Goddard's …, Poynter, Informed Comment, Mediaite, Gawker, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, Politico and FP Passport, more at Mediagazer »

The Fix:
Republicans losing blame game on fiscal cliff

Discussion: Applesauce, Mother Jones, Business Insider and Daily Kos

Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post:

Elizabeth Warren Wins Senate Banking Committee Seat: Sources … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Elizabeth Warren, Harry Reid , Video, Senate Banking Committee, Banking Committee, Elizabeth Warren Banking Committee, Elizabeth Warren Committees, Elizabeth Warren Senate, Elizabeth Warren Senate Banking …

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Weekly Standard, msnbc.com and Business Insider

Mother Jones:

Exclusive: Dick Armey Quits Tea Party Group in Split Over Direction — In a move not publicly announced, former Rep. Dick Armey, the folksy conservative leader, has resigned as chairman of FreedomWorks, one of the main political outfits of the conservative movement and an instrumental force within the tea party.

Discussion: Ballot Box, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Post Politics, Politico, New York Magazine, Prairie Weather, The Raw Story, Connecting.the.Dots and First Read

momentoftruthproject.org:

BOWLES STATEMENT ON SPEAKER BOEHNER'S LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT — While I'm flattered the Speaker would call something “the Bowles plan,” the approach outlined in the letter Speaker Boehner sent to the President does not represent the Simpson-Bowles plan, nor is it the Bowles plan.

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times, Wonkblog, Hit & Run, Mother Jones, msnbc.com, Washington Examiner and Speaker.gov

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Republicans Make Counteroffer in Fiscal Talks

Discussion: the daily howler, Washington Post, The New Republic, Washington Free Beacon, Power Line, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Talking Points Memo, The Caucus and Democracy in America

Bloomberg:
Republicans Counter Obama Plan With Entitlement Cuts

Discussion: The Agonist

New York Post:

Queens dad pushed to his death by madman in Times Square subway station — Ki Suk Han, 58, of Queens frantically tries to climb to safety yesterday as a train bears down on him in Midtown. He was fatally struck seconds later. — A Queens dad trying to protect fellow straphangers …

Discussion: Gawker, The Week, The Raw Story, Capital New York, New York Magazine, Poynter, AMERICAblog and Daily Mail, more at Mediagazer »

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:

Pessimism About Fiscal Cliff Deal, Republicans Still Get More Blame — OVERVIEW — With Washington making little apparent progress in efforts to avoid going over the “fiscal cliff,” public opinion about the situation has changed little over the past three weeks.

Discussion: msnbc.com, CBS DC and Washington Wire

Mary Katharine Ham / Hot Air:
Polls: Nation that re-elected Obama wants more spending cuts than tax hikes, still hates Obamacare

Discussion: Power Line, Weasel Zippers, Weekly Standard, Politico and Washington Post

Jonathan Strong / Roll Call:

GOP Steering Committee Shuffles Conservatives — Speaker John A. Boehner initiated today a small purge of rebellious Republicans — mostly conservatives — from prominent committees; it's the latest instance of the Ohio Republican's clamping down on his fractious conference.

Discussion: The Week, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, Politico, Red Alert Politics, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, Twitchy, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune and Hit & Run

Daniel Horowitz / RedState:
The Purge of House Conservatives Continues

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Spectacle Blog

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:

Bloomberg Asked Clinton to Consider Succeeding Him as Mayor — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has long struggled to imagine a successor with the combination of star power, experience and grit to fill his shoes. — But not long ago, he was struck by an inspiration: Hillary Rodham Clinton, the retiring secretary of state.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, The Week, Politicker, Daily Mail, Capital Tonight, Capital New York, CBS New York, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared, Weasel Zippers, msnbc.com, Gothamist, TMZ.com and Post Politics

Hans Nichols / Bloomberg:

Obama Said to Consider Vogue Editor Wintour for U.K. Embassy — President Barack Obama is considering nominating Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, to be either his next ambassador to the U.K. or France, as he looks to reward his biggest fundraisers with embassies that never seem out of fashion …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, ABCNEWS, Post Politics, The Week, The Hill, Daily Mail, msnbc.com, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Associated Press, New York Magazine, Weasel Zippers and Taegan Goddard's …, more at Mediagazer »

Politico:

The Rubio, Ryan makeovers — Behind the Curtain: About this weekly feature — Behind the Curtain is a reported column, Web show and online conversation about the behind-the-scenes intrigue that shapes politics and policy. It will unfold every Tuesday (and beyond, when news dictates).

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:

Liberal Hecklers Meet Ohio Republican — Comity after a protest at a conference on the debt. “They just gave my speech,” says Portman. — Source: youtube.com — WASHINGTON — Ohio Sen. Rob Portman faced more than a dozen hecklers Tuesday morning at the “Fix The Debt” conference in Washington …

Discussion: Mediaite

Raf Sanchez / Telegraph:

Obama orders Led Zeppelin to ‘settle down’ as they receive award — President Barack Obama has honoured the three remaining members of Led Zeppelin at the White House, joking he was relieved to have the Secret Service on hand to prevent any repeat of their infamous destruction of hotel rooms.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, No More Mister Nice Blog and Pundit & Pundette

Lee Enterprises / Associated Press:

Brewer out of state; aide won't provide details — Gov. Jan Brewer has taken a nearly week-long out-of-state work trip that was shrouded in secrecy Monday as she skipped an event to certify election ballots and her spokesman refused to disclose her location.

Discussion: Politico, Wonkette and Post Politics