memeorandum: The Democrats' Strange Zeal for Filibuster Reform (Ramesh Ponnuru/Bloomberg)

1:15 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: JustOneMinute, 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, Business Insider, Jared Bernstein, Hit & Run, The Daily Dish, Wonkblog, ABCNEWS and AEIdeas

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: Political Watch

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
Boehner tries to call a mulligan

Discussion: First Read, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Hill, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Prairie Weather and Business Insider

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

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

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS, The Hill, The Week, Bloomberg, Wake up America, The Hill, Campaign for America's …, ABCNEWS, Wonkblog and Weasel Zippers

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

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

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

The Fix:

Republicans losing blame game on fiscal cliff — A majority of Americans say that if the country goes over the fiscal cliff on Dec. 31, congressional Republicans should bear the brunt of the blame, according to a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll, the latest sign that the GOP faces …

Discussion: Applesauce, The Agonist, Business Insider and Daily Kos

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Pessimism About Fiscal Cliff Deal, Republicans Still Get More Blame

Discussion: msnbc.com, Washington Wire and CBS DC

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

Discussion: CNN, Politico, Prairie Weather and The Fix

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: msnbc.com, LifeNews.com, The Week, Outside the Beltway, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Post Politics, In Session, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and Shakesville

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:

Better-Looking, More Spunky Senator From Kentucky Now a Possibility — In 1964, George Murphy was elected as the junior senator from California. Murphy, a Republican, had been a song-and-dance man in the thirties and forties, appearing in Hollywood musicals.

Discussion: Politico

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:
The Democrats' Strange Zeal for Filibuster Reform

Discussion: Washington Monthly

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: Politico, Firedoglake, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, msnbc.com, Weekly Standard and Business Insider

Vicki Needham / The Hill:

Warren tapped for Senate Banking panel — Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of the banking sector's harshest critics, is being tapped to serve on the Senate Banking Committee. — The Harvard law professor who built her public image primarily as a fierce critic of Wall Street …

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, City Room, Poynter, AMERICAblog and Daily Mail, more at Mediagazer »

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: CNN, Boston Globe, First Read and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Jonathan Strong / Roll Call:
GOP Steering Committee Shuffles Conservatives

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

Daniel Horowitz / RedState:
The Purge of House Conservatives Continues

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Spectacle Blog

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, New York Magazine, Politico, Prairie Weather, Connecting.the.Dots and The Raw Story

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

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

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Chambliss vulnerable in a primary... Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss is theoretically very vulnerable to a primary challenger in 2014: it's just a question of whether any of the folks interested in taking him on can run a strong enough campaign to take advantage of that vulnerability.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and The Hill

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

Charles Kenny / Business Week:

The ‘Red Dawn’ Case for Cutting U.S. Defense Spending — Like the vast majority Americans, you may have missed the release last month of Red Dawn, a remake of the 1984 film of the same name in which a bunch of teenagers led by Patrick Swayze fought off an invading Soviet army in Colorado.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

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: Wonkette, Politico and Post Politics

Josh Barro / Bloomberg:

Forget the Cliff, Fix the U.S. Tax System — Spoiler alert: The “fiscal cliff” will be resolved. At the 11th hour, saner heads will prevail, a deal will be struck, and the U.S. Congress will steer the economy away from its date with destruction. Congressional compromise will ensure …

Mike Levine / Fox News:

Holder chief of staff targeted by Republicans in ‘Furious’ scandal to leave post — In one of the first high-level departures from the Justice Department since President Obama was elected to a second term, Attorney General Eric Holder's chief of staff — a political target …

Discussion: Politico and The Hill