memeorandum: House Democrats file petition to force vote on middle class tax rates (Pete Kasperowicz/The Hill)

4:40 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: Washington Post, JustOneMinute, driftglass, msnbc.com, the daily howler, Mother Jones, Opinionator and Firedoglake

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, Roll Call, The Hill, Boston Globe, Wonkblog, Vox Popoli, Booman Tribune, First Read and Business Insider

Ted Barrett / CNN:

Despite Dole appearance, Senate fails to ratify disabilities treaty — Washington (CNN) - Senate Republicans blocked ratification of a United Nations treaty aimed at promoting the rights of disabled people around the world, despite an appearance on the Senate floor by former Republican Sen. Bob Dole …

Discussion: Politico

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: Politico, CNN and Political Watch

Jonathan Strong / Roll Call:
Dissidents Pushed Off Prominent Committees

Discussion: Firedoglake, RedState, msnbc.com, The National Memo, Hot Air, Campaign for America's … and Hit & Run

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Senate Republicans Block Ratification Of U.N. Treaty On Rights For The Disabled, Citing Impact On Home-Schoolers

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Hill and Daily Kos

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Senate rejects treaty to protect disabled around the world

Discussion: msnbc.com, Firedoglake and Right Wing Watch

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

Discussion: CNN and msnbc.com

CNN:
Distance between Boehner, Obama continued at holiday party

Discussion: Applesauce and Weasel Zippers

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
Boehner tries to call a mulligan

Discussion: First Read, Bloomberg, The Huffington Post, The Week, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Hit & Run, Washington Examiner, Prairie Weather and Hot Air

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 …

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: Firedoglake, CBS DC, msnbc.com and Washington Wire

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: Post Politics, Applesauce, Business Insider, Daily Kos, The Moderate Voice and The Agonist

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, CNN, The Plum Line, Wake up America, Washington Free Beacon, Business Insider, The Daily Dish, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hit & Run, Jared Bernstein, Hullabaloo and Wonkblog

BuzzFeed:
White House Calls GOP Fiscal Cliff Plan “Magic Beans And Fairy Dust”

Discussion: Mediaite

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

Discussion: CNN, The Plum Line, Politico and Prairie Weather

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: The Atlantic Wire, Gothamist, Guardian, Capital New York, BBC, The PJ Tatler, Forbes, City Room, Poynter, New York Magazine, Daily Download, AMERICAblog, Outside the Beltway, Gawker and Daily Mail, more at Mediagazer »

Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker:

Photo of Man's Imminent Demise Covers Front Page of the New York Post, Sparks Outrage — A freelance photographer working for the New York Post on an unrelated assignment happened to be standing on the 49th Street station platform when 58-year-old Queens resident Ki Suk Han was suddenly pushed onto …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Week, The Raw Story, Capital New York, Mediaite and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

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: Bloomberg, Boston Globe, Crooks and Liars, Mother Jones, The National Memo, OpenSecrets.org, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Balloon Juice, The Raw Story and msnbc.com

Politico:
Elizabeth Warren headed to Senate Banking Committee

Discussion: Guardian

Vicki Needham / The Hill: Warren tapped for Senate Banking panel

David Dayen / Firedoglake: Report: Warren to Get Spot on Senate Banking Committee

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, CBS DC, The Fix, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Post Politics, LifeNews.com, Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com, The Gateway Pundit, Zandar Versus The Stupid, In Session, The Powers That Be and Shakesville

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:
Better-Looking, Spunkier Senator From Kentucky Now a Possibility

Discussion: Politico

National Review:

Filibluster — Filibuster “reform” — intermittently called, over the last decade or so, the “nuclear option” — is something of a moving target. We have consistently maintained that a majority of the Senate may constitutionally curtail the filibuster or leave it as it is.

Discussion: Booman Tribune and A plain blog about politics

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

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:

Susan Rice, the Senate and Angry Mobs — An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late Sept. 11, 2012. (STR/AFP/GettyImages) — ABC News' Jonathan Karl and Sunlen Miller report:

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, AMERICAblog and The Daily Dish

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama: Susan Rice ‘highly qualified,’ but no decision yet on next Secretary of State

Discussion: Politico

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: The Hill, Politico, Wonkette and Post Politics

Mary Jo Pitzl / Arizona Republic:
Brewer out of state; aide won't provide details

Discussion: Gawker and Truthdig

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

House Democrats file petition to force vote on middle class tax rates — House Democrats on Tuesday filed a discharge petition that would force the House to vote on the Senate's bill to extend the Bush-era tax levels for the middle class, but allow rates to rise for the wealthy.

Discussion: Politico, Bluestem Prairie and Daily Kos

Reuters:

Egypt's Mursi leaves palace as police battle protesters — (Reuters) - Egyptian police battled thousands of protesters outside President Mohamed Mursi's palace in Cairo on Tuesday, prompting the Islamist leader to leave the building, presidency sources said.

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Rush Limbaugh and “The Lid”

Ted Nugent / Washington Times:

U.S. sailed off the ‘fiscal cliff’ long ago — We created Fedzilla; now it's time to kill it — Only a Fedzillacrat could possibly think raising taxes on the wealthy could accomplish anything toward restoring sanity in the financial insane asylum known as our federal government.

Discussion: Associated Press, Taegan Goddard's … and The Raw Story