memeorandum: Ashley Judd exploring Senate run (Manu Raju/Politico)

4:00 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, Opinionator, the daily howler, Mother Jones 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, Vox Popoli, Wonkblog, Booman Tribune, First Read and Business Insider

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, Hit & Run, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Jared Bernstein, Hullabaloo and Wonkblog

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

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: CBS DC, msnbc.com and Washington Wire

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

Jonathan Strong / Roll Call:

Dissidents Pushed Off Prominent Committees — With a small purge of rebellious Republicans — mostly conservatives — from prominent committees Monday, Speaker John A. Boehner is sending a tough message ahead of the looming vote on a fiscal cliff deal. — David Schweikert of Arizona …

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

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, Prairie Weather, Washington Examiner and Hot Air

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid says Boehner debt plan would raise taxes on middle class

Discussion: CNN and Politico

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: Capital New York, Gothamist, BBC, The PJ Tatler, Forbes, City Room, Poynter, New York Magazine, Daily Download, Outside the Beltway, AMERICAblog, 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 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: Crooks and Liars, Mother Jones, OpenSecrets.org, The National Memo, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, Business Insider and msnbc.com

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

Politico: Elizabeth Warren headed to Senate Banking Committee

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

Noah Bierman / Boston Globe:
Elizabeth Warren likely to get Senate Banking Committee assignment

Discussion: The Raw Story

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 …

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

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

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

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 Fix, The Week, CBS DC, Hot Air, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, Post Politics, LifeNews.com, Outside the Beltway, 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: A plain blog about politics and Booman Tribune

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

Discussion: Washington Monthly

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 and Daily Kos

Tom Benning / Trail Blazers Blog:

Former President George W. Bush calls for ‘benevolent spirit’ in immigration debate — Former President George W. Bush, speaks at the 4 Percent Growth Project: immigration and economic growth conference, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on December 4, 2012. (Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News)

Discussion: Post Politics and NumbersUSA

Justin Sink / The Hill:
George W. Bush urges ‘benevolent’ immigration reform debate

Discussion: CNN

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: The National Memo, 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, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and CNN