memeorandum: Immigration and Economic Growth: (George W. Bush Presidential Center)

1:45 AM ET, December 5, 2012

Top Items:

Republicans not handling election results well — PPP's first post election national poll finds that Republicans are taking the results pretty hard...and also declining in numbers. — 49% of GOP voters nationally say they think that ACORN stole the election for President Obama.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Mother Jones, Business Insider, Truthdig, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', The National Memo, msnbc.com, The Raw Story, American Prospect, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, The Moderate Voice, Political Watch, Liberal Values and The Hinterland Gazette

Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:

Nearly Half Of Republicans Believe Defunct Organization Stole The Election For Obama — Forty nine percent of Republicans believe that President Obama won reelection thanks to the allegedly illegal work of a group that no longer exists, according to a Public Policy Polling survey.

Discussion: Philly.com

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

That Pesky ACORN, and a Surge of Interest in Panetta-Burns — Public Policy Polling clearly decided to have some fun in its first post-election national survey. Take it away, Tom Jensen! … During the “secession crisis” of 1861 that ultimately led to the Civil War, the crucial “swing” …

Discussion: Discourse.net

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

Fox News Puts Karl Rove on the Bench — The post-election soul searching going on inside the Republican Party is taking place inside Fox News as well. Fox News chief Roger Ailes, a canny marketer and protector of his network's brand, has been taking steps since November to reposition Fox …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, Daily Download, blog.sfgate.com, Booman Tribune and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »

Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog:
When Roger Ailes tried to play kingmaker

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Raw Story and Media Decoder, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:
Fox News chief's failed attempt to enlist Petraeus as presidential candidate

Discussion: blog.sfgate.com and American Prospect

DP Show / The Dan Patrick Show:

Bob Costas explains why he made gun commentary at halftime of Sunday night game — NBC's Bob Costas joined the show to talk about his comments on the Jevon Belcher tragedy and more. — Costas explained why he chose to make a statement on gun control at halftime of Sunday night's Eagles-Cowboys game.

Discussion: Politico, msnbc.com, The Early Lead, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and Daily Download

Cindy Boren / The Early Lead:

Bob Costas calls Jovan Belcher commentary “a mistake” — Neighbors share their grief outside the Long Island home of Jovan Belcher's mother. (Shannon Stapleton / Reuters) — Bob Costas said he made a “mistake,” violating his own rule of not trying to compress a nuanced topic into small bit of air time …

Discussion: Kansas City Star, Mediaite, NewsBusters.org blogs, Politico, National Review and The PJ Tatler

Rush Limbaugh:
Don't Blame Costas, Blame the Microphone

Discussion: Ed Driscoll

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Lack of rank-and-file backlash hints at softening on taxes — Republicans appeared Tuesday to be moving reluctantly toward a debt deal that would increase revenues, one day after Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) offered up $800 billion in tax collection in the fiscal-cliff negotiations.

Discussion: Politico

Politico:
Conservative groups rebel against John Boehner

Discussion: CNN, Roll Call, The Hill, Weasel Zippers, Wonkblog, First Read, Boston Globe, Vox Popoli and Booman Tribune

Jonathan Strong / Roll Call:
Dissidents Pushed Off Prominent Committees

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

David Brooks / New York Times:
The Truly Grand Bargain

Discussion: Washington Post, First Read, Zandar Versus The Stupid, driftglass, JustOneMinute, the daily howler, msnbc.com, Opinionator, Firedoglake, Mother Jones and The Week

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:

How Unhinged Rhetoric Sank a Disabilities Rights Treaty in the Senate — The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities failed to capture the 2/3 vote needed for ratification in the U.S. Senate today due to fierce Republican opposition. Many Republicans and their allies …

Discussion: The Hill, Human Events, Balloon Juice, Little Green Footballs and The Raw Story

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Senate rejects treaty to protect disabled around the world — J. Scott Applewhite/AP - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), center, gestures during a news conference in Washington, Dec. 3, 2012, to urge Senate approval of an international agreement for protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities.

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Applesauce, skippy the bush kangaroo, Firedoglake and Right Wing Watch

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Senate Republicans Block Ratification Of U.N. Treaty On Rights For The Disabled, Citing Impact On Home-Schoolers — The Senate Tuesday fell short of the two-thirds vote required to ratify a United Nations treaty aimed at securing rights for disabled people around the world …

Discussion: Daniel W. Drezner, Mother Jones, The Hill, Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Walter Hickey / Business Insider:

47% Of People Think The Deficit Would INCREASE If We Go Over The Fiscal Cliff — As the Fiscal Cliff fight rages on, both sides are using the media to position themselves as being serious and reasonable. — One big factor is that for all the hype about the issue, very few people really understand what The Fiscal Cliff actually is..

Discussion: A plain blog about politics, Calculated Risk, Mother Jones and American Prospect

Paul Krugman:

Psychodrama Queens, Revisited — A while back I worried that the Obama administration actually believed in pundit fantasies, those elaborate psychodramas supposedly going on in voters' minds as they contemplate whether Obama has reached out enough to the center or whatever.

Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
One in four Americans has an opinion about an imaginary debt plan

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Eschaton

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:

Dick Armey, FreedomWorks president clashed over book deal — Dick Armey left the deep-pocketed tea party group he helped build over a clash with a top lieutenant who Armey and others in the organization believed was using the group's resources to pad his pockets, POLITICO has learned.

Discussion: Roll Call, Mediaite and Daily Kos

Associated Press:
TEA PARTY GROUP CHIEF QUITS, CITES INTERNAL SPLIT

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, 24Ahead, Trail Blazers Blog, Washington Examiner, BuzzFeed, Outside the Beltway, Ballot Box, The Raw Story and Mother Jones

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 …

Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker:
Photo of Man's Imminent Demise Covers Front Page of the New York Post, Sparks Outrage

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

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:

Ryan, Rubio Distance Themselves From Romney, Call For GOP Focus On Those “Struggling” — Potential 2016 candidates make a move. — Image by Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP — WASHINGTON — In their most substantive remarks since the presidential election, former Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan …

Discussion: The Week

Politico:
Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio's makeovers

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Washington Free Beacon, Roger Ailes, New York Magazine, Washington Monthly and CNN

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Arizona senators don't know Gov. Jan Brewer's whereabouts — Arizona Sens. John McCain (R) and Jon Kyl (R) said Tuesday they have no idea where Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) is. — “No, everybody keeps asking me that,” Kyl told The Hill. “I didn't know she was missing.” — McCain answered similarly.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Huffington Post, Wonkette, New York Magazine, Post Politics and Politico

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

Discussion: Gawker, Truthdig and Associated Press

Romy Varghese / Bloomberg:

Pennsylvania Step May Help Republicans Win Electoral Vote — A Pennsylvania lawmaker's plan to divvy up electoral votes based on a presidential candidate's public support may be just the first of many state legislative moves to alter the way the nation chooses a leader.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Suburban Guerrilla

TMZ.com:

Mitt Romney Hits Costco — Buys Toy Car (Manufactured in China) — HITS COSTCO — Buys Toy Car (Manufactured in China) — EXCLUSIVE — Mitt Romney went on MASSIVE (and fiscally responsible) shopping spree at a Costco near his home in La Jolla, CA this week ... stocking up on all sorts of goods …

Discussion: Wonkette, The New Republic, BuzzFeed, Rightnewz Videos, Washington Examiner and Library Grape

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: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Associated Press, Little Green Footballs and The Raw Story

Alicia Mundy / Wall Street Journal:

Adelson to Keep Betting on the GOP — LAS VEGAS—After spending more than $100 million mostly on losing Republican election campaigns this year, casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson said he planned to stay in the game and double down on his political donations.

BuzzFeed:

MSNBC Hosts Visit Obama — Ed Schultz, Rachel Maddow, Al Sharpton, and Lawrence O'Donnell all spotted entering the West Wing. — WASHINGTON — MSNBC's prime time line-up was spotted entering the West Wing Tuesday afternoon for what host Ed Schultz tweeted was a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Discussion: Mediaite and Post Politics

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 …