Top Items:
Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
Did Boehner Just Pull The Plug On Fiscal Cliff Negotiations? — In response to President Obama's extensive comments about the fiscal cliff at the White House Wednesday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner left himself little if any room to continue negotiations.
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Democratic Daily, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, The Impolitic and The Daily Dish
RELATED:
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
House Republicans Again Show Why We Need to Wait Until January for a Deal — For about half a day, in the wake of President Obama's most recent budget compromise, it appeared that an agreement might be close at hand. Boehner was reported to be taking the temperature of his crazies on Obama's plan.
Discussion:
Hot Air, BuzzFeed, Taking Note and The Gateway Pundit
Ryan Ellis / Americans for Tax Reform RSS:
ATR Statement on “Plan B” Tax Plan — ATR's statement on the “Plan B” tax bill. — ATR has consistently maintained that individual Members of Congress make a pledge to their constituents to oppose and vote against tax increases. The House this week will vote on a tax bill.
Politico:
Obama, Boehner duel on fiscal cliff — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner traded sharp words Wednesday as each leader urged the other to get serious about averting the fiscal cliff — and Boehner revised his strategy on the Hill. — House Republican leaders are changing …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN, National Review, Wonkblog, Business Insider, Quartz, Outside the Beltway and The New Republic
Manu Raju / Politico:
Quick switch: Hatch backs Boehner Plan B
Quick switch: Hatch backs Boehner Plan B
Discussion:
CNN, Michelle Malkin, The Daily Caller, The Hill, The Fix, Los Angeles Times and Post Politics
Talking Points Memo:
Grover Norquist: Boehner's ‘Plan B’ Not A Tax Pledge Violation
Grover Norquist: Boehner's ‘Plan B’ Not A Tax Pledge Violation
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Business Insider, Washington Examiner and National Review
Kos / Daily Kos:
Capitulation is never popular. Or effective.
Capitulation is never popular. Or effective.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Fix, Hullabaloo, The Agonist and The Plum Line
Tom Cohen / CNN:
Boehner's tax gamble roils fiscal cliff talks
Boehner's tax gamble roils fiscal cliff talks
Discussion:
The Hill and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:
White House: Obama Would Veto GOP's Fiscal Cliff ‘Plan B’
White House: Obama Would Veto GOP's Fiscal Cliff ‘Plan B’
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Reuters and Firedoglake
Jeffrey Toobin / News Desk:
Postscript: Robert Bork, 1927-2012 — Robert Bork, who died Wednesday, was an unrepentant reactionary who was on the wrong side of every major legal controversy of the twentieth century. The fifty-eight senators who voted against Bork for confirmation to the Supreme Court in 1987 honored themselves, and the Constitution.
Discussion:
Ricochet Conversations Feed and American Prospect
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Jeffrey Rosen / The New Republic:
We're Still Paying the Price for the Borking of Robert Bork
We're Still Paying the Price for the Borking of Robert Bork
Discussion:
Right Turn
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
More trouble for Hagel — Joining other groups and individuals opposing Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, the generally liberal American Jewish Committee (among the older and better known Jewish organizations) has signaled it opposes the potential nomination. Executive director David Harris e-mails me the following:
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE, Washington Free Beacon, Capital J | JTA and Slate
RELATED:
Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Kristol-founded group targets Hagel
Kristol-founded group targets Hagel
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Washington Post and Weekly Standard
Washington Post:
Chuck Hagel is not the right choice for defense secretary
Chuck Hagel is not the right choice for defense secretary
Discussion:
Foreign Policy, The Atlantic Online, The Moderate Voice, BuzzFeed, Washington Free Beacon, The American Conservative, New York Times, Hot Air, Firedoglake, The Daily Dish, Power Line, Right Turn, Politico, Exposing Liberal Lies, Weekly Standard, Betsy's Page, “The Lid”, The Greenroom, Financial Times, National Review, The New Republic, Mondoweiss and Moe Lane
Michael Scherer / TIME:
2012 Person of the Year: Barack Obama, the President — Twenty-seven years after driving from New York City to Chicago in a $2,000 Honda Civic for a job that probably wouldn't amount to much, Barack Obama, in better shape but with grayer hair, stood in the presidential suite on the top floor …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Liberal Values, ABCNEWS, The Caucus, ABCNEWS, Capital New York, The Atlantic Online, Greg's Opinion, Mediaite, The Democratic Daily, Washington Wire, LightBox, The Moderate Voice, The Hill, The Hinterland Gazette, Twitchy, MadMike'sAmerica …, Gothamist, Forbes, Shakesville, Gawker, Taylor Marsh, Towleroad News #gay, GOP 12, Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, JustOneMinute, The Tell, americanthinker.com, The Week and The BLT, more at Mediagazer »
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Richard Stengel / TIME:
The Choice — In 1782 an expatriate French aristocrat named …
The Choice — In 1782 an expatriate French aristocrat named …
Discussion:
Truthdig, The Atlantic Online, LightBox, Politico, Gawker, Mediaite, Post Politics, Business Insider and msnbc.com
Adolph L. Reed Jr / New York Times:
The Puzzle of Black Republicans — WHEN Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina announced on Monday that she would name Representative Tim Scott to the Senate, it seemed like another milestone for African-Americans. Mr. Scott will complete the term of Senator Jim DeMint, who is leaving to run Heritage Foundation.
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Ashley Killough / CNN:
TRENDING: Tim Scott points to ‘moral decay’ after school shooting
TRENDING: Tim Scott points to ‘moral decay’ after school shooting
Discussion:
Politico
Emily Goodin / The Hill:
Spielberg, Day-Lewis at Capitol for screening of ‘Lincoln’ for senators — The two stars brought the Senate to a halt when they arrived for a bipartisan viewing of their hit movie. — Actor Daniel Day-Lewis and director Steven Spielberg brought the Senate to a halt on Wednesday afternoon …
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Obama, Reid slam brakes on gun control
Obama, Reid slam brakes on gun control
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Washington Post, Mediaite, The Week, Power Line, Hot Air, American Power, Politico and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Stephen Galloway / Hollywood Reporter:
Steven Spielberg: In 2012, ‘Chris Christie Was a Hero for Me’ (Q&A)
Steven Spielberg: In 2012, ‘Chris Christie Was a Hero for Me’ (Q&A)
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Politico and GOP 12
NRO Symposium / National Review:
Newtown Answers — Twenty children and six adults are dead. In Nigeria, people put their lives at risk going to church on Sundays. But in New England? The thought that going to school could be a final act is hard for us to comprehend. The seeming senselessness of what happened …
Discussion:
ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Truthdig, Mediaite, Little Green Footballs, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos and msnbc.com
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Eric Schmitt / New York Times:
3 State Department Resignations After Libya Attack Report — WASHINGTON — Three State Department officials resigned under pressure on Wednesday following a report that detailed “grossly inadequate” security measures at the United States Mission in Benghazi, Libya, on the night assailants besieged …
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, CNN, CBS News, Taylor Marsh, Michelle Malkin, The Other McCain, The Atlantic Online and Fox News
CNN:
CNN Poll: Bare majority now support major gun restrictions — Washington (CNN) - Americans are reacting to the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut with elevated levels of anger, shock and fear that have led a growing number of people to look for action from the government and society …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Business Insider, Taegan Goddard's … and The National Memo
Zack Colman / The Hill:
Obama: Climate change among top three priorities for second term — President Obama has identified climate change as one of his top three priorities in his second term after coming under fire from environmentalists for giving the issue short shrift during the campaign.
Discussion:
TIME and Weasel Zippers
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Matt Ridley / Wall Street Journal:
Cooling Down the Fears of Climate Change
Cooling Down the Fears of Climate Change
Discussion:
Hot Air, Watts Up With That?, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Power Line, Hit & Run, The Glittering Eye and Althouse
Robert Rizzuto / Union-News:
Sen. Scott Brown says he now supports a federal ban on assault weapons — Although he once said banning so-called assault weapons fell under the category of issues best left to the states, Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown told The Republican / MassLive.com in an exclusive interview Wednesday that he now supports federal action.
Discussion:
The Hill, 2chambers and Post Politics
RELATED:
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
The Assault Weapon Ban Would Have Never Passed If It Wasn't For Ronald Reagan
The Assault Weapon Ban Would Have Never Passed If It Wasn't For Ronald Reagan
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
Matt Townsend / Bloomberg:
Guns Out of Stock at Wal-Mart as Magazine Prices Surge on — With President Barack Obama endorsing sweeping gun restrictions in the wake of the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, prices for handgun magazines are surging on EBay (EBAY) and semi-automatic rifles are sold out at many Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) locations.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers
Frank Newport / Gallup:
To Stop Shootings, Americans Focus on Police, Mental Health — Democrats substantially more likely to see assault gun ban as effective — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are most likely to say that an increased police presence at schools, increased government spending on mental health screening and treatment …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Politico and Clayton Cramer's Blog
Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Joe Manchin: 'I'm so proud of the NRA' — 'I'm not supporting a ban on anything. I'm supporting a conversation on everything,' Manchin said. AP Photo — Close — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who suggested earlier in the week that the time had come for some gun control restrictions …
Discussion:
WV MetroNews, Daily Kos, The Hill and Mediaite