memeorandum: Obama and Boehner Split on Fiscal Plan (New York Times)

10:25 AM ET, December 20, 2012

Top Items:

CNN Poll: Are GOP policies too extreme? — Washington (CNN) - Just over half the public says that the GOP should give up more than the Democrats in any bipartisan solution to the country's problems, according to a new national survey. — And a CNN/ORC International poll also indicates …

Discussion: The Plum Line, Business Insider, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, The Hill, Politico and Towleroad News #gay

CNN:

House set to vote on Boehner's Plan B — Washington (CNN) — The House is set to vote Thursday on Plan B, a GOP version of an agreement on the fiscal cliff, and another measure designed to lure support for the plan from hard-line Republicans. — The White House threatened Wednesday to veto that plan …

Discussion: The Agonist, Freedom's Lighthouse and Politico

Politico:

Fiscal cliff: The lowest point — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner opened their negotiations last month by pledging to work constructively to avert the fiscal cliff. — But on Wednesday, the two men at the center of the talks traded blame, not counteroffers.

Discussion: Washington Examiner

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, Paul Krugman, Daily Kos, The Impolitic, Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo and The Daily Dish

Washington Post:
‘Cliff’ standoff: Boehner works to wrangle votes for ‘Plan B’; Obama threatens veto

Discussion: Firedoglake, msnbc.com, Jared Bernstein, The Hill, Campaign for America's …, Wall Street Journal, Post Politics, The Daily Caller and Prairie Weather

CNN:
CNN Poll: Bare majority now support major gun restrictions

Discussion: The Fix, Business Insider, Hot Air, The National Memo, Taegan Goddard's … and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
Obama and Boehner Split on Fiscal Plan

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Caucus, 2chambers, First Read and Business Insider

Politico:
Obama, Boehner duel on fiscal cliff

Discussion: Firedoglake, National Review, Talking Points Memo, Quartz, CNN, Business Insider and Outside the Beltway

Ryan Ellis / Americans for Tax Reform RSS:
ATR Statement on “Plan B” Tax Plan

Ted Barrett / CNN:
FIRST ON CNN: Sen. Mikulski to chair Appropriations Committee, becoming first woman to hold the post

Discussion: Politico and Booman Tribune

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
House Republicans Again Show Why We Need to Wait Until January for a Deal

Discussion: The Democratic Daily and Hot Air

Fred Thys / WBUR:

WBUR Poll: Brown Would Be In Strong Position For Special Election — BOSTON — A WBUR poll of 500 registered voters (PDFs - topline, crosstabs) finds U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is in a strong position should there be a special election to fill U.S. Sen. John Kerry's seat.

Discussion: Politico, Boston Globe, Ballot Box, msnbc.com and National Review

Robert Rizzuto / Union-News:
Sen. Scott Brown says he now supports a federal ban on assault weapons

Discussion: 2chambers, The Hill and Post Politics

Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:

Rejecting Chuck Hagel — Former Republican Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel may no longer be President Obama's favored pick to run the Defense Department, sources told the Free Beacon. — Hagel immediately drew a frosty reception from observers who criticized him for advocating in favor …

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Right Turn, Taylor Marsh, BuzzFeed, Israel Matzav, The Atlantic Online, Hit & Run and Power Line

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
More trouble for Hagel — Joining other groups and individuals …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Power Line, Betsy's Page, CANNONFIRE, Washington Free Beacon, Latitude, Capital J | JTA and Washington Post

Associated Press:
Possible Hagel Pick Raises Concerns in Senate GOP

Discussion: Politico

Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Kristol-founded group targets Hagel

Discussion: The American Conservative, The Moderate Voice, Middle Earth Journal and Taylor Marsh

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Fox News Brings On Santa Claus To Discuss The ‘War On Christmas’ — Fox and Friends took its coverage of the so-called “War on Christmas” to the front lines on Thursday morning by inviting Santa Claus to weigh in on America's changing culture and secularization.

Discussion: Gawker, The Raw Story and Towleroad News #gay

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Miss USA Wins the Crown — Say what you will about Donald Trump, he runs a pretty good pageant. I didn't live-blog tonight's Miss Universe show, but I kept notes as it went along, and so what follows are my impressions as the event unfolded. With a lot of stuff left out …

Discussion: Althouse

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: ThinkProgress, Slate, Outside the Beltway, Telegraph, Prairie Weather, Feministe, Taylor Marsh, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos, Little Green Footballs, Truthdig, Mediaite, Balloon Juice and msnbc.com

jessica valenti: National Review: Newtown could have been avoided if a man was around

Charlie Spiering / Washington Examiner:

Connecticut congressman: Rick Perry a ‘testosterone laden’ individual with blood on his hands … During a press conference on gun control yesterday, Rep. Jim Himes D-Conn. blasted Texas Governor Rick Perry for vocally supporting Second Amendment rights for American citizens after the horrific school shooting in Connecticut.

Discussion: Riehl World News and Jammie Wearing Fools

Jeffrey Rosen / The New Republic:

We're Still Paying the Price for the Borking of Robert Bork — In the summer of 1987, right out of college, I was a summer intern for Senator Joe Biden, who was chairing the Robert Bork confirmation hearings. My contribution to the epic battle was modest: I helped with research for a speech …

Discussion: The Reaction, Right Turn and Los Angeles Times

Jeffrey Toobin / News Desk:
Postscript: Robert Bork, 1927-2012

Discussion: his vorpal sword, The BLT and American Prospect

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: Questions and Observations, TIME, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, The Reaction and Wall Street Journal

Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Barber shop conversation in Wentzville about Connecticut shootings ends with shots fired at customer — • By Susan Weich sweich@post-dispatch.com 636-493-9674 — WENTZVILLE • A barber shop patron who fired three times at another customer discussing the Connecticut school shooting has been charged with three felonies.

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Connecting.the.Dots and protein wisdom

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:

Tapper to Obama on newfound gun control advocacy: ‘Where have you been?’ — ABC White House correspondent Jake Tapper asked President Barack Obama Wednesday why the president's plea for action on gun issues has come so late in his first term and only after last week's tragic incident at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and Outside the Beltway

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Obama, Reid slam brakes on gun control

Discussion: The Plum Line, Mediaite, Weekly Standard, The Week, Power Line, Washington Post, Hot Air, American Power and New York Times

Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Joe Manchin: 'I'm so proud of the NRA'

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, The Hill, WV MetroNews and Mediaite

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:

National Income and Product Accounts — Gross Domestic Product: Third Quarter 2012 (third estimate); — Corporate Profits: Third Quarter 2012 (revised estimate) — Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States …

Discussion: DealBook and Hot Air

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 Raw Story, The Week, Moe Lane, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

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 …

Discussion: Politico and CNN