memeorandum: Obama: 'We're going to have to find some common ground' (Justin Sink/The Hill)

6:15 AM ET, December 22, 2012

Top Items:

Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker:

While the NRA Was on TV Talking About the Need for More Guns Some Guy Was Walking Up and Down a Road in Pennsylvania Shooting People — The National Rifle Association today held its first press conference since last week's deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, and the takeaway was clear: We need more guns.

Discussion: Mother Jones, BuzzFeed, Guardian, Boing Boing, The Political Carnival, Slate, Firedoglake, Poynter, The Hinterland Gazette and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Remarks from the NRA press conference on Sandy Hook school shooting, delivered on Dec. 21, 2012 (Transcript) — Video: After a week of silence in the wake of the Newtown shootings, the National Rifle Association finally spoke out Friday defending guns and decrying violence.

Charlotte Allen / National Review:

Newtown & My Critics — Well, at least no one is calling for my “head on a stick” — but that's probably because Prof. Erik Loomis of the University of Rhode Island is about the only person or entity that hasn't denounced me for pointing out in NRO's Sandy Hook symposium that the school …

Discussion: American Power, Crooked Timber, Crooks and Liars, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Reaction and Shakesville

Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:

Journalists slam NRA throughout press conference — When National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre leader took the stage on Friday to address the media about last week's elementary school massacre, he made it clear multiple times that the organization has issues with how the press reports on guns.

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, The Gateway Pundit, Examiner and The PJ Tatler, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

NRA Calls for Arms in School — Mum on Gun Controls, Powerful Lobby Focuses on Violent Movies and Videogames — WASHINGTON—The nation's biggest gun-rights lobby called Friday for placing an armed security guard at every school, as it for the first time entered the re-energized public debate …

Discussion: American Power, TalkLeft and Washington Wire

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
NRA Blames Everything Except Guns: Outdated Video Games, Hurricanes, And Corporate Media Led To Newtown

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG and Gawker

Wjac Web / WJAC-TV:
4 dead in Blair Co. shooting; 3 troopers injured

Discussion: U.S. News, Associated Press, Crooks and Liars, msnbc.com, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', The Hinterland Gazette and Balloon Juice

Melissa Hayes / NorthJersey.com:
Christie: Armed guards won't make schools safer

Discussion: Post Politics and Mediaite

The Altoona Mirror:
DA: 4 dead, 3 troopers hurt in shootings

Discussion: CBS Pittsburgh, Mediaite, The Hinterland Gazette and The Raw Story

Joe Picard / The Hill:

Despite defeat, Boehner's grip on Speaker's gavel appears secure — The House Republican conference didn't deliver the votes to pass Boehner's “Plan B,” sapping his leverage in fiscal cliff negotiations. — John Boehner's grip on the Speaker's gavel appears to be secure …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama: 'We're going to have to find some common ground'

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Politico:
Hill GOP cool to Obama overtures

Discussion: Power Line, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Hot Air and Daily Kos

Steve Kornacki / Salon:
The humiliation of John Boehner

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, First Read and Washington Post

John Parkinson / ABCNEWS:
‘God Only Knows’ Fiscal Cliff Solution, Boehner Says

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Monkey Cage and ABCNEWS

Billy House / NationalJournal.com:
Trouble for Boehner's Speakership?

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, The Maddow Blog, New York Post, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, National Review, Mother Jones, The Plum Line and The National Memo

Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
Boehner Points — Subtly — Toward A Way Forward After Failure Of Plan B

Discussion: Daily Kos

Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Talk radio host Dana Loesch files suit in St. Louis against Breitbart.com — • By Robert Patrick rpatrick@post-dispatch.com 314-621-5154 — ST. LOUIS • Conservative talk radio host and commentator Dana Loesch sued the owner of the conservative website Breitbart.com Friday …

Discussion: Politico, American Power and Little Green Footballs

BuzzFeed:

Breitbart.com Star Dana Loesch Sues Site — Internal tensions erupt. Loesch seeks $75,000 and her walking papers in a federal lawsuit, below. — Source: danaloesch.com — The internal disputes roiling the website founded by the late conservative provocateur Andrew Breitbart broke …

Discussion: The Other McCain and The Lonely Conservative

David M. Martosko / The Daily Caller:

Former ‘BigJournalism’ star sues Breitbart empire for $75k, demands release from contract — In a lawsuit signifying a schism in the house that Andrew Breitbart built, former BigJournalism.com editor Dana Loesch has sued Breitbart.com LLC, claiming the company refused to release her from a contract …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Mike Allen / Politico:

Chuck Hagel apologizes for gay slur — Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, seeking to preserve his viability for nomination as secretary of Defense, on Friday issued a strong apology for a gay slur in 1998 that turned some top Democratic activists against his potential selection.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, The Moderate Voice, Power Line, Towleroad News #gay, The Hinterland Gazette, The Daily Dish and New York Times

Julie Pace / Associated Press:
OBAMA NOMINATES KERRY FOR SECRETARY OF STATE

Discussion: The New Republic, Rush Limbaugh, Firedoglake and nation.foxnews.com

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
James Hormel: I question the sincerity of Chuck Hagel's ‘so-called apology’

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, BuzzFeed, National Review and Post Politics

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
EXCLUSIVE: Top Republican Senator will oppose Hagel nomination

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Washington Free Beacon and Post Politics

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Obama Waking Up From Dream of Grand Bargain — “Call me a hopeless optimist,” said President Obama at his press conference tonight, in which he pleaded for Republicans to join him in averting the “fiscal cliff,” “but I still think we can get this done.” — Okay. You're a hopeless optimist, President Obama.

Discussion: Bloomberg and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

ABCNEWS:

Iowa Court: Bosses Can Fire ‘Irresistible’ Workers — The Iowa Supreme Court says a dentist did not commit gender discrimination when he fired an attractive female assistant he viewed as a threat to his marriage. — The court ruled Friday that a boss can fire an employee he considers an …

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Raw Story and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Jonathan Easley / Ballot Box:

Scramble is on for Kerry's Senate seat — President Obama's nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) for secretary of State on Friday will set off a mad scramble — particularly among Democrats — to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat in a special election to be held next year.

Discussion: Politico and FiveThirtyEight

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Obama Nominates Kerry for Secretary of State

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, msnbc.com, Twitchy, Outside the Beltway, Weekly Standard, Politico, Boston Globe, CNN, Business Insider, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, The Lonely Conservative and Daily Kos

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama calls Kerry ‘perfect choice’ to succeed Clinton

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Matthew Yglesias / Slate:

The Case For Going Over The Cliff Remains Strong — WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 20: U.S. President Barack Obama walks to the White House December 20, 2012 in Washington, DC. — I wrote earlier today that I think the failure of Plan B makes a deal more likely than it would have been had the bill passed.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Wonkblog, Off the Charts Blog and Washington Post

Chris Heath / GQ:

GQ Exclusive! Ben Affleck on Politics: “Ugly.” “Toxic.” “Horrendous.” “Complete Bullsh-t.” “I Don't Want To Run For Office.” — All this feverish speculation that Ben Affleck is ready to put himself forward as a candidate if John Kerry vacates his senate seat, does it really come from somewhere?

Discussion: ABCNEWS and New York Magazine

Kylie Atwood / CBS News:
Affleck leaves door open for Senate run

Discussion: Roll Call, Addicting Info, The Daily Caller, Gawker and Politico

Slate:

How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown? — Slate partners with @GunDeaths for an interactive, crowdsourced tally of the toll firearms have taken since Dec. 14. — Since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, we at Slate have been wondering …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Daily Dish and Feministe

Monster Hunter Nation:

An opinion on gun control — I didn't want to post about this, because frankly, it is exhausting. I've been having this exact same argument for my entire adult life. It is not an exaggeration when I say that I know pretty much exactly every single thing an anti-gun person can say.

Discussion: Power Line and Sense of Events