Top Items:
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
How the fiscal cliff fight will end (unhappily for Republicans) … The word among some Senate Republicans is that a fiscal cliff deal is likely to be struck by Sunday, or Monday at the latest. (And Monday, being December 31st, is in fact the latest a deal could be struck to avoid January 1 tax increases.)
Discussion:
National Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Power Line
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Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Obama Gives Republicans A Tough Ultimatum On Taxes — With the fiscal cliff rapidly approaching, President Obama was unflinching in his tax stance on Friday, threatening to use his leverage to force Republicans into an unenviable position if they fail to agree to a deal in time.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and Washington Monthly
Politico:
Fiscal cliff talks continue, no breakthrough — Negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff crisis continued Saturday, but there are no signs yet of a breakthrough, say sources close to the talks. — President Barack Obama held an eleventh-hour meeting with congressional leaders from both parties …
Discussion:
Power Line
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Fiscal Cliff Deal Not Reached, Leaders Agree To Continue Talks
Fiscal Cliff Deal Not Reached, Leaders Agree To Continue Talks
Discussion:
The New Republic, The Impolitic, Addicting Info and The Daily Caller
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Leading proponent of filibuster reform claims he has 51 votes
Leading proponent of filibuster reform claims he has 51 votes
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Booman Tribune, Doug Ross, Post Politics and Wonkblog
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid, McConnell working on fiscal cliff deal after meeting Obama
Reid, McConnell working on fiscal cliff deal after meeting Obama
Discussion:
Hot Air and Saint Petersblog
Brett Taylor / Twitchy:
Dude, where's Nancy Pelosi's car? Minority leader appears lost in parking lot
Dude, where's Nancy Pelosi's car? Minority leader appears lost in parking lot
Discussion:
Associated Press and Right Wing News
Bloomberg:
French Court Says 75% Tax Rate on Rich Is Unconstitutional — President Francois Hollande's 75 percent millionaire-tax is unconstitutional because it fails to guarantee taxpayer equality, France's top court ruled today. — The tax, one of Hollande's campaign promises …
Discussion:
PERRspectives and National Review
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Mary Ellen Godin / Reuters:
Claim seeks $100 million for child survivor of Connecticut school shooting — Reuters/Reuters - A U.S. flag hangs over stockings left as a memorial for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, along a fence surrounding the Sandy Hook Cemetery in Newtown, Connecticut December ...more
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and The Right Scoop
Josh Barro / Bloomberg:
When Getting Your Butt Kicked Is the Strategy — Buzzfeed has one of many pieces about anonymous Republicans bemoaning their party's strategic incompetence, this time about the debt ceiling deal. They report: … Here's what Buzzfeed is missing: For Republicans, losing the political fight isn't a downside of the strategy.
Discussion:
National Review and BuzzFeed
N. Gregory Mankiw / New York Times:
Wishful Thinking and Middle-Class Taxes — IN the continuing fiscal negotiations between President Obama and House Republicans, both sides have, from the very beginning, agreed on one point: Taxes on the middle class must not rise. But maybe it's time to reconsider this premise.
Discussion:
Business Insider and Greg Mankiw's Blog
Joe Weisenthal / Business Insider:
There's Only One Way To Fix The Deficit — And Actually It's Totally Painless — People who insist that the US has a gigantic “spending problem” are ignorant of what really drives the deficit and the national debt, as Henry Blodget easily demonstrated in a series of charts.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Paul Krugman and Washington Monthly
CNN:
Former President George H.W. Bush no longer in intensive care — (CNN) - Former President George H.W. Bush was moved Saturday out of the intensive care unit of the Houston hospital where he has been for more than a month. — “President Bush's condition has improved, so he has been moved today …
Discussion:
Associated Press and Gawker
Noreen O'Donnell / Reuters:
New York newspaper to list more gun permit holders after uproar — Reuters/Reuters - A small portion of guns that were turned in by their owners are stacked inside a truck at a gun buyback held by the Los Angeles Police Department in Los Angeles, California, December 26, 2012 ...more
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
Nation running out of ammo — Reaction to threats by Senator Dianne Feinstein and others to ban certain weapons and serverely restrict ownership of guns generally has caused a run on gun stores, as is widely reported. — Less reported is the run on ammunition, leaving ammunition inventories down 93% since election day.
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Traction Control and Booman Tribune
Jerusalem Post:
Egypt to pursue relationship with Hezbollah — In shift from Mubarak-era policy, Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon says Brotherhood-dominated Egypt will engage terror group. — In a dramatic policy shift, Egypt will seek to forge “tight” relations with Hezbollah, Egyptian Ambassador …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Israel Matzav