memeorandum: Matt Wuerker — Matt Wuerker has been POLITICO's editorial cartoonist … (Politico)

3:10 AM ET, January 27, 2013

Top Items:

Four years later, Paul Ryan wants more of the same — Just when I thought that the National Review Institute demonstrated that Republicans are ready to compromise, Paul Ryan outlined a somewhat apocalyptic vision of budget negotiations there on Saturday. — According to POLITICO, Ryan said …

Discussion: The Hill and Booman Tribune

David Rogers / Politico:

Paul Ryan: Obama 2nd term 'won't be pretty' — Holding out little hope of compromise, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan predicted Saturday that the nation will face “tepid growth and deficits” under President Barack Obama and Republicans must prudently “buy time” and “keep the bond markets at bay — for the sake of our people.”

Discussion: Associated Press and The PJ Tatler

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Boehner says bipartisan group ‘basically’ has deal on immigration — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is voicing confidence in the prospects for immigration reform in the House, saying that a bipartisan group of lawmakers “basically [has] an agreement” after more than three years of secret talks.

Discussion: Post Politics and Washington Monthly

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Rep. Ryan: Republicans can't play the ‘villain’ in Obama's ‘morality play’ — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Saturday warned that President Obama was working to delegitimize the Republican Party, and urged conservatives not to fall into the president's trap by playing the villain.

Discussion: CNN and Little Green Footballs

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Boehner full of regret over ‘fiscal-cliff’ moves

Discussion: The Political Carnival, The Agonist and The PJ Tatler

Stephen K. Bannon / BREITBART.COM:

PALIN: 'WE HAVEN'T YET BEGUN TO FIGHT!' —EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BREITBART NEWS — In my research for the film I made on Governor Palin, The Undefeated, I was constantly amazed at the anti-establishment stands she took at every step in her rise to power.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, his vorpal sword, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, Media Decoder, The Hill, The Other McCain and The Hinterland Gazette, more at Mediagazer »

James Hohmann / Politico:

Harkin retirement: Jump ball in Iowa — Democratic Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin announced Saturday he will not seek re-election in 2014, giving Republicans a shot at picking up his seat but increasing the likelihood of a contentious GOP primary. — “It'll be wide-open as far as both parties,” Republican state chairman A.J. Spiker said.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Eric Jones / harkin.senate.gov:
Senator Harkin Announces His Plans for the Future

Discussion: CNN, Weasel Zippers and Roll Call

Thomas Beaumont / bigstory.ap.org: AP NEWSBREAK: HARKIN WON'T SEEK 6TH SENATE TERM

Associated Press: Sen. Tom Harkin won't seek re-election in 2014

Jennifer Jacobs / USA Today:
Iowa Sen. Harkin will not seek re-election

Discussion: Daily Kos and Michelle Malkin

Jeremy Herb / Ballot Box:
Harkin won't seek another term in Senate

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Des Moines Register, CNN and Washington Free Beacon

Politico:

Matt Wuerker — Matt Wuerker has been POLITICO's editorial cartoonist and illustrator since its launch. In 2012, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, POLITICO's first Pulitzer win. In 2009, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in editorial cartooning.

Discussion: The Washington Note

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Ontario Gets Its First Woman Premier And Canada's First Out LGBT Premier — Kathleen Wynne now leads Ontario's liberal party and becomes the province's first female premier. She also is married to a woman, making her Canada's first out LGBT premier. — Kathleen Wynne was elected …

Discussion: TheSpec.com, Toronto Star, NetNewsledger.com and Joe. My. God.

Yoav Zitun / Ynetnews:

Iran: Syria's problems rooted in Zionist meddling — As Iran's threats to strike at anyone that will contribute to end of Assad's regime grow bolder Israel is stepping up fortification of northern border — Tehran's IRNA news agency quoted Defense Minister Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Recipe for conservative revival — Happy days are not here again, but they are coming for conservatives. Barack Obama — with the lowest approval rating (according to Gallup, 50 percent, four points lower than that of the National Rifle Association) of any reelected president …

Discussion: Quark Soup, Open Mind and Little Green Footballs

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Republicans' Effort To Rig Electoral College Gets National Backing — Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R), who was the chief elections officer when the state experienced massive voting problems in 2004, is planning to lead a national effort to rig the electoral college in favor …

Discussion: The Impolitic, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Naked Politics, The Atlantic Online and detroitnews.com

Donovan Slack / Politico:

Obama wants country to appreciate Hillary — President Barack Obama said Friday that he wanted to do a joint interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton because he wants the country to appreciate the extraordinary role she has played in his administration.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Chris Taylor / Mashable!:

Anonymous Hacks U.S. Government Site, Threatens Supreme ‘Warheads’ — The hacktivist group Anonymous hacked the US federal sentencing website early Saturday, using the page to make a brazen and boisterous declaration of “war” on the U.S. government. — The group claims mysterious code-based …

Discussion: The Verge, Gawker, TalkLeft, TechCrunch and The Volokh Conspiracy