Top Items:
Dean Obeidallah / The Daily Beast:
The Right's ‘Duck Dynasty’ Hypocrisy — By Dean ObeidallahDecember 19th 201312:00 PM — Conservatives think people should be held responsible for their actions—until one of their own, like Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, has to pay a price for their hateful views.
Discussion:
The Mahablog, Politico, New Orleans Times-Picayune and Hollywood Reporter
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Erick Erickson / RedState:
Ultimately There Will Be No Option for Silence or the Sidelines. You Will Be Made To Care. — I have told you people again and again. You will be made to care. — Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant and then it seeks to silence good. Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Duck Dynasty clan …
ThinkProgress:
Why The Racist And Homophobic ‘Duck Dynasty’ Comments Have Nothing To Do With Free Speech — On Wednesday, Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson made comments in a GQ interview condemning homosexuality as sinful and comparable to bestiality, as well as claiming that African Americans were better off under Jim Crow laws.
Discussion:
Liberaland, The Daily Caller, NOM Blog and The Moderate Voice
Andrew Sullivan / The Dish:
A&E Cannot Bear Very Much Reality — I have to say I'm befuddled by the firing of Phil Robertson, he of the amazing paterfamilias beard on Duck Dynasty (which I mainly see via The Soup). A&E has a reality show that depends on the hoariest stereotypes - and yet features hilariously captivating human beings - located in the deep South.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Hollywood Reporter, Rush Limbaugh, The Raw Story, Twitchy and National Review
Ted Cruz / Facebook:
Free Speech Matters — The reason that so many Americans love Duck Dynasty is because it represents the America usually ignored or mocked by liberal elites: a family that loves and cares for each other, believes in God, and speaks openly about their faith. — If you believe in free speech …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Post, The Heritage Foundation, ABC News, ABC News, CNN, The Raw Story and Twitchy
Steve Deace / USA Today:
A&E fowls up ‘Duck’ flap: Column
A&E fowls up ‘Duck’ flap: Column
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll, NO QUARTER USA NET, The Raw Story, CNN, americanthinker.com, ThinkProgress, AdAge, Equality Matters, Global Grind and Instapundit
Governor Bobby Jindal:
Gov. Jindal on Phil Robertson Suspension: I Remember When TV Networks Believed in 1st Amendment
Gov. Jindal on Phil Robertson Suspension: I Remember When TV Networks Believed in 1st Amendment
Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:
Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Knew Exactly What He Was Doing
Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Knew Exactly What He Was Doing
Discussion:
Equality Matters
Adam Serwer / msnbc.com:
Conservatives freak out over ‘pajama boy’ — Conservatives are in a tizzy over a seemingly innocuous Obamacare ad from Organizing for Action featuring a young man in pajamas. — He's “a metrosexual hipster in a plaid onesie” scowled National Review's Charles Cooke, a “vaguely androgynous …
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Charlie Spiering / Washington Examiner:
Meet Ethan Krupp: Pajamacare boy and Organizing for Action employee — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OPINION OBAMACARE ORGANIZING FOR ACTION — This is the Obamacare Pajama boy in the latest Organizing for Action ad. — Pajamacare boy is Ethan Krupp, an Organizing for Action employee and the subject …
Discussion:
Power Line, Jammie Wearing Fools and American Power
Rich Lowry / Politico:
Pajama Boy, An Insufferable Man-Child
Pajama Boy, An Insufferable Man-Child
Discussion:
Gawker, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, National Review, americanthinker.com, alicublog and Twitchy
Byron Tau / Reuters:
For Obamacare boosters, all memes are good memes
For Obamacare boosters, all memes are good memes
Discussion:
CNN, CBS New York and Politico
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
“Pajama Boy's” Blog Featured Post Criticizing President Obama
“Pajama Boy's” Blog Featured Post Criticizing President Obama
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Meredith Shiner / The World's Greatest …:
Most Republicans Plan Early Christmas Exit After Defense Vote — The Senate will vote through the weekend on pending nominations that Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., would like to see completed before Christmas — just don't expect most Republicans to be there for it.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dems plan big Christmas push on unemployment benefits
Dems plan big Christmas push on unemployment benefits
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and Post Politics
ice.gov:
FY 2013: ICE announces year-end removal numbers — 98 percent of the agency's total removals were convicted criminals, recent border crossers, illegal re-entrants or those previously removed by ICE, in line with agency's enforcement priorities — WASHINGTON — Today …
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Bradley Klapper / Associated Press:
Defying Obama, 26 Senators Push New Iran Sanctions
Defying Obama, 26 Senators Push New Iran Sanctions
Discussion:
Politico
Stacy Kaper / NationalJournal.com:
Senate Dems Defy Obama on Iran
Senate Dems Defy Obama on Iran
Discussion:
Foreign Policy, The Plum Line, ThinkProgress, Weekly Standard and Politico
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Obama Commutes Sentences for 8 in Crack Cocaine Cases — WASHINGTON — President Obama, expanding his push to curtail severe penalties for drug offenses, on Thursday commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates who were convicted of crack cocaine offenses.
Discussion:
The White House, Debra J. Saunders, TIME, Hit & Run, The Volokh Conspiracy, BBC, Occupy DemocratsOccupy …, Mediaite, BillMoyers.com, Business Insider and The BLT
Target Pressroom:
Target Confirms Unauthorized Access to Payment Card Data in U.S. Stores — Issue has been identified and resolved — Target today confirmed it is aware of unauthorized access to payment card data that may have impacted certain guests making credit and debit card purchases in its U.S. stores.
Discussion:
CBS Boston, NBCNews, Lawfare, Mashable, New York Times, USA Today, KTOO, The Daily Caller and BBC
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Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
Sources: Target Investigating Data Breach
Sources: Target Investigating Data Breach
Discussion:
NYT Bits, NBCNews, Global Grind, Wired, The Week, Mashable, Gawker, TechCrunch, KFOR-TV, New York Times, The Verge, Gothamist and Taylor Marsh
Alex Pareene / Salon:
Hack list No. 1: Mike Allen — Our annual list is here! This time, we channeled each hack's unique voice — and let them “write” their own entries — PAYOLA-BOOK: No professional blowback for sponsor-fluffing Mike Allen — LEIBO on ALLEN: ‘enabler’ — Business lobby agenda pushed daily …
Discussion:
his vorpal sword
Sam Youngman / Politico:
Take This Town and Shove It — A White House reporter's tale of sex, booze and the briefing room. — If you write about American politics for a living, stop right there. Get back to work, and don't read another damn word. — Sign out of Twitter, say “thanks but no thanks” …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, The Fix, DCist, Lawyers, Guns & Money and FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Marriage Equality Is The Law In New Mexico, State Supreme Court Rules — “We hold that the state of New Mexico is constitutionally required to allow same-gender couples to marry,” the justices unanimously concluded. The state becomes the 17th in the U.S. to approve marriage equality.
Discussion:
Hot Air
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Bill Mears / CNN:
New Mexico high court rules same-sex couples have right to marry
New Mexico high court rules same-sex couples have right to marry
Discussion:
KRQE-TV, Outside the Beltway and New York Times
Christine Brennan / USA Today:
Brian Boitano announces he's gay before trip to Sochi — Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic figure skating gold medalist who was named to the official U.S. delegation to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, announced today that he is gay. — “I am many things: a son, a brother, and uncle, a friend …
Discussion:
Post Politics, Weasel Zippers, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, NewsBusters and blog.sfgate.com
Josh Levin / Slate:
The Welfare Queen — Ronald Reagan made Linda Taylor a notorious American villain. Her other sins were far worse. — “She Used 80 Names” — Ronald Reagan loved to tell stories. When he ran for president in 1976, many of Reagan's anecdotes converged on a single point: The welfare state is broken, and I'm the man to fix it.
Discussion:
Hit & Run
Igor Bobic / Talking Points Memo:
Peter King Slams Paul For Attacking Clapper: ‘He Disgraced His Office’ — Rep. Peter King (R-NY) blasted Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Thursday for comparing National Security Agency Director James Clapper to Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked classified information about America's surveillance programs.
Discussion:
Liberaland, Politico, The Verge and CNN
Rossmurray / GLAAD:
Bob Newhart bows out of gig with anti-LGBT organization — Bob Newhart, the beloved actor and comedian, quietly announced over social media that he has cancelled his upcoming gig at the Legatus Summit. This follows GLAAD and several LGBT advocates and bloggers, including Lisa Derrick of Firedog Lake …
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay