memeorandum: Obama Vows ‘Year of Action’ After He ‘Screwed It Up’ on Health Care (Abby D. Phillip/ABC News)

5:30 PM ET, December 20, 2013

Top Items:

Phil Robertson's America — I've yet to take in an episode of Duck Dynasty. I hear it's a fine show, anchored by a humorous and good-natured family of proud Americans. I try to be good natured, and I have been told that I can appreciate a good joke. I am also a proud American.

Discussion: American Prospect and Balloon Juice

Ian Bayne for US Congress:

Duck Dynasty Star is Rosa Parks of Our Generation — Today, Ian Bayne called Phil Robertson, star of the A&E series “Duck Dynasty,” the ‘Rosa Parks’ of our generation. — “In December 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people, and in December 2013 …

Discussion: Politico, BuzzFeed, Liberaland, Little Green Footballs and The Raw Story

Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post:

Ian Bayne, GOP Congressional Candidate: ‘Duck Dynasty Star Is Rosa Parks Of Our Generation’ — WASHINGTON — Embattled “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has been suspended from his show by A&E for his remarks about gays and African-Americans, and now some high-profile conservatives are rallying to his side and defending him.

Discussion: Lone Star Q, Daily Kos, The Hinterland Gazette, Wonkblog, PostPartisan, The Baffler and ABC News

Swalker / Duck Commander:

The Robertson Family Offical Statement — We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E's decision. We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word.

Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Congressional Candidate: Duck Dynasty Star Is ‘Rosa Parks Of Our Generation’

Discussion: his vorpal sword and Suburban Political Recount

TMZ.com:
Phil Robertson Publicly Bashed Gays for Years — A&E Knew All About It

Discussion: Mediaite, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Towleroad News #gay and Patterico's Pontifications

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

The individual mandate no longer applies to people whose plans were canceled — Today, the Obama administration announced that people whose insurance plans were canceled this year will “temporarily” be exempted from the law's individual mandate. Here's how they're doing it — and what it means for the law.

Discussion: National Review, Guardian, Weasel Zippers, Connecting.the.Dots, neo-neocon, Power Line, Shakesville and Weekly Standard

Bloomberg:

Obamacare Initiates Self-Destruction Sequence — On Wednesday, Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown reported that the administration was saying fewer than 500,000 people had actually lost insurance due to Obamacare-induced cancellations. This struck me as a strange leak: Half a million is a lot less …

Discussion: The Incidental Economist, Reuters and Hit & Run

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:

Let's call the whole thing off — When President Obama signed Obamacare into law, Joe Biden famously told him, “this is a big f___ing deal.” So too, minus the adjective, is the Obama administration's decree that those whose health insurance policies were terminated will be allowed …

Discussion: New York Times, Outside the Beltway, BizPac Review and neo-neocon

Avik Roy / Forbes:
Utter Chaos: White House Exempts Millions From Obamacare's Insurance Mandate, ‘Unaffordable’ Exchanges

Discussion: National Review, Maggie's Farm, Josh Blackman's Blog, NBCNews, The PJ Tatler, NationalJournal.com, Betsy's Page and Los Angeles Times

John Fund / National Review:
Who Says Obama Hasn't United the Country?

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit and The PJ Tatler

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn: Well, let's delay the mandate after all

Amy Goldstein / Washington Post:
Obama administration relaxes rules of health-care law four days before deadline

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
Does New Obamacare Mandate Exemption Open A Pandora's Box?

Discussion: Health Affairs Blog

Washington Post:

Officials' defenses of NSA phone program may be unraveling — From the moment the government's massive database of citizens' call records was exposed this year, U.S. officials have clung to two main lines of defense: The secret surveillance program was constitutional and critical to keeping the nation safe.

Discussion: Right Turn, Conservative Intelligence …, Hot Air, Secrecy News, Prairie Weather and The Reaction

Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:
Obama Vows ‘Year of Action’ After He ‘Screwed It Up’ on Health Care

Discussion: Reuters, Politico and Balloon Juice

Politico:
Six questions for Obama

Discussion: ABC News and Weasel Zippers

Guardian:

GCHQ and NSA targeted charities, Germans, Israeli PM and EU chief — • Unicef and Médecins du Monde were on surveillance list — • Targets went well beyond potential criminals and terrorists — • Revelations could cause embarrassment at EU summit

Discussion: Spiegel Online, Washington Post, Lawfare, Mashable, The Daily Caller, Angry Bear, New York Times and Boing Boing

New York Times:
N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

Discussion: Algemeiner.com, Techdirt, BBC, The Verge, Gawker and Prairie Weather

Massachusetts State Police / Facebook:

Trooper Joe Petty assisted by Tpr Dave Stucenski & K9 Frankie Locate 1250 Bags of Heroin in Hatfield — Early this morning, Trooper Joseph Petty was on a traffic stop of Route 91 in Northampton when a vehicle passed by him. Trooper Petty observed several violations.

Discussion: CBS Boston, Politico, Business Insider and The Raw Story

Eric Lach / Talking Points Memo:
Massachusetts State Police Bust ‘Obama Care’ Heroin

Discussion: The Jawa Report

Charmaine Noronha / Associated Press:

CANADIAN COURT STRIKES DOWN ANTI-PROSTITUTION LAWS — You are here — Home » Canada » Canadian court strikes down anti-prostitution laws … TORONTO (AP) — Canada's highest court struck down the country's anti-prostitution laws Friday, a victory for sex workers who stepped …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Liberaland

Sean Fine / Globe and Mail:
Supreme Court strikes down Canada's prostitution laws

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Hit & Run

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

President ends year at all-time CNN polling low — Washington (CNN) - Fourteen points. — That's how far President Barack Obama's poll numbers fell in CNN polling over the course of what's been an especially tough year. — Obama's approval rating stands at 41% in a new CNN/ORC International …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Reuters, Business Insider and The PJ Tatler

Jenny Beth Martin / New York Times:

John Boehner's Betrayal — WOODSTOCK, Ga. — THERE'S a political axiom that says if nobody is upset with what you're doing, you're not doing your job. We've seen this proved time and again in the liberal attacks on conservatives like Sarah Palin and Dr. Benjamin Carson …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Senate hatches last-minute deal

Discussion: Daily Kos and Booman Tribune

Lucy McCalmont / Politico:

Jack Kingston defends school lunch quote — Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, who suggested children should sweep cafeteria floors to earn meals from the federal school lunch program, is clarifying his comments Friday, saying he meant all children should be instilled with a work ethic.

Discussion: CNN and Daily Kos

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Rep.: School Lunch Comments Not Targeted At Any Income Group

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Brooke Adams / Salt Lake Tribune:

Federal judge strikes down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage — A federal judge in Utah Friday struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process. — “The state's current laws deny its gay …

Discussion: The Raw Story and Daily Kos

McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:

Paul Ryan Finds God — How a backstage prayer in Cleveland and a new leader in the Vatican set the budget-slashing congressman on a mission to help the poor. “My bet is that he's on Pope Francis' team.” — On Oct. 24, 2012, Paul Ryan slipped into a high-ceilinged backstage room …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, JSOnline, ThinkProgress and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed:

High Schoolers Staged A Massive Sit-In After Their Vice Principal Was Ousted Over Same-Sex Marriage — The students of Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Washington staged a sit-in Thursday after it was announced that their vice principal was being fired.