memeorandum: Ending the year with another clean energy investment (The Official Google Blog)

12:10 PM ET, December 20, 2011

Top Items:

Lie of the Year 2011: ‘Republicans voted to end Medicare’ — Republicans muscled a budget through the House of Representatives in April that they said would take an important step toward reducing the federal deficit. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the plan kept Medicare intact …

Discussion: American Prospect, Slate, ThinkProgress, CBS News, New York Magazine, The Daily Pulp, The New Republic, Lawyers, Guns & Money and JSOnline

Paul Krugman:

Politifact, R.I.P. — This is really awful. Politifact, which is supposed to police false claims in politics, has announced its Lie of the Year — and it's a statement that happens to be true, the claim that Republicans have voted to end Medicare. — Steve Benen in the link above explains it, but let me just repeat the basics.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

PolitiFact ought to be ashamed of itself — The fact-checking website PolitiFact has announced its “Lie of the Year” for 2011. It made a poor, credibility-killing choice. … This is simply indefensible. Claims that are factually true shouldn't be eligible for a Lie of the Year designation.

Discussion: The New Republic, Patterico's Pontifications, US Politics and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Martinand Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Will Ron Paul kill the caucuses? — SIOUX CITY, IOWA -The alarms are sounding in Iowa. — Conservatives and Republican elites in the state are divided over who to support for the GOP nomination, but they almost uniformly express concern over the prospect that Ron Paul and his army …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Washington Monthly, CNN, New York Magazine, ABCNEWS, JustOneMinute, Campaign 2012, Betsy's Page, Christian Science Monitor, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, Iowa Caucuses, New York Times, Taegan Goddard's …, Bloomberg, The Daily Dish and Rush Limbaugh

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:

Gingrich, Romney Go to a Tie; More See Obama as Competitive — Newt Gingrich has relinquished sole front-runner status almost as quickly as he gained it, landing at a dead heat with Mitt Romney in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. And as the GOP hopefuls battle it out, ratings of Barack Obama's prospects have warmed.

Discussion: Trail Blazers Blog and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Newt Gingrich / Washington Post:

2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling [ITEM]? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat? — NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion a. The economy 41 17 24 56 13 43 2 b.

Discussion: Clemson University, Mediaite, Ballot Box, Outside the Beltway, CBS News and Hot Air

Tim Mak / The Politico:
Mitt Romney: Newt Gingrich blew it on two key issues

Discussion: CNN

Washington Post:
Obama's job-approval rating is highest since summer, Post-ABC poll finds

Discussion: The Caucus, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway

Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Both Romney and Gingrich Tie Obama on 2012 Ballot

Discussion: Campaign 2012

Washington Post:
Poll: Gingrich, Romney in dead heat nationally

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, americanthinker.com, Donklephant, Fox News, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Gallup and Los Angeles Times

CBS News: Poll: Gingrich, Romney tied at top of GOP race

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:

Schumer predicts GOP will fold in payroll fight — Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday predicted the GOP will fold and said Democrats should wait out the House Republicans over the payroll tax cut extension. — “In a few days, they will fold unless someone falls for these subterfuges …

Discussion: CNN and Weasel Zippers

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Instead Of Extending Tax Cut For 160 Million Americans, House Commissioned Bust Of Winston Churchill

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill and The Politico

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
House Republicans Pushed Two-Month Payroll Tax Holiday In January 2009

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
DCCC Chair: Payroll tax cut will be defining issue in 2012

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Boehner: We'll take Churchill bust in the Capitol

Discussion: ThinkProgress

The Politico:
House GOP postpones payroll vote

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Wonkette, News Desk, Bloomberg, americanthinker.com, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Reaction, New York Magazine, tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com, The Hill, Michelle Malkin and Swampland

New York Times:

In Kim's Death, an Extensive Intelligence Failure — Televisions at an electronics store in Seoul, South Korea, featured reports on Monday about the death of Kim Jong-il, the North Korean Leader. North Korea said Mr. Kim, 69, died on Saturday. More Photos »

Discussion: Guardian, Gothamist, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABCNEWS, FP Passport, Belmont Club and Gawker

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: The weeping North Koreans; Update: New leader may be more psycho than dad, says U.S. intel

Discussion: Sense of Events, National Review, Michael Totten and Patterico's Pontifications

Wall Street Journal:
Portrait of New Leader Takes Shape

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Daniel W. Drezner and americanthinker.com

Max Abelson / Bloomberg:

Bankers Seek to Debunk ‘Imbecile’ Attack on Top 1% — Jamie Dimon, the highest-paid chief executive officer among the heads of the six biggest U.S. banks, turned a question at an investors' conference in New York this month into an occasion to defend wealth.

Discussion: Felix Salmon, New York Magazine, Corey Robin and Gawker

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:

Ron Paul's Shaggy Defense — The Times notes that Ron Paul's racism newsletters are, again, becoming an issue. The standard defense has generally been Paul didn't write the newsletters. I think an honest reckoning with that defense would have someone question the faculties of an adult …

Discussion: The Daily Dish

New York Times:
Bias in Ron Paul's Newsletters Draws New Attention

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, National Review, The Raw Story, Townhall.com, Campaign 2012, FrumForum, The Huffington Post and Runnin' Scared

Roque Planas / NY Daily News:

Santa says 'I don't do poor countries' in new UNICEF Christmas ad — New ad encourages people to give gifts through the charity instead — A new UNICEF ad shows Santa saying, 'I don't do poor countries.' — Santa won't bother going to poor countries this year, so the United Nations Children's Fund …

Discussion: Don Surber and nation.foxnews.com

Tim Graham / NewsBusters.org: UNICEF Turns Santa Claus Into Poor-Hating Jerk In Christmas Ad Campaign

Mj Lee / The Politico:

It's official: Congress at record low — Congress is closing out a year of dismal approval ratings by sinking to a new low of 11 percent in a new Gallup poll. — The barely double digits job approval rating for Congress breaks the record low since Gallup first began asking the question …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Frank Newport / Gallup:
Congress Ends 2011 With Record-Low 11% Approval

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, The Raw Story, Weasel Zippers, Booman Tribune and Slate

Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Pays Homage to Obama—But Not Jesus — (CNSNews.com) - The 63-foot Sierra White Fir lighted at the U.S. Capitol Grounds on Dec. 6 as the official 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree includes a prominently displayed ornament paying homage to President Barack Obama …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Shakesville, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Ramya / YouTube Trends:

The Top Political Videos of 2011 — From candidate ads to pundit debates, speeches from the White House to impassioned pleas from the American heartland, this year's most-viewed political videos show us that a message that resonates can come from anywhere — and anyone.

Discussion: FishbowlDC and Iowa Caucuses

dailynewbloginternational:

International Rockstar Legend Jon Bon Jovi dead again at 49 — Rockstar Jon Bon Jovi (John Francis Bongiovi, Jr) was pronounced dead today after paramedics found him in a coma at his Empress Hotel, city and law enforcement of Asbury Park, NJ sources told The Times after World Christmas Tour concert on

Discussion: Telegraph, Gothamist, The Daily Caller and L.A. NOW

Washington Examiner:

GOP unhappiness with field fuels buzz for Jeb Bush — There's no doubt some Republicans remain unhappy with the GOP presidential field. They wish other candidates — Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush — had entered a long time ago. But the Iowa caucuses are in two weeks.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, No More Mister Nice Blog and Instapundit

Scott Pelley / CBS News:

Panetta: Iran will not be allowed nukes — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — The U.S. Secretary of Defense said Monday night that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. In an interview, Leon Panetta, said despite the efforts to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program …

Discussion: Elliott Abrams and The PJ Tatler

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:

Secrecy defines Obama's drone war — Since September, at least 60 people have died in 14 reported CIA drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal regions. The Obama administration has named only one of the dead, hailing the elimination of Janbaz Zadran, a top official in the Haqqani insurgent network, as a counterterrorism victory.

Discussion: emptywheel, Lawfare, Prairie Weather and Secrecy News