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3:40 PM ET, December 21, 2011

Top Items:

The GOP's Payroll Tax Fiasco — How did Republicans manage to lose the tax issue to Obama? — GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously said a year ago that his main task in the 112th Congress was to make sure that President Obama would not be re-elected.

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

Literally walking away from a fight — It was rather remarkable this morning to watch the proceedings on the House floor. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) wanted to try again to bring up the Senate's bipartisan payroll-tax-break compromise, and instead of debating, Republicans literally walked away from the fight.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Post and The Maddow Blog

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Speaker Cuts Off C-SPAN Cameras When Dems Attempt To Bring Vote On Payroll Tax Cut — During a quick pro-forma session of the House this morning, Republicans rebuffed a Democratic attempt to force an up-or-down vote on the Senate-passed payroll tax holiday extension, which Republicans have thus far refused to allow.

Discussion: The Raw Story, New York Times, NewsBusters.org, The Caucus and Political Mojo

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

House Republicans stiff attempt from Democrats to call up Senate payroll bill — House Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt Wednesday to call up the Senate payroll tax bill by quickly gaveling the day's pro forma session to a close. — Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) presided over the brief session …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Wake up America, Washington Monthly and Hullabaloo

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Romney Refuses To Take Position On Payroll Tax Holiday — In two TV interviews today, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney refused to take a stance on the biggest issue in Washington today: the extension of the payroll tax holiday. A huge bipartisan majority in the Senate passed …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama's Hawaii Christmas dilemma — President Obama faces a most difficult decision with the payroll tax extension up in the air, and it isn't whether to compromise with Republicans. — The toughest call for the president this holiday season could be whether to join his family for Christmas in Hawaii or stay in lonely Washington.

Discussion: Hawaii Reporter, Outside the Beltway and Pundit & Pundette

ABCNEWS:

Capitol Stand-off: Republicans Caving? — My prediction: House Republicans will soon - probably within 24 hours - cave in and accept the two-month extension of the payroll tax cut passed last week by the Senate. — I base this on conversations with House Republicans who know they are losing …

Discussion: National Review

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:

Gingrich to House GOP: Give In on Payroll Tax — DES MOINES, Iowa - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who famously lost budget battles to President Bill Clinton amid two government shutdowns, had some advice to House Republicans at loggerheads with another Democratic president: Give in.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, National Review and The Huffington Post

Mj Lee / Reuters:
WSJ: GOP a ‘circular firing squad’

Discussion: The Caucus, Rush Limbaugh, Washington Monthly, The Hill and The Reaction

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
GOP senator says Republicans need to resolve payroll tax fight and ‘move on’

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Business Insider, Daily Kos, DownWithTyranny! and Hot Air

Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — Watch GOPer Literally Walk Out On Dem Attempt To Push Payroll Tax Cut

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Daily Dish

Marin Cogan / The Politico:
House Republicans who bucked their party

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Explaining Obama's Approval Rating Bounce

Discussion: The Reaction, Philly.com and Outside the Beltway

Manu Rajuand John Bresnahan / The Politico:
McConnell leaves Boehner on limb

Discussion: CNN, FrumForum, The Hill and The Hill

Los Angeles Times:
With payroll tax cut unresolved, Congress packs up

Discussion: New York Times, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Other McCain and Hullabaloo

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
What the House GOP conferees have in common

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Prairie Weather, Washington Post and DCCC

Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:

Newt Gingrich to gay Iowan: Vote for Obama — Gingrich and his wife Callista at tonight's event in Oskaloosa. Oskaloosa, Ia. - Newt Gingrich told a gay man and longtime resident of Oskaloosa here today that he should vote for President Obama. — “I asked him if he's elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Little Green Footballs, Mediaite, Truth Wins Out, GayPatriot, nation.foxnews.com, The Daily Dish, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Gawker, The Moderate Voice, LGBTQ Nation, Towleroad News #gay, Outside the Beltway, Joe. My. God., CNN and The Politico

Evan McMorris-Santoro / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Newt's Campaign Comes Down To Earth As Iowan Calls Him 'F …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, CNN, The Caucus, New York Magazine, Wonkette, Talking Points Memo and The Raw Story

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Newt Gingrich Tells Gay Iowan To Vote For Obama

Discussion: Fox News, Guardian, Feministing and Prairie Weather

Benjamin Kang Lim / Reuters:

Exclusive: North Korea's military to share power with Kim's heir — (Reuters) - North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.

Discussion: New York Times, Outside the Beltway, Associated Press, Gothamist, neo-neocon, New York Magazine and ThinkProgress

Scott Whitlock / NewsBusters.org:
Whoopi Goldberg: Communism Is ‘a Great Concept’ That ‘Makes Perfect Sense’ on Paper

Discussion: Doug Ross and Big Hollywood

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

You, sir, are no Teddy Roosevelt — In a speech to be delivered in Bedford, N.H., this evening, Mitt Romney will push back explicitly on Barack Obama's recent invocation of Teddy Roosevelt in a speech the president used to frame the 2012 campaign in terms of “fairness.” Here's what Romney will say:

Discussion: American Prospect, The Reaction, New York Magazine, Paul Krugman, No More Mister Nice Blog and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

The point at which Mitt Romney loses his mind — Mitt Romney unveiled a brand-new stump speech in New Hampshire last night, reading a carefully-crafted, poll-tested text from two teleprompters. Confident that his Republican primarily rivals simply won't (or can't) catch him …

Discussion: The Caucus and Balloon Juice

news.iastate.edu:

Paul now top pick in new ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll, but voters still uncertain — AMES, Iowa — A new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll of 333 likely Iowa Republican caucus goers finds Ron Paul in the top spot among GOP presidential candidates with 27.5 percent, followed closely by Newt Gingrich with 25.3 percent.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times and msnbc.com

James Q. Lynch / Iowa Caucus 2012:
ISU/Gazette/KCRG Poll: Ron Paul new frontrunner

Discussion: The Politico, Ballot Box, CNN and GOP 12

James Lynch / KCRG-TV:
Vote 2012: Ron Paul Takes Lead in KCRG/Gazette/ISU Poll

Discussion: The Other McCain, American Spectator, Unlikely Voter, Wake up America and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Tom Gantert / Michigan Capitol Confidential:

Chevy Volt Costing Taxpayers Up to $250K Per Vehicle — Analyst: ‘This might be the most government-supported car since the Trabant’ — Each Chevy Volt sold thus far may have as much as $250,000 in state and federal dollars in incentives behind it - a total of $3 billion altogether …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers and Hot Air

Neal Pollack / Salon:

I knew Christopher Hitchens better than you — Every writer who had a drink with Hitch has now told his story. But even Rushdie and Amis didn't know him like this — Christopher Hitchens and I were friends for 40 years, plus another five when we were enemies.

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Paul Glastris / Washington Monthly:

Obama's Rising Poll Numbers: The Dog-That-Didn't-Bark Factor — As Steve noted yesterday there are plenty of reasons why, going into the Christmas break, Barack Obama is looking surprisingly strong politically. The economy is slowly improving. The troops are out of Iraq.

New York Times:

Iraqi Leader Threatens to Abandon Power-Sharing — BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq threatened on Wednesday to abandon an American-backed power sharing government created a year ago, throwing the country's fragile democracy into further turmoil just days after the departure of American troops.

Discussion: NO QUARTER