memeorandum: Payroll tax debate a juggling act for GOP presidential contenders (Justin Sink/Ballot Box)

6:40 AM ET, December 22, 2011

Top Items:

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama shows he's confident he's beating GOP in payroll tax fight — President Obama, who has been on the losing end of several hard-fought battles with House Republicans, is showing that he thinks he's winning the latest tax fight. — While the White House—which has made it known …

Discussion: The Caucus, New York Times and Booman Tribune

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

Payroll tax debate a juggling act for GOP presidential contenders — Republican presidential candidates are attempting a difficult juggling act on the payroll tax debate, trying to balance a traditional anti-tax platform with the political machinations of the Republican-controlled House.

Discussion: The Politico

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: CBS News, New York Times, SQUATLO RANT, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Next Media Animation, The Reality-Based Community, National Review, The Mahablog, Daily Kos and Booman Tribune

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Rove: Republicans should fold in payroll tax cut standoff — Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said he agreed with the Wall Street Journal's blistering assessment on the failure of House Republican leadership in the payroll-tax debate, and conceded that Republicans have “lost the optics” and should fold on the issue.

Discussion: GayPatriot, CNN, Liberal Values, National Review, ThinkProgress and Campaign 2012

Jennifer Epstein / Reuters:
With family away, Obama, Bo shop

Discussion: White House.gov Blog, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Stephen C. Webster / The Raw Story:
Boehner's office cuts off C-SPAN cameras as GOP takes verbal beating

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation Blog, Mediaite and ThinkProgress, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:
Gingrich to House GOP: Give In on Payroll Tax

Discussion: Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, Gawker, Washington Monthly, Roll Call, National Review and The Huffington Post

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Speaker Cuts Off C-SPAN Cameras When Dems Attempt To Bring Vote On Payroll Tax Cut

Discussion: The Caucus, The Democratic Daily, Wonkette, The Week, Washington Monthly, NewsBusters.org, Prairie Weather, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and Political Mojo

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Mitt Romney bin Busted: ‘Candidate Like Myself’ Would Have Done Bin Laden Raid (Except 2007 Mitt) — At Christmastime, it's comforting to know that a Mitt Romney interview is the gift that keeps on giving. On Wednesday's The Daily Rundown, host Chuck Todd drew a lot out of the candidate with his deceptively easygoing style.

Discussion: The Humble Libertarian, The Reality-Based Community and US Politics

ABCNEWS:

Mitt Romney Says ‘Yes’ To Deporting President Obama's Uncle — ABC News' Michael Falcone reports: — Presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a Boston talk radio host on Wednesday that he supports the deportation of President Obama's Kenyan-born uncle who was arrested this fall on drunken driving charges in Massachusetts.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

msnbc.com:
Romney to Gingrich: If you can't stand the heat, wait until Obama's Hell's kitchen

Discussion: The Caucus

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
The point at which Mitt Romney loses his mind

Discussion: Democracy in America, The Daily Dish, Daily Kos, American Prospect, Political Mojo, The Caucus, The Reaction and No More Mister Nice Blog

Daniel Jacobson / Gossip Cop:

Matt Damon Blasts Obama: “One-Term President With Balls” Would Be Better — Matt Damon rips President Obama in Elle magazine, blasting his leadership qualities and saying he'd prefer “a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done.” — The actor, a longtime supporter …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, THEROOT.COM, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative and The Daily Caller

James Crugnale / Mediaite:

Rep. Ron Paul Gets Irked By Newsletter Questions, Walks Out Of CNN Interview — Ron Paul walked out of an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger following a heated exchange over the controversy regarding racist newsletters sent in his name during the 1990s. Borger asked the Congressman if he had ever read the newsletters.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, National Review, The Humble Libertarian, Business Insider, Little Green Footballs and The PJ Tatler

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Paul abandons interview concerning controversial newsletters

Discussion: CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and American Power

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

$335 Million Settlement on Countrywide Lending Bias — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced the largest residential fair-lending settlement in history, saying that Bank of America had agreed to pay $335 million to settle allegations that its Countrywide Financial unit discriminated …

Discussion: naked capitalism, The Huffington Post, Truthdig and Firedoglake

The United States Department of Justice:
Justice Department Reaches $335 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Politico

Betsy Rothstein / FishbowlDC:

Lawmaker Says Michelle Obama Has ‘Large Posterior’ — Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), known for his cantankerous ways and for not speaking to media unless it's his idea, was overheard at the Delta Crown lounge at Reagan National Airport today talking on his cellphone about an incident …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

CBS Los Angeles:

Mayor Calls For Budget Cuts To Offset Millions In Occupy LA Costs — LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The City of Los Angeles reportedly faces millions of dollars in expenses brought about by the Occupy LA movement. — City agencies have been ordered to calculate what was spent on the Occupy LA protests.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and Sister Toldjah

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Romney Reverses Position on Iraq — You people don't care about Iraq any more, do you? Didn't think so. — In an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd today, Mitt Romney asserts that “of course” invading Iraq was a bad idea now that we know Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.

Discussion: Big Peace, Campaign 2012, Washington Monthly, Political Mojo, msnbc.com, Ricochet Conversations Feed and CNN

John Hawkins / Right Wing News:

The 50 Best Political Quotes For 2011 (Third Annual) — 50) Get the hell off the Beach in Asbury Park and get out. You're done. It's 4:30 PM. You've maximized your tan. Get off the beach. Get in you cars and get out of those areas. — Chris Christie 49) NPR is a very elitist …

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, The Spectacle Blog, YID With LID and Betsy's Page

Ginger Gibson / Reuters:

Newt Gingrich courting Iowa voters with judicial rants — Newt Gingrich, scrambling to regain ground in Iowa, has worked to keep his crusade against federal judges alive — talking up the issue for the fourth straight day in an appearance on “The O'Reilly Factor” on Tuesday night.

Discussion: NewsHounds blog

Grist:

New EPA mercury rules are a bona fide Big Deal — Wednesday, at long last, the EPA unveiled its new rule covering mercury and other toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants. — Anyone who pays attention to green news will have spent the last two years hearing a torrent …

Discussion: Washington Post, USA Today, Political Mojo, Firedoglake and Washington Monthly

yosemite.epa.gov:
EPA Issues First National Standards for Mercury Pollution from Power Plants/ Historic 'mercury …

Discussion: New York Times, The Huffington Post and Daily Kos

Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:

The Most Important Graphs of 2011 — What is it about graphs and economics? In a discipline where facts are murky and certainty is elusive, graphs offer a bright light of information and a small confidence that the world can be summed up between two axes.

Discussion: Real Time Economics and Business Insider

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:

Robertson Tells Father to Love his Gay Son through ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion — Today on The 700 Club, a man with an openly gay son asked Pat Robertson how he can show his son “the love of Jesus when you know his sexual preference is an abomination to God.” Robertson told the father to love …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Raw Story and Towleroad News #gay

Victor Morton / Washington Times:

Ex-President Carter sends condolences to Kim Jong-un — Former President Jimmy Carter has sent North Korea a message of condolence over the death of Kim Jong-il and wished “every success” to the man expected to take over as dictator, according to the communist country's state-run news agency.

Discussion: Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, The Daily Caller, The Spectacle Blog, The Lonely Conservative and American Spectator

Wall Street Journal:

Fewer Ports in a Global Storm — The world economy faces a shortage of super-safe financial assets, bonds for which there is almost no risk of default and for which the market is so big that investors can buy and sell them readily. — When anything is in short supply, its price rises.

Discussion: Brad DeLong