memeorandum: Chambliss defends tax pledge stance, says he won't be ‘dictated to’ (Meghashyam Mali/The Hill)

9:40 AM ET, December 3, 2012

Top Items:

Criticized as Weak in Past Talks, Obama Takes Harder Line — WASHINGTON — Amid demands from Republicans that President Obama propose detailed new spending cuts to avert the year-end fiscal crisis, his answer boils down to this: you first. — Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Week, Prairie Weather, Wall Street Journal and msnbc.com

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Chambliss defends tax pledge stance, says he won't be ‘dictated to’ — Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) on Saturday defended his decision to break with conservative activist Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge, telling constituents he would not be “dictated to by anybody in Washington.”

Discussion: Questions and Observations

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

‘Fiscal cliff’ talks at a stalemate over tax hikes — View Photo Gallery — The ‘fiscal cliff’: Meet the key players: With the election behind them, Obama and lawmakers have turned their attention to the fiscal cliff. Here's a look at some of the leaders who will influence whether the country can avoid falling off the cliff.

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Times, Campaign for America's …, The BLT and Politico

Kyle Balluck / The Hill: Obama seeks to bolster his negotiating chops in debt talks

David Remnick / News Desk:

Hillary is Running: A Dispatch from the Saban Forum — Hillary Clinton is running for President. And the Israeli political class is a full-blown train wreck. These are two conclusions, for whatever they are worth, based on a three-day conference I attended this weekend at the annual Saban Forum, in Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Israel Matzav and No More Mister Nice Blog

Lori Ziganto / Twitchy:

Narcissist in chief: President Obama honors Rosa Parks anniversary with picture of himself; Update: Adam Baldwin with the win — Just when you think President Obama's impossibly large ego can't grow further, he makes it happen! — President Obama loves to insert himself in other people's biographies.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys, Little Green Footballs, The Gateway Pundit, iOwnTheWorld.com and Althouse

John Bresnahan / Politico:
J.C. Watts for RNC chair?

Discussion: Post Politics, The Moderate Voice, INSTAPUTZ and The Political Carnival

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:

2016 contenders court mega-donors — A week after Election Day, three Republican governors mentioned as 2016 presidential candidates — Bobby Jindal, John Kasich and Bob McDonnell — each stopped by the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino to meet privately with its owner Sheldon Adelson …

Discussion: GOP 12

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Congress Retains Low Honesty Rating — Nurses have highest honesty rating; car salespeople, lowest — PRINCETON, NJ — As Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending “fiscal cliff” that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1 …

Discussion: Politico and Mediaite

Philip Pullella / Reuters:

Vatican discloses Pope's Twitter handle: @pontifex … VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - It's official. Pope Benedict's handle on Twitter will be @pontifex. — He already has 1.2 billion “followers” in the standard sense of the word but next week he will have another type when he enters …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

Misstripleem / Twitchy:

Singer Alanis Morissette defies boycott, threats over Israel concert — Pop singer Alanis Morissette arrived in Israel today for a concert at Tel Aviv's Nokia Theater; she last performed there in 2000. … Alanis Morissette in Israel — The usual voices of intolerance are protesting the Grammy Award-winning songwriter's visit.

Discussion: Arutz Sheva, Scared Monkeys, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Other McCain

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Kid Rock: Obama and I have ‘no hard feelings’ — Washington (CNN) - Musician Kid Rock, who was a celebrity surrogate for Mitt Romney, said President Barack Obama wasted no time in jokingly acknowledging their campaign rivalry Sunday. — “It was nice. I saw the president tonight.

Discussion: The Hill

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:

NY Gov. Cuomo meeting with Boehner, Reid to discuss hurricane aid — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is visiting top Democrats and Republicans on Monday to discuss additional relief funding to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. — Cuomo has meetings scheduled with House Speaker John Boehner …

Discussion: Capital New York, New York Times and CNN

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:

Republicans ready to forget Romney and embrace Rep. Ryan on Medicare — Mitt Romney's Medicare budget might be fading away just as quickly as Romney himself. — During the campaign, candidate Romney repeatedly hammered President Obama for cutting $716 billion from Medicare as part of his signature healthcare law.

Chana Ya'ar / Arutz Sheva:

Abbas ‘Victory Speech’: Jerusalem ‘Eternal Capital of Palestine’ — PA Chairman promises that someday the PA flag will fly over “Jerusalem, eternal capital of the state of Palestine.” — PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Sunday promised someday the PA flag would fly over “Jerusalem, eternal capital of the state of Palestine.”

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit