Michael Steele will announce tomorrow whether he plans to run for reelection to head the RNC.

Chris Hayes, on the tax cut deal: “It’s the standard bribery model of legislating that has come to characterize Washington in the era of oligarchy: if you want to put food on the table of the unemployed, you must lavishly wine and dine the CEOs and bankers who laid them off.”

Having a hard time reconciling the teary John Boehner of late with the cold, hard, nicotine-stained pol we’ve all known for the last 20 years.

U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke remains in critical condition. He underwent another procedure yesterday, according to the State Department, following surgery on a ruptured aorta Saturday.

Big majorities of Americans support extending all the Bush tax cuts and ending the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. It’s all in how you ask the question.

Wikileaks cable reveals North Korean officials asking the U.S. to arrange an Eric Clapton concert in Pyongyang as a show of “good will.”

Could Santa really stuff our stocking with Norm Coleman as RNC chairman?

Howard Dean was just being interviewed on MSNBC about the tax cut package and long term deficits. He was making the basic point that upper income tax cuts do little to stimulate the economy and do add to the deficit and long term national debt. He was knocking it around with MSNBC’s Chris Jansing when all of a sudden, Jansing exclaimed: Wait, since when are progressives the ones who believe in fiscal discipline and deficits? Read More

James Surowiecki has an interesting piece up at The New Yorker on Google’s play for Groupon.

Two points I would add:

First, Groupon is not merely a way for local advertisers to attract new customers. The way Groupon works means it essentially serves as a form of short-term financing for small businesses. Once your deal on Groupon ends, Groupon sends you a check within a couple of weeks for your share of the sales of your deal (Groupon’s cut is half, Surowiecki notes). Not only do you get that cash up front, but all you’ve actually sold is a coupon (think of it more like a gift certificate), so you get the benefit of the spread between the number of coupons sold and the number actually redeemed. Read More