 |  | 
November 22, 2011 | | DEBATE PREP Newt Gingrich has consumed most of the media oxygen in the past few GOP debates, but Salon’s Joan Walsh has some tips to help the faltering Rick Perry snatch the stage back from the gasbag former House speaker. Perry should turn his carefully honed Obama attacks on Gingrich and paint him as an ideological chameleon. SHOWDOWN Four days of protests can change powerful minds: Egypt’s ruling military agreed on Tuesday to hand over power by July 2012, a year earlier than expected. The move is the biggest concession yet to protesters, who have stormed Cairo’s Tahrir Square for four days and spurred clashes with security forces that have left 33 dead and many more injured. Parliamentary elections will continue as planned on Monday; the Muslim Brotherhood is tipped to win a hefty share of the votes. SUPERCOMMITTEE White House officials said Tuesday that President Obama will veto any legislation that allows an elimination of the penalties that come into place should the supercommittee fail to reach an agreement—including allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire on the same day the automatic penalties go into place. “I think if you look at everything that happens in January 2013, it is a compelling argument there’s a need to make real policy,” said one senior administration official. This could be President Obama’s trump card: if Republicans refuse to compromise and raise taxes on the wealthy along with making spending cuts, then the taxes on the wealthy will go up regardless. GOING NEGATIVE More proof Mitt Romney is already looking toward his general-election campaign: the former Massachusetts governor released his first ad attacking the president, and it’s already sparked controversy for misleadingly chopping off a line from Obama’s speech. In the speech from the 2008 campaign Obama said, "Senator McCain's campaign actually said, and I quote, 'If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose.'" The Romney ad snips the line down to “If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose”—making it appear as if Obama were referring to himself and the Democrats. The ad will run in New Hampshire starting Tuesday. OFF THE RAILS With public outrage growing over images of police showering peaceful Occupy protesters with pepper spray at UC Davis, Fox News has stepped in to offer some bizarre conservative spin. On last night’s O’Reilly Factor, Megyn Kelly helpfully reminded viewers that pepper spray is nothing more than a “derivative of pepper ... it’s a food product essentially.” The blogosphere backlash to the remarks was immediate, with Gawker’s Max Read sarcastically reassessing the cops’ motives: “Maybe he was just trying to feed them?” | | 
GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors.  GET The Yes List Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast.
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment