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Chaffetz joins budget showdown. This year's loser: Congress. The Huntsman daughters.
Happy Monday. The House today is expected to take up a short-term budget deal that passed the Senate on Friday, but rank-and-file Republicans -- including Utah's Jason Chaffetz -- are not happy with continuing to punt. [WaPost]
-> From Chaffetz: "If we want jobs, and if we want the economy to grow, we need some stability and predictability. This will make the situation worse, not better."
-> From Sen. Harry Reid: "If Speaker Boehner refuses to vote on the bipartisan compromise that passed the Senate with 89 votes, Republicans will be forcing a thousand-dollar tax increase on middle class families on January 1st."
Topping the news: The Washington Post looks at the winners and losers this year in politics and rounding out the top of the worst: Congress. A good read on what went wrong and why. [WaPost]
-> Utahns may not have seen much of Huntsman's three eldest daughters but they're everywhere on the presidential trail these days. [Trib]
-> Rep. Dave Clark is resigning his House seat as he considers a bid for Congress. [AP]
-> Mitt Romney is opening up more about his life -- including his LDS faith -- on the campaign trail. [LATimes]
-> Jon Huntsman's long hours in New Hampshire are starting to pay off. [Globe]
Today's news: The Logan City Council and Logan City School District are urging Cache County leaders to finally do something about pollution in the valley. [Trib]
-> A state senator wants school districts to solicit bids for health insurance every three years as a way to save money. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly offers some uplifting stories for the holiday season. [Trib]
-> The idea of closing or privatizing Utah state parks has some worried about what will happen in their communities. [DNews]
-> Utah Policy readers suggest their Top 10 stories of the year. [UtahPolicy] And Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick discuss them in a webcast, starting with the Richard Burwash episode. [UtahPolicy]
Tweet of the day: From @ZWHowell: "The only thing I dislike about Kim Jong Il's death is that it overshadows the memory of Vaclav Havel who freed rather than enslaved millions."
Happy birthday: To my big sis, Jann Burr Perkins.
Opinion section: George Pyle offers his view on Jon Huntsman's bid and his chances. [Trib]
-> SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon pushes for a middle-ground approach for decisions on development in the valley's foothills. [Trib]
-> The managing director of The Canyons Resort says the SkiLink gondola would be good for the environment and Utahns. [Trib]
-> The head of Utah's Radiation Control Board says blended radioactive waste is fine and criticism is misguided. [Trib]
-> Rolly reports that Utah Republicans are divided on whether to back the National Popular Vote movement that would negate the Electoral College. [Trib]
-> Former House Rep. David Irvine says the arguments for Utah's "archaic" nominating system ignore that 99 percent of Republicans and Democrats don't get a voice in the process. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley's take on the SEC's fishing expedition. [Trib]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb look back at this year in politics. [DNews]
-> Former Sen. Bob Bennett discusses who is a better GOP nominee: Romney or Newt Gingrich. [DNews]
2012 watch: The Des Moines Register endorses Mitt Romney. [Register] Now the question is: Will it help? [USAToday]
-> The Oklahoman adds its Romney endorsement. [Oklahoman] And the Portsmouth Herald. [Seacoast]
-> The (New Hampshire) Valley News, on the other hand, goes for Huntsman. [ValleyNews] As does the Keene Sentinel. [Sentinel]
-> A look at the rise of Newt Gingrich from his first congressional bid to his time as speaker and now presidential front-runner. [Globe]
-> Attacks on Gingrich, however, seem to be taking a toll on his popularity. [AP]
-> The Concord Monitor's Ben Leubsdorf looks back at Huntsman's time as ambassador. [Monitor]
-> Huntsman's chances of a victory in New Hampshire may hinge on independents. [AP]
-> Romney's take on all the negative attacks on him: "I'm a big boy." [ABCNews]
-> Fox News' Greta Van Susteren talks to Romney about what his presidency would look like. [FoxNews]
-> Outside groups, like the pro-Romney and pro-Huntsman SuperPACs, are helping to boost candidates. [USAToday]
Weekend in review: Our D.C. Notebook notes that one new .xxx website domain with a Utah senator's name is still available. [Trib]
-> A group of mayors say illegal gun sales are common in Utah and several other states. [Trib]
-> Could a liquor privatization initiative end up on the Utah ballot? [ABC4]
-> Utah officials warn against drunken driving, especially during the holiday season. [Fox13]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert has appointed former BLM Director Kathleen Clarke as head of his Public Lands Policy Coordination Office. [DNews]
-> Former Sen. Alan Simpson is still pushing his co-written fiscal plan despite resistance by Washington to do anything with it. [DNews]
-> Sandy wants to launch a renaissance with walkable villages. [Trib]
-> Treehugger has named Tim DeChristopher its person of the year. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City and BP oil sue two companies over what they say was an inadequate clean up from the oil spill. [Trib]
-> The widow of a man who killed himself after the 2009 artifact raid is suing the federal government. [Trib]
Where are they?
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-- Thomas Burr
Twitter.com/thomaswburr
