NB Extra

Correction: This post initially identified Tom Udall as a senator from Colorado. His cousin Mark Udall is a Democratic senator from Colorado. Tom Udall represents New Mexico. We regret the error.

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., has offered up legislation that would effectively eliminate the filibuster by removing the 60-vote requirement to end floor debate. The move is an attempt to avoid procedural roadblocks that forced Democrats to moderate their legislative proposals throughout 2009 and 2010. But if the Senate rule changes Udall has proposed go through, Republicans may be the biggest beneficiaries. James Taranto explains:

The chief beneficiary of the abolition of the legislative filibuster, however, would be whichever party controls the House. Given their strong showings last year in elections for governor and state legislatures, which control congressional redistricting, this is likelier than not to be the Republicans for some time.

The Hollywood Reporter was putty in the hands of left-wing "comedian" Kathy Griffin as she vowed to spend the new year attacking Sarah Palin's daughter in high school:

The comic set a resolution for 2011 -- taking on a new Palin in the new year. "I've already gone for Sarah, Todd and Bristol obviously," Griffin tells The Hollywood Reporter. "But I think it's Willow's year to go down."

"In 2011 I want to offend a new Palin," she vows.

Despite the fact that liberals believe that Fox News Channel is a relentlessly conserative channel, when it comes to homosexuality, opponents are actually  mocked and told they're “out of touch.” The gay blog Truth Wins Out rejoiced that the December 30 edition of the FNC overnight show Red Eye was mocking “anti-gay wingnuts.” Host Greg Gutfeld generally tries to mix humor into his commentary, but this was clearly Whack the Religious Right Night for him:

They're here, they're queer, and the Family Research Council refuses to get used to it. Nor would the Concerned Women for America, love them. [Laughter] As a result, both groups are refusing to attend the DC-based Conservative Political Action Conference this February, due to the fact the righty group GOProud has been invited, because they're evil sodomites...

Meanwhile, like-minded gay-haters applaud the move. Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality – you know their meetings are shirtless – said 'Shame on CPAC for defending the absurd proposition that one can be 'conservative' while embracing moral surrender.” Oddly, he said that while shaving his chest. Yes.

If you thought perhaps the networks would focus in on how President Obama avoided blizzards by staying on vacation in Hawaii, or that anyone would ask how much his vacation might cost the taxpayer, think again. No one's interested in questioning Obama -- as London's Daily Mail did: "The 7,000-square foot home where the president is vacationing has five bedrooms, a media room and a secluded lagoon-style pool with tropical waterfalls and a spa." On her radio show Monday morning, Laura Ingraham played some audio of how CNN's Ed Henry kept it very light and food-focused on last Monday's Newsroom:

DEBORAH FEYERICK, anchor: Next, "The Stakeout." We're going to check in with Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry. That is, if he's not busy, let's say, surfing...Well, the weather has been terrible in Washington, D.C., but that's no problem for our senior White house correspondent, Ed Henry. Why? Well, listen to the music. He's hanging out with the president in Hawaii. It is a tough job. We know you're running out of sunscreen. Ed, I hope at least they're feeding you.

In the Washington Post on Saturday, Charles Krauthammer explored in his column how Team Obama is governing around Congress through regulatory agencies. Remember the controversy over Medicare "end-of-life counseling"? The New York Times reported it snuck back in.  A month ago, Medicare issued a regulation providing for end-of-life counseling during annual "wellness" visits. Somehow, the rest of the national media that sneered about "death panels" weren't spreading the news:

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), author of Section 1233, was delighted. "Mr. Blumenauer's office celebrated 'a quiet victory,' but urged supporters not to crow about it," reports the New York Times. Deathly quiet. In early November, his office sent an e-mail plea to supporters: "We would ask that you not broadcast this accomplishment out to any of your lists...e-mails can too easily be forwarded." They had been lucky that "thus far, it seems that no press or blogs have discovered it....The longer this [regulation] goes unnoticed, the better our chances of keeping it."

So much for the Democrats' transparency - and for their repeated claim that the more people learn what is in the health-care law, the more they will like it. Turns out ignorance is the Democrats' best hope.

Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas was upset on Thursday that Gary Bauer would claim that Muslims would fare much worse if they were treated like Christians are in Ameica. He shot back: "wait, what if Christians were treated like Muslims?"

Christians would be racially profiled at public places and transportation hubs. Christians wouldn't be allowed to build churches wherever they pleased. Christians wouldn't be allowed to wear their traditional garb without mocking and angry looks. Christians wouldn't be allowed to say the word "Jesus" without triggering alarm bells at the NSA. Christians wouldn't be allowed to go to church without having their property vandalized, and even being physically attacked. Christians would be the villain in every action thriller. Christians wouldn't be able to run for office without having bigots accuse them of being in league with terrorists.

The weirdest claim is that "Christians would be the villain in every action thriller." Every? How many action thrillers since 9/11 have had Muslim villains? Some film versions of books with Muslim villains were scrubbed clean when they became movies.

Someone finally -- finally! -- has drawn the obvious correlation between NFL quarterback Michael Vick's killing of animals in an illegal dog-fighting ring and the monstrous injustices committed against blacks during slavery and the civil rights movement.

What's hardly surprising is who's making the connection -- Princeton professor Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC's go-to gal for all things racial, appearing last night on "The Rachel Maddow Show" with guest host Bill Wolff to discuss President Obama praising the Philadelphia Eagles for giving Vick a second chance after serving time in prison and Tucker Carlson saying on Fox News that Vick should have been executed.

Harris-Perry, as is her wont, sought to put matters in historical perspective (video after page break) --

Today's starter topic: Left-wing MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann's ratings continue to drop:

When you're subbing for Ed Schultz on MSNBC,  the race to the bottom is apparently irresistible . . .

Cenk [pronounced, I hasten to add, "Jenk," thus adding to the headline's alliteration] broke out a dubious double-entendre this evening when speaking of John Bolton.  Describing the ambassador's allegedly bellicose tendencies, Cenk claimed that, if he could, Bolton would "like to invade Uranus."

View video after the jump.