TPMDC Morning Roundup

Democrats Could Take Power Away From Super-Delegates
The Democratic Change Commission, a group convened to re-examine the Democratic Party's nominating process, is proposing that super-delegates be stripped of their power over the presidential nomination, by requiring them to vote with the electoral majorities in their states -- effectively converting them into winner-take-all pledged delegates. "We need to show deference to what the party members in our state have done," said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), a co-chair of the commission.

Obama To Receive Preliminary Report On Flight 253
President Obama will receive a preliminary report today on the Flight 253 attempted bombing, with recommendations on how to avoid a repeat of an incident in which an individual with suspected terrorist ties was able to board a plane.

AP Poll: 2009 A Bad Year For America -- But Not Bad For People's Own Families
The new AP-GfK poll finds that Americans have a pretty solid verdict on 2009 -- a negative one, with 58% saying it was a bad year for the country, to 39% calling it a good year. At the same time, though, three in five say it was a good year for their own family, against two in five who say their family had a bad year.

Dorgan To GOP: 'Knock It Off' On Political Attacks Over Flight 253
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is blasting Republicans for using the Flight 253 attempted bombing to attack the Obama administration. "I hope those few members of Congress who are trying to use this terrorist attack for their own partisan gain will knock it off," Dorgan said in a statement. "Our country deserves better than to have people try to use a terrorist attack for political gain."

NYT: In Cuba, Hopeful Tenor Toward Obama Is Ebbing
The New York Times reports that American relations with Cuba have not changed significantly, despite some early hopes for change. Cuban President Raúl Castro denounced President Obama in a recent fiery speech to the National Assembly, accusing the United States of "undercover subversion" in Cuba, and declared: "If the American government really wants to advance relations with Cuba, I recommend they leave behind the conditions of internal governance that they are trying to impose on us and that only Cubans can decide,"

Traficant To Run For Congress Again 'Somewhere'
Former Rep. Jim Traficant (D-OH), who was expelled from the House in 2002 after a corruption conviction and was released from prison this year, announced that he will run for Congress again. It's not immediately clear which district he will run in, though, or with which party: "I'm going to run for Congress somewhere."