Romney avoids weighing in on Ohio union fight  —  Terrace Park, Ohio (CNN) -Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stepped into the middle of the charged battle over organized labor in Ohio on Tuesday, but he avoided weighing in on the contentious legislation that would dramatically limit …

Where are the anti-Semites of Occupy Wall Street?  —  Reckless Jew that I am, I muscled my way into the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Lower Manhattan despite multiple reports of virulent and conceivably lethal anti-Semitism.  Projecting an unvarnished Semitism, I circled the place …

New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government  —  With Election Day just over a year away, a deep sense of economic anxiety and doubt about the future hangs over the nation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, with Americans' distrust of government at its highest level ever.

Rick Perry's worst nightmare: Jennifer Rubin  —  The Washington Post's official conservative blogger, Jennifer Rubin, has written 60 columns on the would-be conservative favorite, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, eight of them Tuesday.  —  Rubin tends to write long, for a blogger …

Obama: If We Lose in 2012, Government Will Tell People 'You're on Your Own'  —  At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses the 2012 election it could herald a new, painful era of self-reliance in America.

EXCLUSIVE: GOP governors blast birther gambit  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision to delve back into birtherism — on CNBC and on the day he is rolling out an economic plan — has struck a nerve with responsible GOP officials and insiders.  Two prominent governors have now gone on record with Right Turn to express their displeasure.

TRENDS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME BETWEEN 1979 AND 2007  —  Text-only.  The full version of the summary may include tables, charts, and footnotes.  —  AFTER-TAX INCOME GREW MORE FOR HIGHEST-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS  —  After-tax income for the highest-income households grew more than it did for any other group.

Say Anything  —  Over the last couple of days, I've been getting mail accusing me of consorting with Nazis.  My immediate reaction was, what the heck?  Then it clicked: the right wing is mounting a full-court press to portray Occupy Wall Street as an anti-Semitic movement, based, as far as I can tell, on one guy with a sign.

Wasserman Schultz blasts Perry's flat tax plan as ‘definition of insanity’  —  Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wassserman Schultz slammed Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's tax plan, saying his flat tax proposal would benefit the wealthiest Americans at the expense …

State Department buys $70,000 worth of Obama books  —  The State Department has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmas gratuities and stocking “key libraries” around the world with “Dreams from My Father” more than a decade after its release.

White House backs Republican measure repealing 3% tax rule  —  The White House announced Tuesday that it supports passage of a House Republican bill intended to boost job creation and due up for a vote on Thursday.  —  The bill repeals a requirement that the federal government withhold 3 percent …

OWS's Beef: Wall Street Isn't Winning - It's Cheating  —  I was at an event on the Upper East Side last Friday night when I got to talking with a salesman in the media business.  The subject turned to Zucotti Park and Occupy Wall Street, and he was chuckling about something he'd heard on the news.

U.S. Expected to Charge Executive Tied to Galleon Case  —  Updated  —  Federal prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges on Wednesday against Rajat K. Gupta, the most prominent business executive ensnared in an aggressive insider trading investigation, according to people briefed on the case.

Televangelist Pat Robertson Calls GOP Field Too ‘Extreme’ To Win General Election  —  You know you've hit rock bottom when one of the most radical, hate-spewing figures in America calls you “extreme.”  That's how televangelist Pat Robertson described the field of GOP candidates, Right Wing Watch reports.