Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was reason they pushed new election law  —  Former GOP chair, governor - both on outs with party - say voter fraud wasn't a concern, but reducing Democratic votes was.  —  VOTE ()  —  A new Florida law that contributed to long voter lines …

Guest on Fox News to Discuss Benghazi Attack Is Given a Quick Exit  —  Thomas E. Ricks, the veteran defense reporter and author, said he expected his Monday morning appearance on Fox News to last about three minutes.  It ended, in fact, after 90 seconds — his last sentence was a description …

Revenge of the Reality-Based Community  —  My life on the Republican right—and how I saw it all go wrong.  —  I know that it's unattractive and bad form to say “I told you so” when one's advice was ignored yet ultimately proved correct.  But in the wake of the Republican election debacle …

Filibuster fight seizes Senate  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday blasted Democratic-led efforts to reform the filibuster, warning that the changes would “poison” relations in the already-gridlocked Senate.  —  The Kentucky Republican said changing the filibuster …

Court Rejects Plea to Block Taping of Police  —  The Supreme Court has rejected an Illinois prosecutor's plea to allow enforcement of a law aimed at stopping people from recording police officers on the job.  —  The justices on Monday left in place a lower court ruling that found …

NYT Reporter Falls for Hamas Ploy  —  NYT's David Carr thinks terrorists are journalists because they spray-painted ‘TV’ on their car  —  The New York Times has again attempted to negate the presence of terrorists in the Gaza Strip.  Reporter David Carr claims that two senior Hamas terrorists killed …

How Not to Appeal to Asian Americans  —  House Committee on Education and the Workforce Dem / Flickr  —  Of the various post-election stories, the GOP's “Latino problem” is one of the most prominent.  At some point over the last three weeks, every prominent Republican leader has had something …

Santorum: 'I'm open' to 2016 bid  —  (CNN) - Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum hinted Monday he may see another presidential run in his future.  —  “I'm open to that possibility,” the Republican said when asked on CNN's “Piers Morgan Tonight” about a 2016 White House bid.

ATTENTION U.S. CUSTOMERS  —  We are sorry to announce that due to legal and regulatory pressures, Intrade can no longer allow US residents to participate in our real-money prediction markets.  —  Unfortunately this means that all US residents must begin the process of closing down their Intrade accounts.

A Master of Tax Avoidance  —  Warren Buffett has an op-ed in today's NY Times on one of his most popular themes: The rich should pay more in taxes.  At first blush, his position seems noble: A rich guy says that people like him should pay more to support the commonweal.

AP nixes ‘homophobia’, ‘ethnic cleansing’  —  The Associated Press has nixed “homophobia,” “ethnic cleansing,” and a number of other terms from its Style Book in recent months.  —  The online Style Book now says that “-phobia,” “an irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness” …

TIME HONORS SANDRA FLUKE AS ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’ FINALIST  —  Just when you think Time magazine can't make any more of a mockery of itself, they nominate Sandra Fluke, contraception advocate extraordinaire, as a candidate in their Person of the Year 2012 poll:

Donald Trump: Mean-Spirited GOP Won't Win Elections  —  More ways to share...  Mixx  —  Stumbled  —  LinkedIn  —  Vine  —  Buzzflash  —  Newstrust  —  Technocrati  —  Forward Article  —  Ronald Kessler reporting from Washington, D.C. — The Republican Party will continue …

Top Obama Aide On Fiscal Cliff: “This Is Going To Get Hairy”  —  Senior White House advisor David Plouffe warns Republicans and Democrats alike must take political hits in order for deal to be had.  —  Source: youtube.com  —  WASHINGTON — Obama senior adviser David Plouffe predicted …

Marijuana's foot in the door  —  SMALL-TIME MARIJUANA use will soon be legal in Colorado and Washington state.  Sort of.  —  This month voters in those states approved ballot measures permitting possession of up to an ounce of pot.  But the federal government has not changed its policy, which labels the drug an illegal substance.

Photos Show Walmart Apparel at Site of Deadly Factory Fire in Bangladesh  —  NGOs slammed Walmart over a fire that killed at least 112 workers at a Bangladesh factory supplying apparel to the retail giant.  While Walmart says it has not confirmed that it has any relationship to the factory …

The Myth of the Obama Cave-In  —  With the “fiscal cliff” looming, the conventional wisdom is that the president capitulated during the last tax cut fight.  Here's what really happened.  —  At President Barack Obama's first press conference after winning reelection, CNN's Jessica Yellin posed …

The Truce On Drugs  —  What happens now that the war has failed?  —  Cannabis is a highly persuadable plant.  It thrives in Afghanistan; it grows beautifully in Mexico.  It can prosper indoors or outdoors, in contained environments or expansive ones.  Even on the essentials, like soil, light, and water, accommodations can be made.