Obama to GOP: I'm done negotiating with myself  —  Republican aides are circulating their summary of the White House's opening bid on the fiscal cliff.  They're circulating it because they believe it fleshes out Speaker John Boehner's complaint that “the White House has to get serious.”

Exclusive: The Internal Polls That Made Mitt Romney Think He'd Win  —  It's no secret that the Romney campaign believed it was headed for victory on Election Day.  A handful of outlets have reported that Team Romney's internal polling showed North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia moving safely …

Self-Awareness Matters  —  In politics, self-awareness matters.  It does.  When I was a political consultant, I told my clients my first two rules.  The first was to know when you were in the minority, even when you thought you were right.  The second was to know yourself as others see you.

For Secretary of State, G.O.P. Pushes Old Hand  —  WASHINGTON — As President Obama's potential nominee for secretary of state, Susan E. Rice, comes under increasing fire, Congressional Republicans appear to be coalescing around a familiar name as an alternative candidate …

Down and Out With Ted Cruz and the GOP  —  As Republicans regroup from electoral disaster, some — including a rising star in the Senate — insist conservatism was not to blame.  —  Associated Press  —  Why did Republicans lose the 2012 election?  Ask Ted Cruz, the newly elected Republican senator from Texas.

Complaints Aside, Most Face Lower Tax Burden Than in the Reagan '80s  —  What Is Fair?:  —  BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Alan Hicks divides long days between the insurance business he started in the late 1970s and the barbecue restaurant he opened with his sons three years ago.

Federal Judge Rules Nevada Can Ban Same-Sex Couples From Marriage  —  Ruling comes on eve of Supreme Court conference to decide whether it will hear any cases dealing with same-sex couples' marriage rights in the coming year.  —  Marriage equality advocates cheer during a rally in San Francisco, Feb. 7, 2012.

Reid must wrestle with undecided Dems to reform filibuster rules  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may be short on votes he needs to force changes to the Senate's filibuster rules, as nine Democratic senators sit on the fence about the proposed reforms.

Mitt Romney: I'm weak?  What about Newt Gingrich?  —  Mitt Romney on Monday laughed at Newt Gingrich's suggestion that he is a weak frontrunner who is failing to win over conservatives, saying of the former House speaker, “If I'm a weak frontrunner, what does that make Newt Gingrich?

Pot legalization support hits record high, poll shows  —  Support for marijuana legalization has edged up recently and is now tied with the oppposition, according to a CBS poll released Friday — the first time since that survey started keeping track of the issue.

Why Conservatives Must Surrender on ‘Redistribution’  —  Liberals talk about booming incomes at the top while lower-income households barely see benefits from economic growth.  Conservatives talk about a rising share of the population that depends on government benefits and a shrinking share that pays income tax.

Class Wars of 2012  —  On Election Day, The Boston Globe reported, Logan International Airport in Boston was running short of parking spaces.  Not for cars — for private jets.  Big donors were flooding into the city to attend Mitt Romney's victory party.  —  They were, it turned out, misinformed about political reality.

General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N.  —  UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to grant Palestine the upgraded status of nonmember observer state in the United Nations, a stinging defeat for Israel and the United States and a boost for President Mahmoud Abbas …

New ethanol blend could damage vehicles and void warranties, AAA warns  —  The AAA says the Environmental Protection Agency and gasoline retailers should halt the sale of E15, a new ethanol blend that could damage millions of vehicles and void car warranties.

Christie strongly favored for reelection, voters still lukewarm on 2016 bid  —  Chris Christie's the most popular Governor PPP's polled on all year, and he looks pretty safe for reelection next year.  But New Jersey voters still aren't sold on him as a Presidential candidate in 2016.

See No Evil  —  If a campaign finance story is not about David Koch or Sheldon Adelson, do liberals care?  —  Consider the reaction to Kenneth Vogel's important report on the winter meeting of the Democracy Alliance, the secretive organization of progressive millionaires and billionaires …

Steve King: Democrats Will Win Over Hispanics By Giving Them ‘A Great Big Check’  —  Since President Obama's re-election and Mitt Romney's poor performance among Hispanic voters, a number of prominent conservative lawmakers and commentators have come out in favor of immigration reform.