Republicans not handling election results well  —  PPP's first post election national poll finds that Republicans are taking the results pretty hard...and also declining in numbers.  —  49% of GOP voters nationally say they think that ACORN stole the election for President Obama.

Fox News Puts Karl Rove on the Bench  —  The post-election soul searching going on inside the Republican Party is taking place inside Fox News as well.  Fox News chief Roger Ailes, a canny marketer and protector of his network's brand, has been taking steps since November to reposition Fox …

Bob Costas explains why he made gun commentary at halftime of Sunday night game  —  NBC's Bob Costas joined the show to talk about his comments on the Jevon Belcher tragedy and more.  —  Costas explained why he chose to make a statement on gun control at halftime of Sunday night's Eagles-Cowboys game.

Lack of rank-and-file House GOP backlash hints at softening on taxes  —  Republicans appeared Tuesday to be moving reluctantly toward a debt deal that would increase revenues, one day after Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) offered up $800 billion in tax collection in the fiscal-cliff negotiations.

How Unhinged Rhetoric Sank a Disabilities Rights Treaty in the Senate  —  The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities failed to capture the 2/3 vote needed for ratification in the U.S. Senate today due to fierce Republican opposition.  Many Republicans and their allies …

Dick Armey, FreedomWorks president clashed over book deal  —  Dick Armey left the deep-pocketed tea party group he helped build over a clash with a top lieutenant who Armey and others in the organization believed was using the group's resources to pad his pockets, POLITICO has learned.

47% Of People Think The Deficit Would INCREASE If We Go Over The Fiscal Cliff  —  As the Fiscal Cliff fight rages on, both sides are using the media to position themselves as being serious and reasonable.  —  One big factor is that for all the hype about the issue, very few people really understand what The Fiscal Cliff actually is..

Ryan, Rubio Distance Themselves From Romney, Call For GOP Focus On Those “Struggling”  —  Potential 2016 candidates make a move.  —  Image by Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP  —  WASHINGTON — In their most substantive remarks since the presidential election, former Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan …

Adelson to Keep Betting on the GOP  —  LAS VEGAS—After spending more than $100 million mostly on losing Republican election campaigns this year, casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson said he planned to stay in the game and double down on his political donations.

Pennsylvania Step May Help Republicans Win Electoral Vote  —  A Pennsylvania lawmaker's plan to divvy up electoral votes based on a presidential candidate's public support may be just the first of many state legislative moves to alter the way the nation chooses a leader.

Gorman Skips Business, Jain Likes Faulks: Best Books of 2012  —  What books have high-profile readers been enjoying this year?  —  We asked chief executive officers, policy makers, investors, economists, academics and authors to tell us their favorites.  Most chose new titles …

Arizona senators don't know Gov. Jan Brewer's whereabouts  —  Arizona Sens. John McCain (R) and Jon Kyl (R) said Tuesday they have no idea where Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) is.  —  “No, everybody keeps asking me that,” Kyl told The Hill.  “I didn't know she was missing.”  —  McCain answered similarly.

U.S. sailed off the ‘fiscal cliff’ long ago  —  We created Fedzilla; now it's time to kill it  —  Only a Fedzillacrat could possibly think raising taxes on the wealthy could accomplish anything toward restoring sanity in the financial insane asylum known as our federal government.

Mitt Romney Hits Costco — Buys Toy Car (Manufactured in China)  —  HITS COSTCO  —  Buys Toy Car (Manufactured in China)  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Mitt Romney went on MASSIVE (and fiscally responsible) shopping spree at a Costco near his home in La Jolla, CA this week ... stocking up on all sorts of goods …

MSNBC Hosts Visit Obama  —  Ed Schultz, Rachel Maddow, Al Sharpton, and Lawrence O'Donnell all spotted entering the West Wing.  —  WASHINGTON — MSNBC's prime time line-up was spotted entering the West Wing Tuesday afternoon for what host Ed Schultz tweeted was a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Deoband seminary issues fatwa against Muslim female receptionists  —  MUZAFFARNAGAR: India's leading Islamic seminary, the Darul Uloom Deoband, has barred Muslim women from working as receptionists, calling the act un-Islamic and against Shariah law, said a reported published on Tuesday.