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A third option changes the negotiation — The conventional wisdom on the fiscal cliff is that there are two options: (1) an Obama-Boehner deal; or (2) no deal, in which case there is no legislation before the end of the year and we “go off the fiscal cliff.”
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Greg Mankiw's Blog and Nice Deb
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NBC/WSJ poll: Two-thirds support balanced deficit deal — As the Obama White House and Congress negotiate to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they favor a balanced deal to reduce the deficit — consisting of both higher tax rates and cuts to key entitlement programs.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, The Fix, msnbc.com and The Hill


Questions on Whether Boehner Could Sell a Deal to G.O.P. — WASHINGTON — With negotiations quickening on Tuesday to prevent a year-end fiscal crisis, White House officials once again are confronting a vexing question: Can Speaker John A. Boehner deliver enough Republican votes …

McConnell: Only thing left on the negotiating table ‘is the varnish’
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …


Democratic Budget Chief Accuses Boehner Of Stalling Fiscal Cliff Deal To Protect Speakership
Discussion:
Daily Kos

McConnell: Obama Wins The Tax Fight — Now On To The Debt Limit
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Mother Jones, American Prospect, AMERICAblog, Politico and The Plum Line

Van Hollen: Boehner May Be Waiting Till After He's Re-Elected Speaker To Cut Budget Deal
Discussion:
Washington Monthly

Republican Leadership Denies Asking For Permanent Extension Of Lower Tax Rates For Rich
Discussion:
Daily Kos

The Political Advantages of Not Caring — Near the end of a column on the Michigan “right-to-work” coup, Jonathan Chait offers an important insight on why Republicans are willing and able to pull these sort of stunts: … It's kind of important to understand that this total hostility to the labor movement …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and Mother Jones
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Labor's plan to fight back — Labor unions, stung by an unexpected setback in Michigan, where Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed a right-to-work law Tuesday limiting their ability to collect dues, are eyeing a large-scale counteroffensive against the conservative state leaders who have slashed away …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Washington Post and First Read

The Lansing-Beijing connection — China has a problem: rising inequality.
Discussion:
Eclectablog, msnbc.com, Ramona's Voices, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, PR Watch, Post Politics, FITSNews and The Fix

You have the right to not pay union dues
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Power Line, National Review, UrbanGrounds and Michigan Capitol Confidential

Battles over right-to-work laws may have just begun
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos

Jimmy Hoffa: ‘Civil war’ looms in Michigan
Discussion:
CNNMoney.com, Hot Air and The Week


Do We Really Have to Condemn the Union Protestor Who Punched Fox News Comedian Steven Crowder? — Good, serious progressives are supposed to condemn violence as a political tactic, because it's wrong and in many cases counterproductive. But do we really need to condemn the union protestor …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Vodkapundit, The Raw Story and Post Politics
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Rep. Jim Moran's Son Guilty of Beating Up His Girlfriend in Columbia Heights — Patrick Moran, the son of Democratic Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, is having a bad year. First, undercover video operative James O'Keefe caught him on tape half-heartedly discussing how to commit voter fraud …

Lie of the Year: the Romney campaign's ad on Jeeps made in China — It was a lie told in the critical state of Ohio in the final days of a close campaign — that Jeep was moving its U.S. production to China. It originated with a conservative blogger, who twisted an accurate news story into a falsehood.
Discussion:
Liberal Values, The PJ Tatler, Mediaite, The Week, msnbc.com, The Hill and Business Insider

For immediate release — Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in October suggests that economic activity and employment have continued to expand at a moderate pace in recent months, apart from weather-related disruptions. Although the unemployment rate …
Discussion:
Wonkblog, Business Insider, Hit & Run, The Big Picture, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MarketBeat, BBC and National Review


Obama Wins Almost 50% Republicans on Tax Mandate in Poll — President Barack Obama won the public argument over taxes so decisively that almost half of Republicans now say he has an election mandate to raise rates on the rich. — Majorities of about 2-to-1 also read the election results …
Discussion:
CNN, ABCNEWS, The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, Business Insider, The Hill, Taegan Goddard's …, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Gallup and First Read


Union Thugs Demolish Clint Tarver's Iconic Lansing,Michigan Hot Dog Cart [Photo-Donation Link] Update: Thugs Yelled “N*gger Uncle Tom” Update 2: Revenge For Americans For Prosperity Catering Gig (?) Update 3: A Romney Supporter, All We Need To Know — I support Clint: … Beyond the Cart: The Story of Clint Tarver:
Discussion:
Nice Deb and The PJ Tatler
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I Support Clint — LANSING, MI Accidents & Personal Crisis
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers and The Dana Show


Scientists May Have Finally Unlocked Puzzle of Why People Are Gay — Lesbians get it from fathers, gay men from mothers? — Scientists may have finally solved the puzzle of what makes a person gay, and how it is passed from parents to their children. — A group of scientists suggested Tuesday …
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch, Mediaite and Hullabaloo


Time and Punishment: Mandatory Sentences Face Growing Skepticism — TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Stephanie George and Judge Roger Vinson had quite different opinions about the lockbox seized by the police from her home in Pensacola. She insisted she had no idea that a former boyfriend had hidden it in her attic.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hit & Run and Ricochet Conversations Feed

NORAD acknowledges missile launch — PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - North American Aerospace Defense Command officials acknowledged today that U.S. missile warning systems detected and tracked the launch of a North Korean missile at 7:49 p.m. EST. The missile was tracked on a southerly azimuth.
Discussion:
Reuters, Gawker, Politico, WorldViews, Nature, The Heritage Foundation, New York Times, The Verge, BBC and Wired
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North Korea Launches Rocket, Satellite Successfully ‘in Orbit’
Discussion:
Wired, The Atlantic Online, WorldViews, Weekly Standard, Guardian, Gawker and The Heritage Foundation

North Koreans Launch Rocket in Defiant Act
Discussion:
CNN, NK News, The Lede, The Week, Taylor Marsh and The Agonist


Lindsey Graham Compares Marriage Equality Debate To The Civil War — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) waffled on his same-sex marriage stance Tuesday night, telling CNN's Piers Morgan he thinks states should have the right to decide marriage rights. — This is a departure from Graham's longstanding commitment …
Discussion:
The National Memo, Towleroad News #gay and Dependable Renegade
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How Can the Supreme Court Help Gay Rights? By Keeping Out Entirely
Discussion:
Hit & Run and The Daily Dish


Key David Cameron aide Craig Oliver threatens Telegraph over Leveson — David Cameron's director of communications warned the Daily Telegraph that Maria Miller was “looking at Leveson” after being asked questions about her expense claims. — In a phone call to the editor of this newspaper …
Discussion:
Guardian and BBC, more at Mediagazer »
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Jimmy Carter: 'I think it's OK' to legalize marijuana — Former President Jimmy Carter said that he favored legalizing marijuana during a panel discussion broadcast on CNN Tuesday. — “I'm in favor of it. I think it's OK,” Carter said at the forum, which was taped Friday.
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The Hispanic Challenge and Opportunity for Republicans — Resurgent Republic and the Hispanic Leadership Network jointly surveyed Hispanics who voted in the 2012 Presidential election in four critical states: Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. The results make clear the size …
Discussion:
Business Insider, PostPartisan and National Review


The Cliff Hangs on the Fed: Why Ben Bernanke Controls the Economy's Fate — The liberal nightmare about the fiscal cliff is overwrought, since the Fed has the power to avert disaster. If Bernanke acts properly, Congress could cut spending deeply without risking a recession. — Reuters