FROM THE BLOGS:
 
Ronald Reagan and what I got wrong
Redstate’s Erick Erickson predicts that for the next decade, the Republican politician will embody the ideals and policies of Ronald Reagan.

Rich people complain that fiscal cliff could force them to pay slightly higher taxes
Think Progress’s Aviva Shen says that high-net-worth individuals will not be affected by the "fiscal cliff," but insist on complaining about higher tax rates under President Obama’s plan.

Immigrants against empire
The American Conservative’s Scott McConnell argues that America’s anti-war views can help the right make peace with multiculturalism.

Nineteen percent of Congress is female. Why not half?
Mother Jones’s Kate Sheppard explains the social and cultural reasons for why the gender gap is so wide in Congress. 

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
 
Tax fight freezes defense industry out of negotiations over ‘fiscal cliff’
Defense firms desperately want to prevent the $500 billion worth of sequestration cuts, but they’re finding themselves sidelined to the issue of taxes, reports Jeremy Herb. 

 
Rep. West concedes House race to Murphy
Allen West concedes to Murphy after pressing officials for a recount since Election Day, reports Meghashyam Mali.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Big banks vs. Elizabeth Warren: It’s on (again!)
At Mother Jones, Andy Kroll reports that the fight between Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and big banks has heated up amid suggestions that she will be nominated to the Senate Banking Committee.

Obama repeatedly mispronounces Aung San Suu Kyi
During a visit to Burma, President Obama repeatedly mispronounced the name of the former political prisoner who led the struggle for a free Burma, reports Keith Koffler on White House Dossier.

Marco Rubio flirts with Creationism, says he’s unsure how old the Earth is
According to Zach Beauchamp on Think Progress, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) does not know how old the Earth is.

McCain: Why not send Bill Clinton to the Middle East?
On HotAir, Ed Morrissey suggests that John McCain was right to say that former President Clinton should serve as moderator in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

97 Republicans sign letter urging Obama to avoid Rice nod for State
Almost a hundred House GOP members stepped forward to warn President Obama against nominating Susan Rice as secretary of State, The Hill’s Pete Kasperowicz reports.

McCarthy sees possible Obama, Pelosi split on ‘fiscal cliff’ framework
According to Justin Sink of The Hill, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) predicts that President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will be divided on tax reform.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Is North Africa the new ground zero in the war on terror?
Breitbart.com's Awr Hawkins predicts North Africa will become a haven for terrorist groups.

Getting cautious amid the 'fiscal cliff' uncertainty
RedState’s Chris Versace contends that with the presidential elections over, the primary political factor causing the stock market to fluctuate will be the prospect of a "fiscal cliff" deal.

Why did same-sex marriage opponents lose all four referenda?
Slate’s William Saletan gives a play-by-play of the excuses that opponents against same-sex marriages made for losing all four measures on the November ballot.

The usual suspects who will benefit from gutting ObamaCare now want you to worry about ‘disruption’
The Huffington Post’s Wendell Porter argues that the motivation behind the health insurance industry's ObamaCare scare tactics is to prevent any disruption in profits.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:



With election loss still fresh, GOP struggles to unite on path forward
After disappointing losses in 2012, the Republican Party stands indecisive over the next steps to take, reports The Hill's Niall Stanage. 

World Bank report warns of 'devastating' global warming
A new World Bank report predicts a major temperature rise in 2100 that would bring unprecedented heatwaves, droughts and floods, according to The Hill's Ben Geman.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Papa John’s ObamaCare idiocy
Because of his promise to cut back employee hours if the Obama administration's healthcare law is not repealed, Prachi Gupta of Salon argues that Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter is "gunning for Chick-Fil-A’s 'most heartless fast-food chain' title."

Obama's EPA continues handouts for rich ethanol farmers on the backs of consumers
Mitt Romney's loss can be attributed to a lack of communication within the Republican Party as exit polls reveal what GOP voters really cared about this election, says Red State's Daniel Horowicz.

Republicans decide their ideas aren’t the problem
According to Jed Lewison on Daily Kos, Republican leaders have concluded that the GOP lost the election not because of unpopular ideologies, but rather, because of poor campaign strategies.

'Fiscal cliff' negotiations are akin to a Thelma and Louise trilogy
The budget policy debate has evolved from a simple horror movie to a movie with a series of unsatisfying sequels, according to Hot Air's Ed Morissey.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Rep. DesJarlais has no plans to resign
Despite recent scandal surrounding Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), he has indicated that he has no intentions of resigning and plans to focus on the issues he was reelecetd to solve, reports The Hill's Alexandra Jaffe.

Petraeus tells lawmakers that CIA always saw Benghazi as terrorism
Jeremy Herb and Jordy Yager of The Hill report that Former CIA Director David Petraeus told lawmakers that the CIA always believed the Benghazi assault was a terrorist attack.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Having solved all other problems, Rahm Emanuel begins crusade for healthier vending machines
Despite the pressing crime issues that currently plague Chicago, Doug Powers on Michelle Malkin’s blog reports that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has started a campaign against unhealthy vending machines.

Republicans after 'gifts' comment: Get off the stage, Mitt
According to Benjy Sarlin and Evan McMorris-Santoro of Talking Points Memo, Republicans have come together to silence Mitt Romney after his “gifts” comment.

Unlike conservative, MSM reporter applauded for WH outburst
In contrast to the conservative White House reporter who was chastised in June for speaking out of turn, Keith Koffler of White House Dossier reports that a MSM reporter was applauded for his interruption.

The ultimate guide to McCain’s smear campaign against Susan Rice
On Think Progress, Ben Armbruster argues that Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) assault on Susan Rice is unwarranted.


OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

BP, US reach $4.5B settlement for Gulf spill
The Hill’s Ben Geman reports that BP and the U.S. government have reached a $4.5 billion settlement to resolve criminal and securities claims over the 2010 well blowout.

Clinton to testify on Benghazi attack
According to Julian Pecquet of The Hill, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify about the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

FROM THE BLOGS:

In press gaggle, White House press secretary rejects tax compromise
White House press secretary Jay Carney warned that President Obama won't sign off on a deficit-reduction plan that does not include tax increases on the wealthiest Americans, according to Neil Munro of The Daily Caller.

Republicans desperately need a scandal
On Mother Jones, Kevin Drum writes that Republicans are frustrated by the fact that Obama avoided a major scandal in his first term.

Unions may kill off the Twinkie
Breitbart.com’s Tony Lee reports that Hostess Brands, Inc. could have to file for bankruptcy if union workers continue to strike.

Republicans make their priorities clear by continuing to block Violence Against Women Act
According to Laura Clawson on Daily Kos, the GOP’s continued rejection of the Violence Against Women Act proves that the party has not changed its stance on women's rights.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Petraeus: CIA exit not tied to Libya
Jeremy Herb and Jordy Yager of The Hill report that former CIA Director David Petraeus claimed that his resignation had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Rep. DesJarlais divorce records confirm affairs, his support of abortions
According to The Hill’s Alicia M. Cohn Rep. Scott DesJarlais's (R-Tenn.) divorce records confirm previous reports that the former doctor had sexual relationships with patients.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Can we replace John Boehner with Paul Ryan?
Paul Ryan might be the better candidate to represent Republicans, as Speaker Boehner has consistently gone behind his party’s back, says Erick Erickson of Red State.

The President asked us to push him: Here’s a to-do list

After much post-election dialogue revolving around the faults of the Republican Party, it's time to start focusing on President Obama and how he’s going to fulfill all the promises he made, says Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post.

The Dubya list
According to The American Conservative’s Rod Dreher, conservative pundits and political figures who said too much during the election season should follow in the footsteps of George W. Bush and make a quick and silent exit.

Bill O’Reilly channels Glenn Beck
According to Salon’s Joan Walsh, history is repeating itself on Fox News, as host Bill O’Reilly continues to hold on, following the election, to the hare-brained assertions he’s made about the left.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Senate Democrats say deficit package must include stimulus

With the fiscal cliff looming, Democrats are confident in negotiations across the aisle and word is they are planning to push for stimulus in the deficit-reduction package, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.

Obama defends FBI on Petraeus
After accepting Gen. Petraeus’s resignation last week, Obama said in his first post-election press conference that it wasn’t the job of the White House to "meddle" in FBI investigations.

FROM THE BLOGS:

After Obama win, calls for secession pour in (again)
President Obama’s victory last week has outraged some citizens and apparently leaving them with no other option but to secede, says Mother Jones’ Asawin Suebsaeng.

Yep: Eric Holder to stay on as Obama’s attorney general
The White House is failing to learn from their mistakes as Obama announces he is holding onto attorney general Eric Holder, and ambassador Susan Rice, according to Hot Air’s Erika Johnsen.

The Petreaus affair becomes an episode of 'Scandal'
According to Slate’s Aisha Harris, the controversy surrounding General Petreaus has reached cinematic proportions, worthy of a soap opera.

Obama press conference provides stonewalls on Benghazi and Petreaus
After five months since his last press conference, Obama came out today avoiding the questions reporters threw at him, and failed to give specifics on raising taxes, according to Breitbart’s Ben Shapiro.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama plans to meet with Romney soon
In an effort to show bipartisanship, Obama is planning to meet with Gov. Romney before the end of the year and confer ideas, reports The Hill’s Justin Sink.

Paul rips big government in farewell
After 23 years in office, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) gave a farewell speech on the House floor, where he took the opportunity to criticize big government and talk about the ‘morality crisis’ facing the U.S., reports The Hill’s Pete Kasperowicz.

FROM THE BLOGS:


Lindsey Graham poised to sell out to Chuck Schumer on immigration reform
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is likely to sell out Republicans on immigration reform, writes Paul Mirengoff at the Powerline blog.

Rich idiots and the Republican gigolos
RedState.com’s Erick Erickson says a lot of Republican donors are "idiots" who got played in the last election.

The end of the right-wing coalition and where we go from here
Daily Kos’s Nathan Newman writes that the conservative movement is quickly losing ground and will die off with policies.

The sort of tone-deaf immigration rant that kills conservatives
The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf argues it’s not unusual to hear stances on illegal immigration from the right discussed in a way that makes them seem ignorant.  

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:


Key advisers poised to leave team Obama in second term
With his reelection secured, President Obama is set to lose some members in his inner circle, including advisers David Plouffe and David Axelrod, report The Hill's Amie Parnes and Niall Stanage. 

Rick Perry opposes secession of Texas
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) expressed his disapproval of a petition that called for Texas’s secession from the union, reports The Hill's Alicia Cohn.