“I really don’t believe that’s something I will do again.”
— Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an interview with ABC News, once again downplaying speculation that she’ll run for president in 2016.
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Fiscal Cliff Talks May Extend Past Christmas
House Republican leaders warned their members they may have to return to Washington after Christmas, claiming that “serious differences” remained in negotiations to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” according to The Hill.
Meanwhile, TPM reports that Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) thinks House Speaker John Boehner may be waiting until he’s re-elected Speaker when he’ll have greater flexibility to cut a deal.
Said Van Hollen: “I’m getting increasingly concerned that one of the reasons the Speaker is deciding to, I think, string out these discussions is that he wants to wait til January 3 when the election for Speaker takes place and he’s concerned that any agreement he reaches if it violated the so-called Hastert Rule could undermine support for him in his caucus and make it more difficult on January 3.”
Lie of the Year
Politifact gives the award to Mitt Romney.
“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. Then it picked up steam when the Drudge Report
ran with it. Even though Jeep’s parent company gave a quick and clear
denial, Mitt Romney repeated it and his campaign turned it into a TV ad.”
“And they stood by the claim, even as the media and the public expressed
collective outrage against something so obviously false.”
What’s Next for Labor in Michigan?
Organized labor and its allies essentially have two options to overturn the state’s new “right-to-work” law signed yesterday by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R).
First Read: “First, they have filed legal actions charging that the process violated the state’s Open Meetings Act… Second, critics say they could overturn it by passing a voter-initiated law, which would require getting 258,000 signatures to get on the ballot. And, of course, there’s 2014, when Snyder is up for re-election.”
Fox News: Snyder braces for union backlash.
Romney Spent More on Ads But Got Less
Washington Post: “Obama and his allies spent less on advertising than Romney and his allies but got far more — in the number of ads broadcast, in visibility in key markets and in targeting critical demographic groups, such as the working class and younger voters in swing states. As the presidential race entered its final, furious phase, for example, millions of college football fans tuning in to televised games saw repeated ads for Obama but relatively few from the Romney campaign.”
Esquire: Republicans still can’t grasp why they lost.
Jackson’s Wife Will Not Run
Sandi Jackson, wife of recently resigned Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr (D-IL), told the Chicago Tribune that she will not run for her husband’s former seat.
Said Jackson: “No. I am not a candidate for Congress. I intend to remain an alderman.”
Jackson also said “she is undecided about whether to move back to Chicago full time from Washington, where she said her husband currently is staying with the couple’s children while continuing to see his doctors regularly.”
Ron Paul Hits Speaking Circuit
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) “will follow the well-trod path of hitting the paid speaking circuit after his retirement from Congress — and will charge $50,000 per appearance,” BuzzFeed has learned.
“Paul’s rate puts him about in the middle of the field for former politicians. He’s making more than John Huntsman, Mike Huckabee, and Joe Scarborough, but much less than Al Gore and Arnold Schwarzenegger, each of whom command six-figure fees.”
Diplomats Who Freed Kosovo Return as Entrepreneurs
The New York Times reports that “so many former American officials have returned to Kosovo for business — in coal and telecommunications, or for lobbying and other lucrative government contracts — that it is hard to keep them from colliding.”
“Kosovo is not the only nation where former officials have returned to
conduct business — Iraq is another example — but it presents an extreme
case, and perhaps a special ethical quandary, given the outsize American
influence here. Pristina, the capital, may be the only city in the
world where Bob Dole Street intersects Bill Clinton Boulevard.”
Quote of the Day
“I don’t think you can draw any quick conclusions other than the fact that we lost and we know that.”
— RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, in an interview on CNN, saying it’s necessary “to a full autopsy of what happened.”
Bristol Palin Reality Show Received State Subsidies
The company that made Bristol Palin’s reality TV show about raising her child has collected a $354,348 subsidy from the state of California, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.
Obama Approach Favored in Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds President Obama holds a substantial advantage over House Speaker John Boehner in handling budget negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff: Nearly twice as many Americans approve of the president’s work on the issue so far as favor the speaker’s approach.
Meanwhile, a new Bloomberg poll finds Obama has 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.
Can Boehner Round Up the Votes for a Deal?
New York Times: “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 Boehner deliver enough Republican votes for whatever deficit-reduction plan he and President Obama might decide?”
“Eighteen months ago the White House was forced to answer in the negative after secret negotiations between the two leaders collapsed once word leaked of their tentative deal, with its proposed revenue increases. But once again, Mr. Obama must put his fate in Mr. Boehner’s hands on the issue that will help define the president’s second term, and his legacy.”
Obama Approval Jumps to Highest in Three Years
A new Bloomberg poll finds President Obama’s job approval has strengthened to 53%. The last time he enjoyed that level of public backing was December 2009, when his job approval was 54%.
Cuomo Approval Hits Another High
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York finds Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) with a stunning 74% to 13% approval rating, his highest score ever and continuing his six-month string of 70+ percent ratings.
His approval is 68% to 18% among Republicans, 82% to 9% among Democrats and 70% to 12% among independent voters.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m pretty confident that Republicans would not hold middle class taxes
hostage to trying to protect tax cuts for high-income individuals.”
— President Obama, in an interview with ABC News, on the fiscal cliff negotiations.
Double Down
Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, who wrote the best seller Game Change, about the 2008 presidential campaign, will publish a book about the just-concluded election under the title Double Down: Game Change 2012, the New York Times reports.
The book will be out in fall 2013.
White House Will Include Corporate Taxes in Deal
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner “spoke by phone after exchanging new proposals to avert the ‘fiscal cliff’ as negotiations intensified ahead of the end-of-year deadline,” Reuters reports.
“The conversation and exchange of counteroffers over the last two days are the latest sign of possible progress in efforts to avert the automatic steep tax hikes and spending cuts set for January 1 unless Congress intervenes.”
Meanwhile, the the Wall Street Journal says the White House has told Republicans “it would include an overhaul of the corporate-tax code as part of any deal to reduce the deficit, people familiar with the talks said, putting a major priority for business groups on the table as part of the intensifying negotiations.”
Michigan Governor Signs Anti-Union Law
Without ceremony, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said he signed two bills tonight making Michigan the nation’s 24th right-to-work state, the Detroit News reports.
