Republicans

Going past midnight happens elsewhere, especially at the end of sessions or as other deadlines loom. But the Wisconsin Assembly routinely pushes debates and votes on contentious bills into the wee hours, when only lobbyists and the cleaning crew are left in the building.

If New Year's Day arrives without a deal, the nation shouldn't plunge onto the shoals of recession immediately. There still might be time to engineer a soft landing. So long as lawmakers and the president appear to be working toward agreement, the tax hikes and spending cuts could mostly be held at bay for a few weeks. Then they could be retroactively repealed once a deal was reached.

In Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, Republican Sen. John Barrasso has an irate oped intended to rally the public against Democratic proposals to end filibuster abuse. But in his tirade he neglects to mention one important fact: the Democratic proposals still allow minority filibusters.

The Senate opened debate on the aid measure seven weeks after the storm swept up the East Coast, causing extensive damage in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and killing more than 120 people. Several Republicans say they're sympathetic to Sandy victims, but they favor a smaller aid package for the moment and suggest cutting other federal programs to pay for parts of it.

Professional wrestler Eric Hartsburg of Indiana proudly displayed his face ink leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election. When the Republican ticket lost, he looked at the man in the mirror and decided it was time to make a change.

Cliff Schecter joined Sam Seder on Friday to talk about a number of topics. However, Sam's sweater vest wearing reminded Cliff of Rick Santorum and the two had to discuss the Republicans voting against the U.N disabilities treaty.

If Republicans want to know what future they have to look forward to, all they have to do is see what has happened to them in California.

Those of you betting that "Michele Bachmann's national influence is over, post-election:" you guys scored big today.

John Boehner has presented his fiscal cliff proposal. Democrats are mocking it. Obama has called it "out of balance."

Some details of the just completed election, both here in Colorado and in other swing states, have gotten lost among the cheers of a progressive mandate, the whines of Republican obstructionists, and the phony cries of crisis over the contrived "fiscal cliff".