National

...that is to say, the ones who brought in the least money relative to what they were paid to be in a movie. Nichalas Cage? Yep. Adam Sandler? Of course. Here's the full top ten according to Forbes:

Carney signs petition to force vote on extension of middle-class tax cuts WASHINGTON — Congressman John Carney (D-DE) today signed a discharge petition, which if signed by 218 members would…

If some future civilization studies us, and wonders how Republicans stayed relevant in spite of the fact that their policies continuously failed, and proposals were roundly hated - I hope some unearths this exchange. ...

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 154. John C. Carney Delaware At Large

The GOP's voter suppression efforts backfired spectacularly. They "flipped a switch with the African American vote," Chanelle Hardy, a vice president at the National Urban League said, rekindling whatever enthusiasm had waned after 2008’s historic Obama win.

“We’d been struggling for many years in our communities with how we make the argument that our parents and grandparents had handed down to us: ‘you must vote, because people fought and died for you to have the right to vote.’ It starts to become a little less motivating the further away you get away from those really visceral memories of what it took to get to the polls,” Hardy said. “But then you bring back a 35 state assault on our ability to vote and it starts getting really reminiscent. All of the things our parents were telling us and our grandparents were telling us become visceral to a new generation.”

Dear potential Democratic candidates for president in 2016, Before you start attending a steak fry, working the Sunday shows, calling fundraisers, hiring consultants, and forming leadership PACs and all that, let me make a suggestion: See that lady in the picture up there? That lady ought to be Speaker of the House. She busts her ass for this party. If you want to lead this party, I suggest you do some serious heavy lifting to make said lady Speaker of the House. That should be the test for any potential nominee. How hard will you work to retake the House? Barack Obama did his duty from 2005 to 2006. He traveled far and wide into every corner of the country from Congressional races to Senate races. All in the service of making a strong House majority, he did his duty. Now the President will have to turn his attentions abroad in the closing years of his term, with the overall goal of passing on to his successor a country that is prosperous and peaceful. That means the onus on winning back the majority is on you…the pretenders. Who is going to get out there for the next two years and work the hardest for Democrats? Better be you.

Nancy Pelosi. Giving no quarter as the petition is filed. For my money, this woman is not involved enough in the business of congressional governing. Do I have to say more? You can see progress on who has signed this petition here. I presume that they will refresh that list as Representatives sign on. You can see her introduce this here:

Is there a deal in sight? First Read: "While the two proposals seem far apart -- and they are -- look at them when you split the difference between the two. You get $1.2 trillion in revenue and about $450 to $500 billion in savings to Medicare and Medicaid. And then say you throw in some stimulus for the Democrats (unemployment insurance, transportation spending), as well as the cost-of-living adjustments on Social Security for Republicans. That sounds like a pretty serious deal that both sides could live with, though it would look more like a "win" for the White House. Of course, Republicans would have to relent (in some form or fashion) on rates going up, while Democrats would have to acquiesce (one way or another) on the Social Security." David Brooks: "Republicans have to realize that they are going to cave on tax rates. The only question is what they get in return. What they should demand is this: That the year 2013 will be spent putting together a pro-growth tax and entitlement reform package that will put this country on a sound financial footing through 2040." Both Chuck Todd and David Brooks say that the Republicans will have to cave and surrender on the tax rates going up. There is universal agreement from every serious person about that fact. But only one Republican, Congressman Tom Cole, has dared to recognize that fact, and he was treated like a traitor. Indeed, Boehner is already getting a conservative backlash against the "counteroffer" he made to President Obama, as if it was wrong to even make any counter offer to the President. Boehner has to be the weakest and most ineffectual Speaker in the history of the United States.