Welcome to The Now

Well, via DU (who did this via The Huffington Post ;and can also be found on DK): Two Years Ago, John Boehner promised to be "Laser Focused on Jobs and the Economy" So what has the GOP House been up to? House Bills passed: 46 Bills on Abortion 113 Bills on Religion 73 Bills on Family Relationships 36 Bills on Marriage 72 Bills on Firearms 604 Bills on Taxation 437 Bills on Govt Investigations Bills attempted and failed to be passed even by the GOP : 33 attempts to Defund Obamacare.....Failed 15 attempts to Cut Funding for Planned Parenthood......Failed 3 Attempts to Cut Funding for VA Hospitals.......Failed. GOP blocked bills: Blocked bill to aid Small Business Blocked Unemployment extension Blocked Bank Reform Bills Blocked Campaign Finance Reform and open Contributions Law Blocked MULTIPLE Jobs Bills Blocked Infrastructure Bill Blocked Ending Tax Breaks for companies that Outsource Jobs Blocked Wall Street Reform Blocked Energy Legislation ...

According to one of his sons, he never wanted the job .

It's not hard to see why people who don't really need guns find collecting them so attractive . Shorter David Wong: get up, get out, and do something .   One easy way to test your longevity .   Cute women wearing geeky outfits . Fox News interviews Santa Claus .

Santa about to get it on with his wife. More here .

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Cultural history and laws be damned .

It seems that a lot of the perpetrators of school attacks were either on an experimental drug or suffering withdrawal from one . But for the 24-hr cable news cycle, it's easier (and less detrimental to your Big Pharma sponsors) to just classify them as nuts. Doesn't change the fact that gun control needs to be addressed, and seriously, this time.

The “ if the employees had guns, this would never had happened ” mumbo-jumbo ain’t gonna fly this time .

Ann Coulter continues to be Ann Coulter . Question: " Should Christians drink? " Mitt Romney is unexpected places is starting to become a meme. Americans are becoming too fat to serve in the military.  If you like black cinema, then these are some movies worth watching . About " Right to Work ..." Still fighting with your SO? Try this . How awesome is Adele ?  Wheat isn't what it used to be, and we should probably rethink eating so much .

FedEx overcharged their customers ? That's unpossible!!!

The animated version is even cooler.

To me, it would be a body-shape like an "S" or an hour glass. But not surprisingly, it's an adjective that's been altered and misused so much that it may not have any real meaning .

"Perhaps one day we can shrink Norquist's ego sufficiently to drown it in a bathtub." -- Eldon Lazar , on the TPM story about GOP members who are taking issue with the Grover Norquist "Don't Raise Taxes Ever" pledge .

Cool .

( pic via ) President Obama called the Tom Joyner Morning Show . The TV show Homeland may have helped the Washington Wizards . All of Taylor Swift's men (so far). Joan Rivers on Johnny Carson and being a female comedienne.  Some people can't handle a breakup . 

As "Obama" cheerfully demonstrates.

Well, everything else about the election was a fantasy for them, so why not this ?

Anne Hathaway decides to keep a health secret, and she has a good reason to do it . The Boy Scouts weren't prepared for this . Mayor Cory Booker begins his stamp food diet. Nicole Kidman on her previously broken heart . Stop me if you heard this one before : a US President warns a Middle Eastern country not to attack its own people. Sen. Jim DeMint boxes Speaker John Boehner in on the budget. I'm surprised that someone with Tim Duncan's reputation was in a photo like this ; but then again, it probably wasn't meant to go public.

While some may not like his answers, at least he's making an attempt to addressing the varying opinions people have .

This Wizards' story by Jason Reid all but says this . Sure, Grunfeld knows how to cash the checks owner Ted Leonsis is writing for him, but with a record of drafting bums, burnouts or mix-matched pieces, the guy (who's more well known for trades anyway) seems to be the anti-thesis to Leonsis' "build through the draft philosophy." Sadly, that's the only way the Wizards are gonna build a winner because free agents (still) don't want to come here.

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard and they're like, 'you're an infidel whore!!!'"  -- Miz Jenkins, responding to this Kim Kardashian/Middle East Gawker post .

( Pic via ) I'm sure Jamie Foxx is joking here . Tossing out one or two minorities isn't going to address t he GOP's race problem . What a difference marriage makes . Breakfast options .

A lot of bad guys (and probably some not-so-bad guys) are gonna die .

Here's a pretty decent breakdown of the circus that is currently Halle Berry's love life. And who knew her fiance could box ?

It's been awhile, huh? A big chunk of Massachusetts stands to loose if the "fiscal cliff" isn't addressed. These teachers are just getting naughtier and naughtier . Some people should not be parents . " I'm about $24,000 in the hole for a degree I can't use ."

I wish I was lying .

H/t to Democratic Underground .

Mitt Romney is pumping his own gas now . Wu-Tang's GZA: hip-hop aid to higher-education . Figure out what mortgage works best for you. Traci Lord makes sexy music . No; Obama is not having sex with her (although she is attractive). The Clippers are actually good this season so of course they're having problems . I wanna watch the third Blade movie all over again .

Yep; 2 this Week! One reason why Dwight Eisenhower was probably the last great legitimate Republican president . Gather the kids around because I bet they never heard of these (disturbing) "fairy tale" stories . Robert Reich says the focus should be on jobs .

From TPM: The website that refused to believe in the 2012 presidential election polling data has now spawned a website that refuses to believe in the vote count .

A dead Teddy Roosevelt beats up a bear. Why do you ask?

I don't agree with Cornel West 100% on this, but I don't 100% disagree either . I would add that he's acting more like Malcolm X than MLK in his analogy. RZA on his movie, and how his life brought him to this point .  Sweet Jesus .  Franchise actresses unite .   " The Minority Majority ."  Lose that belly fat . Lee Atwater on tape .   Learn to shake hands properly .  I'm not much of a flirt anyways.  Michael Bay may have ruined some childhood memories, but you can't say he doesn't occasionally look at the bigger picture .

This is a good start .

Bonus : Jon Stewart chimes in .

Well, the possible reasons include : Kobe doesn't want Phil Jackson to coach again. Jackson made too many demands for the Lakers' Top Brass. Mike D'Antoni's style is more fast-paced, which Kobe seems to prefer. While Jackson did deal with the egos, the plays were more or less designed by Tex Winter, who is no longer around.  D'Antoni has more to prove than Jackson. D'Antoni is cheaper than Jackson. The Lakers may have had to undergo a bigger roster change with Jackson, aka, Reason #6. Jackson only likes coming in when a team is on the brink of winning a championship, and the Lakers aren't close.

Keep these election myths handy for the next one . Which sites were they using? These are droids someone was looking for . Super Dorks . Christina Milian on her daughter and parenting.  The science of "love at first sight."  Growing up right before our eyes . Married men make more . Stacey Dash explains herself . Water art . Shell-shocked, huh ?  

The answer may surprise you .

From The Man himself : Even though preliminary estimates suggest that Democrats received somewhat more votes than Republicans in Congressional elections, the G.O.P. retains solid control of the House thanks to extreme gerrymandering by courts and Republican-controlled state governments. And Representative John Boehner, the speaker of the House, wasted no time in declaring that his party remains as intransigent as ever, utterly opposed to any rise in tax rates even as it whines about the size of the deficit. So President Obama has to make a decision, almost immediately, about how to deal with continuing Republican obstruction. How far should he go in accommodating the G.O.P.’s demands? My answer is, not far at all. Mr. Obama should hang tough, declaring himself willing, if necessary, to hold his ground even at the cost of letting his opponents inflict damage on a still-shaky economy. And this is definitely no time to negotiate a “grand bargain” on ...

"Obviously, we need Ben Affleck to direct a film starring Tom Cruise and Kristen Stewart, with soundtrack by Metallica. See how the world handles that. Jay Cutler can throw wraps to the cast at lunchtime and curse them out when they drop it." -- " Pitt The Elder ," on this Cracked.com post .

Whether they are threatening to fire their blue collar employees for voting in their best interests, or just outright saying that they'll kill the president , their voices need to be heard!

Their private bubble (where t hey had Romney winning by a landslide ) was burst in spectacular fashion . Karl Rove, Mr. " We Won Florida in 2000 Fair & Square So Get Over It Liberals " h ad a political heart attack . Mainly because he took a lot of shady money from rich Republicans and didn't deliver. RedState is reacting like they normally do , TBH. The Romney Campaign was apparently hypnotized . Here is the bottom line, GOP, as this Daily Kos diarist put it : There are not enough angry white men left, have you got that? However there are plenty of young women to keep you out of office for the foreseeable future. I would modify this to say: There are not enough angry heterosexual Christian white men left . Until you start accepting women, gays, Muslims, African-Americans, Latinos, bisexuals, Atheists and others, your tent will get smaller. Your fiscal and social philosophy needs to modify on a state-to-state level. It's not because "you...

Someone who knew Nina Simone speaks up regarding the the movie being made about her . He did try to warn us , and all he got in return was jokes about him inventing the Internet and being paranoid.   Getting Swingy With It .

The common denominator is money .

As a business major and recent MBA, I found myself signing up for many business-related websites. One of them was BusinessDictionary.com. Today, I received an email from one of their sponsors, Porter Stansberry, of Stansberry Research: Dear Reader, Most people believe the next election is all about whether or not Obama will have a second term. But it’s not. The truth is, the next election has already been decided. Obama is going to win. It’s nearly impossible to beat an incumbent president. What’s actually at stake right now is whether or not he will have a third-term. There’s a secret to understanding how we know Obama will seek a third term. There’s a secret to how he’ll garner the power to win, yet again… and keep power through 2020 – or even beyond. These things will change the political climate here and abroad. These new forces will increase the wealth of the United States and improve our standing in the world economy. But… in the process… they will also empo...

Because he had the nerve to say this about President Obama's handling of Sandy : “One thing he’s gonna be asked is, why did he jump on [the hurricane] so quickly and go back to D.C. so quickly when in…Benghazi, he went to Las Vegas? Why was this so quick?… At some point, somebody’s going to ask that question…. This is like the inverse of Benghazi.”  Really? REALLY? Go judge a horse contest*, dude. *On that note: are all people who deal with horse shows (M. Brown, M. Romney) jerks, or is this just a coincidence?

( H/t )

3D art . We've made a lot of strides since 1916 . Black churches have some political soul searching to do. Like I said earlier: he has a plan . Stop wasting your money . Something tells me that Ellen DeGeneres is not a big Taylor Swift fan. Getting a used car? Watch your nuggets .

It was wrong for Barack Obama to use his experience as Commander in Chief against Mitt Romney during the Foreign Policy debate last night...and BTW, what Obama did is nothing like how I used my military experience against him during the Foreign Policy debate in 2008 .

But nevertheless, all of Mike Bloomberg's poo-pooing to both Obama and Romney about not talking about gun safety/regulation takes a backseat to that sweet, sweet cash .

And so does Gov. Romney. The question is: whose plan is better for the country, and which candidate is more likely to see their plan through and not abandon it for political expediency?

Via TPM . Reminder: religious affiliation is not required to be president.

Best served funny . Christopher Nolan had to do a lot to make people forget the previous Movie Batman . The only reason to dress as food for Halloween.   Diaz and Paltrow: Hip-Hop blondes . 

It's not anything about the 47% or the bailouts. It's not directly directed to abortion or same-sex marriage. It's only tentatively connected to foreign policy. The question that needs to be posted to Mitt Romney is this: " During your run for Senator for Massachusetts, you claimed to be a liberal-to-moderate Republican. During this Republican Primary, you said that your were a 'severe conservative.' I believe the American people need to know for sure: are you still a conservative Republican, or are you now a moderate Republican again ?" It has to be phrased in that manner, because there are only really three responses: " I am a Conservative Republican :" This means that Romney is accountable for everything the right-wing base of his party is saying and pushing. Women's Rights, Tax Cuts for the Rich, Saber-Rattling. Follow Bill Clinton's advice and tell the public that Romney plans to re-introduce the policies of Bush/Cheney. ...

To be honest, Robert Reich speaks on it better than me.

William Saletan breaks it down .

As explained in this Daily Kos diary . Sometimes, it's better to just play Tic-Tac-Toe than try to out-chess your opponent.

Meet Sarah Hicks, whose position on slaves strangely changed after marrying a slave owner . If your are an introvert, there's jobs for you . Sometimes having better lawyers and/or a marketing team trumps being first . The Earth has a sound .  Never knew Hulk Hogan put the guy from Law & Order in a sleeper .  Look at who's paying for the presidency . Seriously; what the hell is wrong with us ?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

Daryl Hannah arrested during a protest . Don't let them bite . The Circle of Life, Urban-style . Jobless rate falls to 7.8% .

The Governor was certainly more energetic, and the President was definitely more scholarly. But went the dust settles and both MSNBC and Fox News both calm down what everyone will realize is: Mitt Romney made more disputable claims that could come back to bite him in the ass; Romney's people (sans Chris Christie) sold the media on low expectations; Romney essentially embraced his modern Republican self to survive. That last point can't be stressed enough: Mitt Romney had to all but abandon his base and the Tea Party to save himself in this debate. The next few days will be important: if he just flips tomorrow, Friday or next week and says, "I didn't mean any of that stuff I said at the debates" to a crowd of conservatives, he's up shit's creek. As it is, embracing regulations like he did is bound to piss off some conservatives once their post-debate high wears off. Obama, on the other hand, didn't really say anything that Romney or the GOP c...

Some socialism provides confidence to capitalist markets. Employers who know their help is covered by healthcare, especially if they don't pay for it directly out of their own bottom line, gain confidence.   ...Public education providing skilled workers instills confidence in employers and job creators. ...Safe streets with good cops instill confidence in investors and business owners. ...Excellent roads and bridges and transport infrastructure instill confidence in the market as a whole.   Until the 19th Century capitalists figure out that, in a world of billions of consumers, not millions, their arcane models are no longer viable, we will suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.  -- " jep07 ,"  replying to the TPM story about Wall Street's take on the presidential election.

Stay calm. Avoid the "Zinger Trap." Get specific on the economy: what it was when you got there, what your administration tried to do, what obstacles your faced and what needs to be done. Keep the "47%" attacks to the minimum. Stress your foreign policy accomplishments.

Go back to being the "better option for the economy" candidate. Don't. Use. Any. Zingers. Embrace the fact that most Americans think you're a selfish rich jerk. Ask President Obama about using drones that end up attacking innocent people. Avoid using the word "fail" when referring to the President.

But since the party can't outright dump the guy, they're doing the next best thing .