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1.) Liberals run wild — If you dare think of allowing people to work without joining a union, as what’s going on in Michigan with a right-to-work bill that was passed by the Michigan legislature Tuesday, get ready for some violent protests. But the governor is little concerned with the protesters, reports TheDC’s Patrick Howley reports:
“In an exclusive phone interview with The Daily Caller on Tuesday, Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder confirmed he will sign his state’s right-to-work bill as soon as it crosses his desk, and emphasized that he’s not too bothered by the violent union protests against the legislation. ‘It’s been a busy day here,’ Snyder laughed, sounding calm amid union-backed demonstrations outside the Michigan State Capitol Building in Lansing. ‘My intention is to sign the bill when it gets to my desk, either today or tomorrow, and then we can move forward and talk about the bill covering private-sector workers,’ Snyder said.”
Among other things, the union protesters opposing the bill reportedly ripped down a tent by the conservative organization Americans For Prosperity and punched conservative commentator Steven Crowder in the face. Real classy. If tea party members did this, MSNBC would be at DEFCON 1* with their coverage. But since it is liberals attacking conservatives, you can imagine the coverage was a bit less comprehensive. Once again we are forced to face the fact that while the media never misses an opportunity to decry fictional conservative violence from the tea party, actual violence from liberal unions or Occupy Wall Street is buried or dismissed as not particularly newsworthy on a regular basis.
2.) Jindal looks like he is in it — It’s outrageously early to be talking about the 2016 presidential race, but sometimes you are just forced to. TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:
“The speech Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivered Tuesday at the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center for Education was unquestionably a speech about education policy. But Jindal, who is widely seen as a potential front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, also used the speech to hint at his own vision for the future of the Republican Party. Like two other likely top 2016 contenders, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who each delivered a major policy address in Washington, D.C. in recent days, Jindal discussed the importance of keeping the American Dream alive for everyone.”
If Jindal, Rubio and Ryan enter the race, the Republicans’ most impressive candidates will be a youthful bunch. Both Rubio and Jindal are currently 41, while Ryan is currently 42.
3.) Is Harry Reid senile? — TheDC’s Nicholas Ballasy reports:
“Responding to a question from The Daily Caller, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid avoided discussing the specifics of President Barack Obama’s fiscal cliff proposal, jokingly claiming not to be aware of the plan during a Tuesday news conference. Instead, Reid asked TheDC to detail what is in the White House plan.”
It’s hard to understand what the point of Reid’s shtick was yesterday. TheDC Morning will just assume he is senile. But do watch the video for some entertainment.
4.) Poll confirms Mitt Romney’s election analysis — After he lost the presidential election, Mitt Romney was criticized for saying that President Obama won because he promised “gifts” to voters. A new poll seems to back him up. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:
“New polling out this week reveals that most voters believe Santa Claus is a Democrat. Public Policy Polling ‘new holiday season poll’ found that 44 percent of respondents said they believe Santa is a Democrat, compared to 28 percent who think he is a Republican, and 28 percent who are unsure. … Furthermore, 52 percent of Americans said they believe Santa exists, while 45 percent said they did not believe he is real.”
Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus exists. His name is Barack Obama. In fairness, some of the critiques against Romney’s comments were serious and solid. But it is also true that Romney probably wasn’t entirely wrong in substance.
5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Michael Goldfarb: I never knew unions were so anti-tent.
6.) Today in North Korean News — BREAKING: “Nigerian Delegations Flies Back”
*Correction: DEFCON 5 was changed to DEFCON 1, the highest state of defense readiness.