“I don't think they ought to rule it out,” Durbin says. But they did anyway.

Image by Joshua Roberts / Reuters

WASHINGTON — On the same day the White House ruled out using the 14th Amendment to raise the federal debt limit, a Democratic senator said that tack should be reserved as "an option."

"I don't think they ought to rule it out," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told reporters Thursday.

The 14th Amendment asserts that "the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law... shall not be questioned." Some have argued that the president could use this as justification to unilaterally raise the debt limit, though it's unclear whether courts would consider such a move constitutional.

The debt ceiling was the focus of some debate in the Senate earlier Thursday, when Republicans tried to force a vote on the president's plan to take away Congress' authority to raise the debt limit. Republicans retreated when it became clear Democrats would vote in favor of the measure.

"What this shows is that Republicans are getting flummoxed and throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks," said Sen. Chuck Schumer.

But Schumer said he doesn't think the White House will need to use its constitutional authority to bypass Congress.

"Better if Congress actually just raises it and takes that off the table, and that's what's going to happen," Schumer said.

The non-agression pact is over.

Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Jim DeMint's departure from the Senate for the Heritage Foundation will put an end to a key promise the confrontational conservative made his peers: Not to attack incumbent senators.

In fact, Senate Republicans up for reelection in 2014 who have tangled with the South Carolina senator may do well to start looking over their shoulders. The South Carolina lawmaker is one of the most popular politicians in the Tea Party movement, which in many ways has mirrored his fiscally and socially minded brand of modern conservatism. Like the Tea Party, DeMint often relishes acting as thorn in the side of leadership, and he became famous for throwing often random seeming monkey wrenches into the legislative process over spending levels.

A vocal opponent of comprehensive immigration reform, DeMint has consistently argued the party needs to become more conservative and ideologically pure if it is to have lasting electoral successes — a message, while popular with activists, runs counter to the conventional wisdom amongst establishment Republicans.

And with the party struggling to find its identity in the wake November’s defeat — including a disastrous run on the Senate — that fight, and DeMint’s place in it, will remain front and center.

DeMint has been silent on how public of a role he’ll play in electoral politics over the next two years, and its unclear whether his new position at Heritage, a not-for-profit organization that is barred from playing in politics, will limit his ability to openly push for candidates.

Nevertheless, DeMint’s departure means he could play a pivotal role in the 2014 mid-term elections — either as a conservative kingmaker or as a spoiler who backs ideological pure but fundamentally unelectable candidates, as he did in 2010 with Christine O’Donnell.

And unlike the last two cycles, when DeMint’s activities were constrained by his promise not to target colleagues in primary races, he will be free in the coming months to pick and groom primary opponents to incumbents in the Senate.

Of the members up for election in 2014, six stand out as potential targets for DeMint.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

There’s no love lost between DeMint and the top Republican in the Senate. The two have repeatedly clashed over policy positions McConnell has sought to push, as well as the broader direction of the conference and Republican Party.

As a result, McConnell has kept a short leash on DeMint — and he hasn’t been afraid to snap it on occasion. For instance, several years ago DeMint mounted an unsuccessful effort reform a host of committee seniority and leadership rules. Although popular with conservatives, McConnell was adamantly opposed to them. When, during a closed door meeting of the conference it became clear that he would lose his bid, DeMint sought to withdraw his proposals.

But McConnell refused — and forced a series of painful, embarrassing votes defeating the reforms.

Given his already significant unpopularity with conservative activists like Eric Erikson at redstate.com, McConnell was already facing at best thinly concealed hostility from conservatives in his upcoming re-election bid. And while he’s likely not in real danger from a primary challenge — or a general election Democratic opponent — DeMint has never been one to give up on a lost cause.

Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images

Sen. Lindsey Graham

They talk a good game about how much they like and respect one another, but relations between DeMint and Graham have been strained since the former arrived in the Senate in 2004.

Although Graham is on the whole very conservative politically, he also has a pragmatic streak. He worked with then Sen. Hillary Clinton on legislation early on during the Bush administration, a decision that resulted in significant grief from conservatives and anti-Clinton forces.

He’s also demonstrated a willingness to address issues like climate change, which are anathema to conservatives, and he backed both of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court picks on the grounds that the president should be allowed to pick his own people, even if they are liberal.

DeMint had indicated he would back Graham during his 2014 reelection against any primary foes, although it was unclear whether he would do anything to dissuade his ally Rep. Mick Mulvaney from running a primary challenge.

Graham is also one of the right’s top targets for the 2014 primary season and there’s sure to be significant amounts of money flowing into the state, and without a hamstrung DeMint in the Senate giving him cover, he could be overwhelmed by that even if his colleague doesn’t actively target him.

Image by Mark Wilson / Getty Images

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“It is time for us to be ready for any eventuality, including the option of military intervention,” McCain says. Lawmakers concur with the president's “red line.”

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators warned Thursday against Syria using chemical or biological weapons against its people, and backed the administration's statement that such actions would cross a "red line."

"It is time for us to be ready for any eventuality, including the option of military intervention," Sen. John McCain, a Republican, told reporters.

McCain was joined at a press conference by Sens. Joe Lieberman, Lindsay Graham and Chris Coons, who affirmed their support for the president's strong stance, and indicated that the larger Senate shares in that sentiment.

"This is not an easy thing, to get consensus in the U.S. Senate on virtually anything," Coons, a Democrat, said.

The group of senators warned that should Syrian President Bashar al-Assad use weapons of mass destruction against his people, the United States would forcibly end his regime.

"That's what unites us: If al-Assad uses biological or chemical weapons on his people… We're saying that we're with you, Mr. President (Obama), to use military action and basically end the Assad regime."

"He's going to go," Graham echoed, referring to al-Assad. "He's going to go feet first or he's going to leave on his own, but he's going to go."

"Red lines are often talked about, but the red line here literally is red," Graham said. "The line we're crossing is, more than 40,000 people have died."

“Obviously, US passage of the 'Magnitsky Law' will adversely affect the prospects of bilateral cooperation.”

The U.S. Senate passed the so-called "Magnitsky Law" on Thursday, a bill that will impose limits on the ability of some Russians implicated in human rights abuses to come into the United States. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its displeasure with the vote in an acerbic series of tweets on Thursday afternoon.

The Magnitsky Law will prevent anyone connected to the torture and death of Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky from entering the U.S. or owning property here. Despite a Russian lobbying effort against the bill in Washington, it passed with a 92-4 vote.

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“I've also heard him speak, and he is very eloquent,” conservative columnist Matt Lewis argues. A needed trait in making a “moral case for free markets.”

Image by AP / AP

Less than an hour after South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint announced Thursday he was retiring in January to take the reins of the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation, speculation was already rampant about who Governor Nikki Haley would appoint to replace the Tea Party champion.

Among many conservatives, one candidate stood out as a common sense replacement: South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott.

Scott would be the first African American from the south since Mississippi Republican Senator Blanche Bruce lost reelection in 1881, and the first Republican black Senator since Edward Brooke in the 1970s.

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson told BuzzFeed, "I think Tim Scott would be a great addition to the Senate from South Carolina in that he is not part of the South Carolina Republican establishment in the way some of the other choices are and he is trusted by fiscal conservatives and the GOP establishment both."

Erickson added that Scott "as the choice would also allow conservatives to focus on beating Lindsey Graham in 2014."

"He's been in office log enough to know the ropes, but is still fresh. That's a big advantage," Daily Caller contributor and radio host Matt Lewis told BuzzFeed in an email.

"I've also heard him speak, and he is very eloquent in regards to making the moral case for free markets. Rhetoric matters especially now -- as conservatives seek to persuade Americans to give them a second look. "

Florida-based political consultant Rick Wilson said picking Scott would be good for everybody.

"Nikki Haley would receive national accolades from the conservative movement, and beyond. Good for SC, good for her, good for the GOP, good for the movement," Wilson said.

"Bonus: liberal racism! The arbiters of America's racial conscience at MSNBC etc will race to declare Scott inauthenticlly black simply because he is a strong conservative. Lulz to follow," Wilson added.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin tweeted that picking Scott would be a "great choice!"

Conservative Townhall news editor Katie Pavlich wrote on Scott's conservative record saying he was "every bit as conservative as DeMint and is a devotee to the great Thomas Sowell."

Tim Scott's office put out a statement Thursday were he didn't say if he was considering the opportunity.

“Looking forward, Governor Haley will now appoint a new Senator, and I know she will make the right choice both for South Carolina and the nation,” Scott said.

The director and stars of “Lincoln” will participate in a Q-&-A with senators after the film. An “opportunity to gather and reflect” for lawmakers.

Image by Jason Merritt / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Senators have been invited to a star-studded screening of the film "Lincoln" at the Capitol, with Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis now slated to attend.

In a letter, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell invited colleagues and their spouses to a screening of "Lincoln" on Dec. 19, which will be held in the Capitol Visitor Center auditorium.

"We believe that viewing this film would provide all senators with a positive opportunity to gather and reflect during this holiday season," Reid and McConnell wrote.

After the screening, which will include snacks and drinks for lawmakers and their guests, director Steven Spielberg and four of the film's stars, including Daniel Day-Lewis, will participate in a question-and-answer session.

See the full letter below:

Obama's top advisor made good on a promise to remove his 40-year-old mustache on the set of MSNBC's Morning Joe after a bet with host Joe Scarborough and a donation from Donald Trump helped raise over $1,000,000 to cure epilepsy.

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Spoiler:

LINK: Donate to CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy

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The new chair of the Democratic Governors Association stresses marriage equality and green energy. An endorsement for Cory Booker.

Image by  Toby Talbot / AP

The new chair of the Democratic Governors Association — Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont — will focus in his new role on what he says is the “difference between Democratic governors and the Republican party — that we’re inclusive.”

Shumlin signaled in an interview that his organization will aim to take and hold governors' mansions not by pushing Democrats to the center but with the package of liberal values that won around the country last month, including focuses on marriage equality and on climate change.

Shumlin won his second term as governor of Vermont this November, and on Tuesday at the DGA’s annual conference, secured the top leadership position with unanimous support from his colleagues.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Shumlin was sure to highlight fiscal responsibility and job growth, but he also gestured toward a more progressive agenda, reflective in part of his home state — and of the overwhelming success of the Nov. 6 ballot measures for marriage equality and marijuana legalization.

“We believe we will make more progress as a country by celebrating what unites us, rather than creating divisions,” Shumlin told BuzzFeed. “Democratic governors passed marriage equality and worked hard for it. Governor O’Malley went to the mat for it.”

“There isn’t a Democratic governor who doesn’t understand climate change is the challenge we must focus on like a laser," he said. "We are all advocating for growing renewables and assuring that we make more progress so that we’re passing a planet to our kids and grandkids that’s sustainable.”

In Vermont, said the governor, the state has been moving “aggressively” toward a goal of 90% fossil fuel–free by the year 2050, and has more green jobs than any other state in the country.

“We’re harnessing the wind, our sun, our streams, and our fields to get off of our addiction to fossil-burning fuels,” he said. “It’s not only a moral imperative, but it’s an economic jobs opportunity. The industrial revolution created huge amount of jobs, the tech revolution created a huge amount of jobs — and this is the same thing."

Shumlin started his career in Vermont politics as a state legislator in 1993, and has served as governor since 2011, backing the decriminalization of marijuana, the “death with dignity” act, and gay marriage. Last year, Shumlin became the first sitting governor to marry a same-sex couple — he paid $100 out of pocket to obtain a certificate as a temporary marriage officiant in order to preside over the wedding of a lesbian couple he met on the campaign trail.

“I want to be clear that what I’m doing in Vermont might not work in other states,” Shumlin cautioned, “but what we all have in common is we understand that we have to balance budgets and make tough fiscal choices.”

The DGA has two gubernatorial races next year to prepare for — New Jersey and Virginia — and in 2014, Shumlin will have the challenge of 37 races ahead of him.

“Terry McAuliffe is a winner, and would be an extraordinary winner for the state of Virginia,” said Shumlin of the likely Virginia Democratic nominee. “We’ll work tirelessly to get him elected.”

New Jersey is still an open field. But asked about Newark mayor Cory Booker — a potential candidate, and one who might give incumbent Chris Christie a serious challenge — Shumlin said, “Cory is an incredible candidate, and we’re certainly excited about the prospect of the race.”

“We’re not gonna rate one candidate over the other,” he added. “We’re working closely with Democrats in New Jersey to come up with a very strong challenge to the incumbent.”

Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland, who headed the DGA for the past two years, will continue his leadership in the group as finance chair, taking the lead on fund-raising efforts.

“Governor O’Malley did more for the DGA in two years than I can ever dream of doing,” said Shumlin. Look at what he did in 2012 — the national press said Democrats would lose New Hampshire, Washington, and Montana, and we won all three. I begged him to stay on as finance chair.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado will work with Shumlin as his vice chair. The other chair positions on the DGA — labor chair, CEO roundtable chair, and NGA chair — have yet to be announced, but Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire may take one of the open committee positions.

Shumlin adds that Democrats should make a conscientious effort to elect more women governors. Maggie Hassan, fresh off a win in New Hampshire, is the party's only female Democratic governor.

“I found it pretty astonishing, as the father of two daughters,” said Shumlin, “that in 2012, had Maggie not won New Hampshire, we would have been an all-boys club. That’s pretty depressing.”

“This isn't a progress report because there's no progress to report,” Boehner says.

Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner said Friday that there is "no progress to report" on fiscal cliff negotiations, with just 25 days until a host of spending cuts and tax hikes are set to take effect.

"This isn't a progress report because there's no progress to report," Boehner told reporters. "The White House has wasted another week."

Discussions have been ongoing throughout the week, but have taken place largely in private and primarily between Boehner and President Barack Obama, who spoke on the phone earlier this week.

The call, Boehner said, "was pleasant, but it was just more of the same."

Many of the same sticking points remain in the debate over how to avert the looming austerity crisis, with parties split over how best to address the federal debt limit, tax rates for the wealthiest 2% of Americans, and cuts to programs such as Medicare.

Friday, Boehner held fast to the Republicans' position on taxes.

“Listen, raising taxes on small businesses is not going to help this economy," Boehner said.

But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Friday that the Republican position is beginning to prove unsustainable, and that the Republicans' first fiscal cliff offer was “further manifestation of disagreement within the Republican caucus.”

It's for charity.

The First Family will attend a "Christmas in Washington" concert where South Korean rapper Psy will perform, a White House spokesman said, despite the artist's Iraq War–era anti-American remarks that have surfaced.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest confirmed that the Obamas will attend Christmas in Washington, a concert hosted by TNT and from which the proceeds benefit the Children's National Medical Center. The First Family traditionally attends each year.

Psy, whose smash hit "Gangnam Style" is the most-watched YouTube video ever, is scheduled to be one of the performers that night. On Friday, a performance of his from 2004 came to light in which he smashed a model U.S. tank at an Iraq War protest concert and rapped about killing "those fucking Yankees" "slowly and painfully."

She drank. She danced. For all we know, she Instagrammed.

"Oh my God is that INSTAGRAM?!"

Taking a selfie with Meryl Streep. (December 1)

Image by Kevin Wolf / AP

"What do I have to do to get a Diet Coke around here?"

Speaking with local officials after arriving at Perth International Airport. (November 13)

Image by Theron Kirkman-Pool / Getty Images

"Okay, Bill. Let's not drag this on too long."

At a New York event for the Clinton Global Initiative. (September 24)

Image by John Moore / Getty Images

"I will be your Tiny Dancer, sure."

Sitting with Elton John at an AIDS benefit. (July 23)

Image by Michael Kovac / Getty Images

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Naderev Saño fights tears at the final session of a climate change conference. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”

Via: youtu.be

Naderev Saño, lead negotiator for the Philippines at the Climate Conference in Doha, said at its final session this week that his country is already facing the effects of climate change — Bopha, a typhoon in the Philippines, made landfall on Tuesday, killing more than 500 people.

"We have never had a typhoon like Bopha, which has reached havoc in a part of the country that has never seen a storm like this in half a century," Saño said.

"I am making an urgent appeal — not as a negotiator, not as a leader of my delegation, but as a Filipino — I appeal to the whole world, I appeal to the leaders from all over the world, to open our eyes to the stark reality that we face."

"Please, no more delays, no more excuses. Please, let Doha be remembered as the place where we found the political will to turn things around," Saño said. "If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"

The typhoon left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and, as Saño said, "the ordeal is far from over":

Residents carry the coffin of a typhoon victim past a destroyed house in New Bataan town in Compostela Valley in southern Philippines on December 6, 2012.

Image by Erik De Castro / Reuters

An aerial view of damaged houses caused by flash floods in Compostela Valley province.

Image by Reuters

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Joe Manchin says the show stereotypes West Virginians in an unflattering way. He's probably right.

A trailer for the show on MTV.

Challenge to Defense of Marriage Act will pit the U.S. government on both sides of the issue. Challenge to California's Proposition 8 — and, possibly, the constitutionality of gay marriage bans — to be heard as well.

Edith Windsor speaks to reporters after a hearing before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York on September 27, 2012. Now, her case goes to the Supreme Court.

Image by Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether California's Proposition 8 marriage amendment is constitutional and whether the federal government can refuse to recognize gay couples' marriages for tax purposes and other reasons, the court announced Friday.

Decisions in both cases, by the court's practice, are expected by the end of June. The cases could go as far as resolving definitively whether gay and lesbian couples can be banned from — or the court could put off any answer on procedural grounds.

The long-awaited announcement, first reported by SCOTUSblog, puts Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines "marriage" and "spouse" in all federal laws as being limited to marriages between one man and one woman, squarely before the nine justices in the case of Edith Windsor.

The court also accepted the request by the supporters of California's Proposition 8 that the justices hear an appeal of that case, in which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the law as unconstitutional.

In addition to the questions about whether the laws are constitutional, the court has asked the parties to respond to questions about "standing," a constitutional limit on who can bring a case before the court because of a constitutional limit that courts only can hear actual "cases" and "controversies." If a party doesn't have standing to bring an appeal, the court cannot hear an appeal.

Windsor sued in 2010 after she was forced to pay more than $350,000 in estate taxes after the death of her wife, Thea Spyer. Had either Windsor or Spyer been a man, her lawyers explain that Windsor would not have had to pay the tax on the estate. Windsor's case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, with lead attorney Roberta Kaplan having successfully argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for Windsor.

Because the Obama administration decided in 2011 to stop defending DOMA, House Republican leaders, through their majority on the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, have taken up the defense of the law. The Supreme Court has asked whether they have standing to do so.

The court takes on consideration of DOMA's constitutionality after two federal appeals courts have declared it to be unconstitutional this year. A handful of other federal trial court judges have concurred, and two of those cases also were presented as possible options for the court.

The court takes on Proposition 8 after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared it to be unconstitutional. The challenge was brought by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and has been led by lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies.

The question about standing is raised in the Proposition 8 case because the proponents of the Proposition 8 initiative, and not the state defendants named in the lawsuit, are the party seeking Supreme Court review. In the Proposition 8 case, the California Supreme Court was asked to rule on whether California would treat the proponents as being legally empowered to defend an initiative post-enactment, and they answered the question yes. That answer does not, however, resolve the question for the Supreme Court, must make its own decision about whether that is sufficient for federal standing purposes.

The court likely will hear arguments on the challenges in March and generally decides all pending cases by the end of June of any year. Because of the standing questions, the justices could decline to answer the substantive questions about either law.

Friday's Supreme Court Order

The plaintiffs in the challenge to California's Proposition 8 — couple Sandy Stier and Kris Perry and couple Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo — will be headed to the Supreme Court.

Image by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

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According to the Twitter analytics website Favstar , these are the most retweeted tweets of some of the biggest news organizations.

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Raising rates on top earners to Clinton-era levels not a prerequisite for a deal, the vice president says, as long as they rise.

Image by Susan Walsh / AP

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that the Obama administration is flexible about raising tax rates on the nation's highest earners, as long as they do rise.

"There are two irreducible minimum requirements for us," Biden said at a lunch with Americans who would be affected by the fiscal cliff. "The top brackets have to go up — this is not a negotiable issue; theoretically we can negotiate how far up. But we think it should go — the top rate should go to 39.6%."

Biden's remark is the first official acknowledgement by the White House that they are not demanding rates rise to the Clinton-era level as part of an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff, carving out space for compromise with Republicans.

Veterans of the bombing gathered today in Hawaii to remember the 2,400 Americans who lost their lives in the attack 71 years ago.

Image by Reuters / Reuters

Image by Getty / Getty Images

Image by Getty / Getty Images

Image by Getty / Getty Images

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Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) admits that he won't extend middle-class tax cuts in order to keep control of the floor out of the hands of Democrats.

Agriculture Committee chairs from both chambers work out their differences in private. Easy spending cuts and deep ideological differences in Farm Bill talks.

Image by Iowa Farm Bureau, Gary Fandel / AP

WASHINGTON — Amidst a flurry of fiscal cliff negotiations, the leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees are hoping to pull off a legislative sleight of hand.

Eager to pass a farm bill, which would set federal spending on agriculture subsidies and food stamps for the next five years, they have been negotiating privately to reach a compromise that could be easily approved as part of a larger fiscal cliff package.

That path to passage would conveniently circumvent the logjam in the House, where disagreements between fiscal conservatives and farm-state Republicans have impeded the bill's progress. And it would satisfy the complex set of constituencies for farm subsidies and a giant anti-poverty program.

Under normal legislative circumstances (if those can still be said to exist), differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill might have been worked out by a conference committee.

But because the House has not brought its agriculture committee's version to a vote, the farm bill never made it that far.

So, instead, Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who leads the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Republican Rep. Frank Lucas, her House counterpart, have taken it upon themselves to negotiate, people involved with the discussions said.

"The House wouldn't pass their bill and send it to conference, so we're having our own conference," said one Democratic Senate aide.

Stabenow and Lucas are betting that lawmakers looking for spending cuts in fiscal cliff negotiations would integrate a compromise farm bill into their larger deficit reduction plan, the aide said.

The two lawmakers have been speaking daily about how best to find middle ground between the Senate bill, which cuts $23 billion, with a $4 billion cut to food stamps, and the House Agriculture Committee's version, which would save $35 billion, including $16 billion from food stamps.

Either plan, were it to be integrated into legislation to avert the looming austerity crisis, would constitute only a small portion of any deficit reduction deal, which will almost certainly exceed $1 trillion in savings.

But the farm bill legislation, which would set five years-worth of agriculture and nutrition spending policy, is important in part because it allows farmers to begin planning for future harvests and brings greater certainty to that industry.

The most recent five-year farm bill expired in October, and agriculture interests are eager to see a new one signed into law.

Amid persistent disagreements about the bill, however, prospects for passage before the end of the year have dimmed.

In the House, Republican leaders have been reticent to bring the measure to the floor because of intra-party squabbling about spending on farm subsidies: Fiscal conservatives have called for more drastic cuts, while farm-state Republicans have balked at such a notion. Meanwhile, some House Democrats have been hesitant to support the bill's steep cuts to federal food stamps.

Because those issues, deeply rooted in ideology, aren't likely to subside, a low-profile path to passage might be the the key to moving forward. And were the farm bill to be worked out as part of a fiscal cliff deal, combatants in both parties could focus on more clearly partisan issues, such as tax rates and cuts to programs such as Medicare.

And the oddsmakers take a beating. Crist, who governed Florida as a Republican, endorsed President Obama's reelection and spoke at the Democratic National Convention this year.

Via: @charliecristfl

UPDATE: Adam Smith at the Tampa Bay Times reports that Obama gave Crist a congratulatory fist bump after he signed the papers at the White House tonight:

It was just a matter of time.

Charlie Crist, Florida's former Republican governor who relished the tough-on-crime nickname "Chain Gang Charlie" and used to describe himself variously as a "Ronald Reagan Republican" and "Jeb Bush Republican," on Friday signed papers to become a registered Democrat.

He did so Friday evening during a Christmas reception at the White House, where President Obama greeted the news with a fist bump for the man who had a higher profile campaigning for Obama's reelection this year than any Florida Democrat.

The widely expected move positions Crist, 56, for another highly anticipated next step: announcing his candidacy for governor, taking on Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Scott and an untold number of Democrats who would challenge him for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

"I've had friends for years tell me, 'You know Charlie, you're a Democrat and you don't know it,' " Crist, a career-long populist, recounted Friday night from Washington, D.C.