and it's not a fiscal cliff (which is actually more like a gradual downhill stroll) but a political one. As Wags pointed out and linked here, suddenly the GOP is unwilling to actually say what they want to cut as far as entitlements are concerned. They basically want Democrats and the White House to propose both sides of an agreement, then decide whether they're willing to go along with it.

While Mitt Romney has (hopefully) moved off the national stage, despised by his erstwhile supporters, it's important not to forget what we learned during the campaign - specifically about how Bain Capital, and private equity in general, works. We have a great example of that in the bankruptcy and dissolution of Hostess (formerly known as Interstate Bakeries), maker of Twinkies and other snack foods.

Not sure where I came across this picture on the internet, but it seemed so perfect it got me thinking - what differences would 50 years make in the birth of famous people from the past? I decided to move the people born in the 1890s and 1900s forward 50 years to the baby boom generation, and included a few that stretched the boundaries a bit. Here are my best guesses as to what would happen in this alternate reality, but please feel free to add your own.

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Donald Sensing pretty much says it all at: http://senseofevents.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-permanent-sunset-of-republican.html

"The short answer: the 2012 election forms a Rubicon that, now having been crossed, this country will never cross back. Forget all the pundit talk (like Ed Rollins this morning on Fox) that elections go through cycles and this one was just another example. Forget the mid-terms of 2010. Forget the Tea party; it's finished forever.