New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government  —  With Election Day just over a year away, a deep sense of economic anxiety and doubt about the future hangs over the nation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, with Americans' distrust of government at its highest level ever.

Romney avoids weighing in on Ohio union fight  —  Terrace Park, Ohio (CNN) -Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stepped into the middle of the charged battle over organized labor in Ohio on Tuesday, but he avoided weighing in on the contentious legislation that would dramatically limit …

Where are the anti-Semites of Occupy Wall Street?  —  Reckless Jew that I am, I muscled my way into the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Lower Manhattan despite multiple reports of virulent and conceivably lethal anti-Semitism.  Projecting an unvarnished Semitism, I circled the place …

Obama: If We Lose in 2012, Government Will Tell People 'You're on Your Own'  —  At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses the 2012 election it could herald a new, painful era of self-reliance in America.

U.S. Expected to Charge Executive Tied to Galleon Case  —  Updated  —  Federal prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges on Wednesday against Rajat K. Gupta, the most prominent business executive ensnared in an aggressive insider trading investigation, according to people briefed on the case.

Perry's nightmare: WaPo's Rubin  —  The WaPo blogger has described the Texan as 'sleepy," 'hostile," and 'dreadful.

White House backs Republican measure repealing 3% tax rule  —  The White House announced Tuesday that it supports passage of a House Republican bill intended to boost job creation and due up for a vote on Thursday.  —  The bill repeals a requirement that the federal government withhold 3 percent …

The revenue and GDP impact of the Perry flat tax plan — now with actual numbers!  —  As I wrote in an earlier post, an outside consulting firm hired by the Rick Perry presidential campaign has analyzed the revenue and growth impacts of his flat tax plan as follows:

Ousted protesters marching back to Frank Ogawa Plaza  —  OAKLAND — Hours after they were rousted from their tents and pushed out of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, several hundred members of the Occupy Oakland movement began marching again in downtown Oakland, vowing to continue their protest.

EXCLUSIVE: GOP governors blast birther gambit  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision to delve back into birtherism — on CNBC and on the day he is rolling out an economic plan — has struck a nerve with responsible GOP officials and insiders.  Two prominent governors have now gone on record with Right Turn to express their displeasure.

Say Anything  —  Over the last couple of days, I've been getting mail accusing me of consorting with Nazis.  My immediate reaction was, what the heck?  Then it clicked: the right wing is mounting a full-court press to portray Occupy Wall Street as an anti-Semitic movement, based, as far as I can tell, on one guy with a sign.

Fears euro summit could miss final deal  —  By Peter Spiegel in Brussels, Gerrit Wiesmann in Berlin and Matt Steinglass in Amsterdam  —  Eurozone leaders were struggling on Tuesday to reach agreement on a much-anticipated deal to reverse their spiralling debt crisis amid mounting signals …

State Department buys $70,000 worth of Obama books  —  The State Department has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmas gratuities and stocking “key libraries” around the world with “Dreams from My Father” more than a decade after its release.

Failed Democrat Pol Sues Critics Over Election Loss  —  There's nothing quite like a politician scorned.  —  When voters in Ohio's 1st Congressional District threw Democrat Steve Driehaus out of office after only one term, he did not bow out gracefully.  No, he decided to get even.

OWS's Beef: Wall Street Isn't Winning - It's Cheating  —  I was at an event on the Upper East Side last Friday night when I got to talking with a salesman in the media business.  The subject turned to Zucotti Park and Occupy Wall Street, and he was chuckling about something he'd heard on the news.

President Obama Holds Secret Meet-and-Greet With Hollywood Execs and Influencers (Exclusive) … Before he left Los Angeles for San Francisco on Tuesday, President Barack Obama stopped for an undisclosed meeting with some of the entertainment industry's high-level executives …