What was shaping up to be one of the most entertaining elections of 2014 is not going to happen. After seriously examining the possibility of challenging Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), Ashley Judd decided not to run.

One of the biggest signs that Ashley Judd is getting serious about challenging Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) next year is that it’s making some Democrats nervous. A few prominent local Democrats and national Democrats, including the Clintons, are working hard to find an alternative.

It is starting to look more and more likely that actress Ashley Judd will run against Mitch McConnell (R) for the Kentucky Senate seat next year. Democratic John Yarmuth, who represents Kentucky’s third congressional district, seems pretty convinced she will run and is laying the groundwork needed for a serious campaign.

Back in October, the Duffel Blog — which is a satirical site, sort of a military-minded version of The Onion — put up a post stating that Guantanamo prisoners were to receive G.I. Bill benefits. And guess what? One of Senator Mitch McConnell’s constituents (a person who like Shapiro is stupid or mendacious or both) reported it as fact to McConnell’s office, which in turn forwarded the note to DoD on the assumption it was fact.

Human and Chelonii hybrid Mitch McConnell has narrowly survived many a bruising election campaign. But despite all of his anti-legislative skills his political career is in trouble.

An important sign that the sequestration cuts are likely to take place at the beginning of next month is that members of Congress appear to be spending far more time on trying to assign the blame than on trying to find a way to get rid of them. The Republican leadership wants everyone to believe that the sequestration cuts were President Obama’s idea.

The big advances for marijuana reform still tend to come during election years when initiatives are put on the ballot, but there are already some promising signs for possible legislative victories in 2013. Across the country several marijuana reform bills have been introduced in the state legislatures that either stand a decent chance of becoming law this year or will at least significantly advance the issue of reform. Hopefully, the fact the voters in Colorado and Washington State recently came out so strongly for full legalization will convince politicians across the country that the electorate wants change.

Democrats have won a majority in the Senate and can fully control it as the Constitution intended. Voting for this package is voting to give the Republican minority a veto they did not earn at the ballot box.

Even though Speaker John Boehner should be the most powerful Republican in Washington, as we have seen, it is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who ends up making the deals. McConnell is not only more skilled at getting agreements, but he can more successfully whip his caucus behind any decision he makes. So when McConnell says he will do something, it often ends up being what the entire Republican Party will eventually agree to.

This again reinforces that the best negotiation tactic with Obama is for the Republicans to be purposely disingenuous.The GOP should pretend to be close to a deal so Obama publicly says what concessions he will make, only to have the GOP predictably blow up the deal. After that, the GOP can start negotiations again but use Obama’s concessions as the new goal posts. Works every time.