53% Think Republicans 'Too Extreme': POLL

With the dreaded "fiscal cliff" approaching, and Democrats and Republicans still squabbling over what's to be done with the economy, CNN decided to ask Americans what should be done with Democrats and Republicans.

And according to their findings, a slight majority of the nation thinks the GOP needs to mellow out.

...53% say the GOP should compromise more, with 41% saying the Democratic Party should give up more of the proposals it supports to develop bipartisan solutions.

"That's due in part to the fact that the Republican brand is not doing all that well," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed say they view the policies of the GOP as too extreme, up 17 points from two years ago. Only 37% say they view the polices of the Democratic Party as too extreme.

The same percentage of the public, 53%, believes that when it comes to bipartisan compromise, the GOP should be the party to cave on its demands.

Charlie Crist Regrets 2006 Anti-Gay Marriage Petition: VIDEO

Former Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist today filed the paperwork officially making him a Democrat, a party switch Crist announced after a holiday party at the White House last weekend.

Speaking with the reporters who turned out for the event, Crist was asked about his decision in 2006 to sign a petition pushing for a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage in The Sunshine State.

"Would I do it today? No," Crist said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "I think the best way to judge where my heart is is to look at the deeds that I have done, whether as attorney general, governor - restoration of rights, civil rights cases, things of that nature that I think show a compassionate heart and hopefully someone who cares and knows who the boss is - and the boss is the people of Florida."

Crist also said he signed up with the Democrats because "they care"; "they're compassionate," he said, contrasting them with Florida's current governor, Rick Scott.

Watch video of Crist discussing his marriage equality position, whether anyone in the Obama administration has encouraged him to run for governor again (yes) and his place in the political world today AFTER THE JUMP.

Nancy Pelosi Blasts Luke Russert for 'Offensive' Question About Stepping Aside Because She's Old: VIDEO

A question from NBC correspondent Luke Russert was met with boos and cries of  "age discrimination!" at Nancy Pelosi's press conference this morning announcing her decision to stay on as Minority Leader.

Asked Russert:

"Colleagues privately say that your decision to stay on prohibits the party from having a younger leadership and hurts the party in the long term. What's your response?"

Snapped Pelosi: "You've always asked that question, but not to Mitch McConnell."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

She added:

The fact is that everything that I have done in my almost decade now of leadership is to elect younger and newer people to the Congress. In my own personal experience it was very important for me to elect young women. I came to Congress when my youngest child Alexandra was a senior in high school and practically on her way to college. I knew that my male colleagues had come when they were 30. They had a jump on me because they didn't have to, children to stay home. Now, I did what I wanted to do, I was blessed to have that opportunity to sequentially raise my family and then come to Congress. But I wanted women to be here in greater numbers at an earlier age so that their seniority would start to account much sooner. And it wasn't confined to women, though. [...]

You've got to take off of that 14 years for me because I was home raising a family, getting the best experience of all in diplomacy, interpersonal skills. No, the answer is no.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Russert defended himself on Twitter: "While Pelosi laughed off my Q as age-ist, many House Ds will privately gripe it hurts caucus that all 3 leaders are 70+....The longer the top 3 stay, the longer it takes to infuse the caucus with new blood like #GOP did w Cantor, Ryan, McCarthy etc."

Nancy Pelosi to Remain House Minority Leader

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will stay on as House Minority Leader, the Washington Post reports:

Democrats say she feels compelled to remain in leadership because the issues Congress is set to tackle are at the core of why she first ran for office.

Pelosi, 72, revealed her decision in a 9 a.m. meeting with House Democrats, surrounded by nearly 40 members of her party who were victorious in elections last week.

“The message is clear from the American people. They want us to work together to get things done. And that’s what these folks are here to do. Just like all of you,” Pelosi said, according to the notes taken a Democrat in the room. “We may not have the gavel, but as I can see in this room, we have the unity.”

Nate Silver Rates The Ubiquitous Presidential Polls

The end of election season means that we have at least a year (468 different Congressional races are just around the corner!) before we're again inundated by an endless stream of polls, proclamation and other numerical electoral predications.

Taking advantage of this lull, master stastician Nate Silver has rated the most prominent polls cited during the 2012 election. Gallup, one of the most popular, appears to be the least accurate.

An excerpt of Silver's analysis:

Among the more prolific polling firms, the most accurate by this measure was TIPP, which conducted a national tracking poll for Investors’ Business Daily. Relative to other national polls, their results seemed to be Democratic-leaning at the time they were published. However, it turned out that most polling firms underestimated Mr. Obama’s performance, so those that had what had seemed to be Democratic-leaning results were often closest to the final outcome.

Conversely, polls that were Republican-leaning relative to the consensus did especially poorly.

Well at least the GOP exceled at something this election season: failing.

Hillary Clinton Crushes Biden, Cuomo in Early 2016 Democratic Presidential PPP Poll

Since it's never too early to be thinking about the next election, Public Policy Polling surveyed Democrats in Florida and found that Hillary Clinton beats all others by a wide margin as the choice for President, Business Insider reports:

The poll results, shared exclusively with Business Insider, find Clinton grabbing a clear majority — 61% of Florida Democrats pick her as the hypothetical 2016 Democratic nominee. Only 14% of Florida Democrats choose Biden. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo comes in third, earning 8% of the vote.

The poll shows that as two high-profile members of the current Obama administration, Clinton and Biden enjoy the most early name recognition. Clinton has an 82% favorability rating among Florida Democrats, while Biden's favorability rating sits at 74%. Cuomo is the only other candidate about whom the majority of Florida Democrats have an opinion.

Both Biden and Clinton have fanned the flames for 2016. Upon casting his vote in this week's election, Biden didn't rule out voting for himself again, leading to some speculation he's considering a run.

Clinton, meanwhile, has brushed aside any questions she might be planning to make a second bid after a 2008 Democratic primary loss to President Barack Obama.

Read the full poll results, AFTER THE JUMP...