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House Speaker John Boehner at a recent news conference following his failed effort at fiscal cliff legislation. U.S. consumer confidence tumbled in December, driven lower by fears of sharp tax increases and government spending cuts set to take effect next week.

Amid all the talk of the looming fiscal cliff — the tax cuts which will go into effect with potential drastic effects if Congress can't come to a compromise to avert them— we have a voice of optimism today, and a call to take the long view on political deadlines.

Aaron Noble of the Washington Post joins the show to talk about his piece in the paper's FIX blog that the final days of many Congressional deadlines teem with doomsday predictions.