The First Family celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving at the White House with several friends and White House staff members after he issued his first post-election pardon.

Prior to the official start of the Thanksgiving Day holiday, President Obama extended a hand of sympathy to a turkey named Cobbler, marking the 65th anniversary of presidents keeping the bird from being the centerpiece at a family dinner.

"They say that life is all about second chances," Obama said to laughter, with his daughters Sasha and Malia at his side. "And this November, I could not agree more. So in the spirit of the season, I have one more gift to give, and it goes to a pair of turkeys named Cobbler and Gobbler." His mentioning of "gift" could possibly be a reference to Mitt Romney's suggestion that Obama won the election by giving "gifts" to minority groups in exchange for support. more >>

Leading evangelicals are pushing back hard against charges that social issues are weakening the GOP brand, asserting that the nation is rejecting the rich GOP "country club" image more than retreating on moral issues.

Over the past several decades, the Republican Party has primarily been formed along two major philosophical lines. The first are conservatives who not only want government to live within its means, but care deeply about social issues such as abortion and traditional marriage. The second group is more moderate in its views. Often referred to as "country-club" Republicans, they are mainly business types who care more about fiscal issues and try to avoid social issues at all costs.

Of course there are many that fall in between the two groups, and the distance between the two seems to grow farther by the day. more >>

Rep. Allen West, the Republican from Florida's 18th Congressional District whose unfettered style of throwing verbal grenades gained him a love-hate relationship with his constituents and colleagues, has conceded his tight congressional race to 29-year-old Patrick Murphy.

The former Army officer was embroiled in a tight and expensive race for a second term and was expected to defeat his younger opponent. West conceded the race after St. Lucie county election officials missed a deadline to count and report votes.

The final vote count showed Murphy leading by 1,904 votes, or 0.58 percent over West. more >>

Just two weeks after the presidential election, Mitt Romney has already faded into the background and the GOP has already begun looking for new faces to take his place.

Presidential candidates usually spend decades in the trenches, coming up through their state party ranks or making the gradual climb from office to office to build a strong base. But Romney did neither. Although he was a successful entrepreneur, turn-around artist and governor, he developed virtually no following outside of a close circle of advisors.

"I just don't think Romney ever established an emotional connection with much of anybody in the party," said the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato. "He was essentially a cyborg designed to win the presidency, and when he failed he was placed in the disposal bin." more >>

Jon Stryker is a billionaire philanthropist and gay rights activist who along with his sisters, owns nearly 30 percent of the medical supply company, Stryker Corporation. A staunch liberal, he advocated for Obamacare since it would provide free health care to even more Americans. Now the company he is set to inherit announced last week they are cutting jobs as a preemptive measure against rising costs.

Stryker Corp., a manufacturer of medical equipment, announced they are cutting five percent, or roughly 1,170 jobs worldwide, in an effort to combat higher costs associated with Obamacare. Jon Stryker, whose net worth is estimated to be around $1.7 billion, contributed $2 million to Priorities USA Action Super PAC and gave another $66,000 to the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party.

The young billionaire is also the founder of the Arcus Foundation, whose website touts their work on social justice and conservation. Two of their primary causes include advancing LGBT equality and protecting apes. A newly discovered species of apes has been named in his honor since researchers who discovered it were funded by his foundation. more >>

Prior to the 2012 elections, proponents of traditional marriage had 32 consecutive state victories when it came to banning same-sex marriage. But this November four states – albeit four that lean left – ended that streak by voting to approve same-sex marriage in some fashion. Those defeats have also led to some internal strife within the pro-family movement.

Voters in Maryland, Minnesota, Maine and Washington State voted for same-sex marriage by a small margin. With losses come disappointment and some within the leadership ranks of pastors have expressed frustration and levied harsh criticism over how the campaigns to oppose same-sex marriage were orchestrated.

Pastor Ken Hutcherson, who leads a mixed race congregation at Antioch Bible Church in Washington State has been on the frontlines on the battle to protect traditional marriage for many years. The controversial and outspoken former professional football star has had to become as thick-skinned in the marriage fight as he was hard-nosed on the gridiron. He is disappointed not only in the outcome of the vote in his state, but also how the campaign was conducted. more >>