Grapevine: Russia to use reindeer to track down criminals?

Say animals can navigate some remote, icy terrains

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Party Fracturing?

Earlier in the program, Mike Emanuel reported on fracturing within the Democratic Party following midterm losses.

Now to another issue that has Democratic House members at odds.

An eight months pregnant congresswoman who is also an Iraq War veteran and double amputee being told she cannot vote by proxy in the party's leadership elections.

Illinois Representative Tammy Duckworth cannot travel during the last month of her pregnancy.

But Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says there are no exceptions to a rule prohibiting proxy votes in the leadership elections.

Many of Duckworth's Democratic colleagues are not buying it and published reports hint Pelosi's stance could be because Duckworth opposed one of the leader's favorites.

From Mississippi's Bennie Thompson -- quote -- "A lot of people felt that Tammy's patriotism and sacrifice to this country warrants special consideration...She's given parts of her body for her country, and if it came to a vote, I would vote to give her a proxy."

Pelosi argues that making one exception would open the floodgates to other lawmakers with their own reasons for why they should be able to vote in absentia.

The Popular Vote

The most famous guy in Orange County, Florida got hundreds of votes in this month's elections.

An Orlando TV station says Mickey Mouse tallied 273 write-in votes for governor, agriculture commissioner and school board chair.

Other vote-getters included president Obama, Kanye West and Darth Vader.

As well as more ambiguous characters like Someone Honest, Anyone with Sense and the Grapevine favorit Almost Literally Anyone Else.

Hoof It

And, Santa may soon have competition for the services of some of those reindeer he uses.

The Telegraph reports, Russian police want to use the animals to track down criminals who flee to remote, icy, arctic regions believing police cannot navigate the terrain there.

You ask -- why not just use a snowmobile?

Officers argue reindeer are more reliable and less likely to get stuck or break down.