Top Items:
Gail Collins / New York Times:
Hark! The Voters Speak! — In Ohio, citizens marched to the polls on Tuesday and voted to allow gambling casinos in the state. This was a obviously a message to President Obama that independent voters are not happy with the way the health care bill is going. — Really, I don't see how else you can interpret it.
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Michael Barone / Wall Street Journal:
Tuesday's Biggest Loser: the Union Agenda — The GOP victories reveal fissures in the coalition that elected Barack Obama. — Printer — Friendly — If you were watching television on Tuesday night as the election returns came in showing Republicans capturing the governorships …
Aaron Blake / The Hill:
Independent voters big for GOP; Democrats maintain black vote — A big share of independent voters on Tuesday has Republicans optimistic about 2010, but some resiliency in the African-American vote could stunt their gains. — Exit polling data from the governors' races in New Jersey …
CNN:
Gibbs dismisses losses as ‘local elections’ — WASHINGTON (CNN) - White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed Democratic electoral defeats in New Jersey and Virginia as “two very local elections” that say nothing about President Barack Obama's standing with the American people right now.
Manu Raju / The Politico:
Lindsey Graham warns GOP against going too far right — The morning after Republicans lost an upstate New York House seat, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned that conservative activists will bring destruction to the Republican Party if they drive out moderate candidates across the country.
Discussion:
Wonk Room, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, The Reaction, Stop The ACLU, Newshoggers.com and Weasel Zippers
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Megan McArdle:
North and South in the Republican Party — One of my commenters has some thoughts on NY-23: … This resonates with me, because my mom's from Western New York. I remember once noting that until I was in college, I hadn't known any Republicans, to which my mother blinked, and replied “You knew your grandparents.”
RushLimbaugh.com:
Conservatism Didn't Lose in NY-23 — BEGIN TRANSCRIPT — RUSH: These are my thoughts on New York 23. In the first place I'll have to double-check this but I'm reasonably sure that this was the highest percentage of the vote ever won on the Conservative Party line by a House or Senate candidate.
Discussion:
American Power, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Monkey Cage, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, The Reaction and The New Republic
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Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Energized G.O.P. Looking to Avoid an Intraparty Feud — WASHINGTON — Republicans emerged from Tuesday's elections energized by victories in Virginia and New Jersey, but their leaders immediately began maneuvering to avoid a prolonged battle with conservative activists over what the party stands for and how to regain power.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Politico, Boston Globe, The Caucus, msnbc.com, New York Times, USA Today, Blogs and Stories, The Note and MoJo Blog Posts
Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Conservatives on NY-23: We didn't lose — Conservative grass-roots activists asserted Wednesday that third-party candidate Doug Hoffman's loss in a New York special election was no setback but, rather, signaled a victory for the burgeoning political movement.
Daniel Libit / The Politico:
Bachmann calls for ‘scare’ tactics — In a conference call Wednesday night with bloggers and activists for the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) called on protesters to “scare” members of Congress into killing the proposed health care reform bill.
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Note, Washington Monthly, Prescriptions, TPMDC, Hot Dish Politics and George's Bottom Line
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:Bachmann Watch — We've spent the day trying to get a handle …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
House leaders prepare for rare Saturday vote on health-care bill — CBO: GOP measure would cover few uninsured — House leaders put in motion the machinery to hold a rare Saturday vote on the most far-reaching expansion of the health-care system in more than 40 years.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Politico, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Top Stories from CQ, The Hill, QandO, Bloomberg, Capitol Briefing, Ruby Slippers, TalkLeft and American Power
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David Herszenhorn / Prescriptions:
Budget Monitor Says G.O.P. Bill Leaves Many Uninsured — The Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that an alternative health care bill put forward by House Republicans would have little impact in extending health benefits to the roughly 30 million uninsured Americans.
Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:Michele Bachmann's Capitol House Call: ‘Get Your Hands Off My Health Care!’
Discussion:
Indecision Forever
TMZ.com:
Prejean Sex Tape Triggers Settlement — Carrie Prejean demanded more than a million dollars during her settlement negotiations with Miss California USA Pageant officials — that is, until the lawyer for the Pageant showed Carrie an XXX home video of her handiwork.
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Huckabee, Romney, Palin See Most Republican Support for '12 — Huckabee, Romney viewed as most qualified of possible Republican presidential candidates — PRINCETON, NJ — Looking ahead to the 2012 presidential election, 71% of Republicans say they would seriously consider voting for Mike Huckabee.
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Morning Fix: Courting Sarah Palin — 1. The news that Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk (R) is actively seeking the backing of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in his Senate primary race is the latest evidence of the power the 2008 vice presidential nominee carries — thanks to the fact that she has become the voice of the angry right.
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
Sen. Snowe: Tuesday's results ‘certainly gives pause on how you approach’ health reform - Yanks are world champs — BIRTHDAYS: Autumn Hanna VandeHei, the hottest and smartest wife-mother-friend (boot tip: Jimmy) ... Sloan Rappaport big 4-0 birthday (hat tip: Margaret and Freddie) …
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Letter to Reid on healthcare from former Surgeon General Koop shuts Senate — A letter about healthcare reform to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) from former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop triggered a security scare that briefly shut down much of the Senate on Wednesday.
RELATED:
Perry Bacon Jr / Capitol Briefing:Senate passes bill extending homebuyer tax credit, unemployment benefits
Discussion:
New York Magazine
Paul Thompson / Daily Mail:
Michelle Obama to star with Nigella Lawson as she becomes first presidential wife to appear on a reality show — Michelle Obama is to be the first presidential wife to appear on a reality TV series. — The First Lady will make a guest appearance on ‘Iron Chef America’ which features British cook Nigella Lawson as a judge.
Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
Unhealthy America — The moment of truth for health care is at hand, and the distortion that perhaps gets the most traction is this: … That self-aggrandizing delusion may be the single greatest myth in the health care debate. In fact, America's health care system is worse than Slov—er, oops, more on that later.
Discussion:
The Mahablog
New York Times:
Kerik Expected to Accept Prison Term in Corruption Case — Bernard B. Kerik, New York City's former police commissioner, is expected to plead guilty on Thursday to a single conspiracy charge in an agreement that would resolve the three pending federal criminal trials he faces in New York and Washington …
Michael Sokolove / New York Times:
Dick Armey Is Back on the Attack — I. — At sunset on a September evening, Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, strode to a lectern set up in the parking lot of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Hickory, N.C., where about 300 people had gathered to hear him speak.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / The Caucus:
Obama Uses Malia's Test Scores as a Teaching Example — MADISON, Wisconsin - President Obama marked the first anniversary of his election on Wednesday by calling on states to toughen their education standards - and wound up calling on parents to toughen theirs, too, as he confessed …
Fran Langum / Blue Gal:
That's NOT YOUR CAKE, Barack Obama! — That's BLUE GAL'S Anniversary Cake! Her blog is five years old today! — I don't know how FOX News can claim they aren't a propaganda arm of the Republican Party after they sent you a half-eaten (Cavuto, natch) “aborted white babies” theme cake.
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