Top Items:
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 …
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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.
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.
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 …
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.
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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.
Jon Henke / The Next Right:
What Did NY-23 Mean? — [Disclosure: I worked with the Doug Hoffman campaign.
What Did NY-23 Mean? — [Disclosure: I worked with the Doug Hoffman campaign.
Watertown Daily Times:
It's not wise to mess with Mother Nature just to fill your dance card
It's not wise to mess with Mother Nature just to fill your dance card
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Caucus, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Mahablog and Pajamas Media
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:
Scared Monkeys, Wonk Room, Stop The ACLU, Hot Air, The Reaction, Newshoggers.com and Weasel Zippers
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Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
No longer taking care of business — The aide who helped turn Rep. Michele Bachmann into a controversial mainstay of cable news has informed colleagues that she's quitting — just as the firebrand Republican congresswoman prepares for her biggest media moment yet.
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Bachmann Watch — We've spent the day trying to get a handle …
Bachmann Watch — We've spent the day trying to get a handle …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Daniel Libit / The Politico:
Bachmann calls for ‘scare’ tactics
Bachmann calls for ‘scare’ tactics
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Note, Washington Monthly, Prescriptions, TPMDC, Hot Dish Politics and George's Bottom Line
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:
The Politico, Politics Daily, New York Times, The Hill, The Hill, Bloomberg, Capitol Briefing, Ruby Slippers, TalkLeft and American Power
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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.
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.
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Perry Bacon Jr / Capitol Briefing:
Senate passes bill extending homebuyer tax credit, unemployment benefits
Senate passes bill extending homebuyer tax credit, unemployment benefits
Discussion:
New York Magazine
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
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.”
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.
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The Note:
Cornyn: ‘We Will Not Spend Money in a Contested Primary’
Cornyn: ‘We Will Not Spend Money in a Contested Primary’
Discussion:
The Fix, Conservatives4Palin.com, USA Today, Coop's Corner, Weekly Standard, Post on Politics, Firedoglake, TPM LiveWire, Hullabaloo, The Hill, Newshoggers.com, TPMDC, Rand Paul 2010, Swing State Project, RedState, MyDD, Riehl World View, Glenn Thrush's Blog, The Daily Dish, The Page, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, The Politico, Commentary, Newsweek Blogs, The Hill and The Plum Line
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 …
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
As Inhofe's Climate Bill Boycott Continues, Kerry, Graham, Lieberman Try End-Around — Colorless, odorless, invisible, deadly. GOP senators boycott Tuesday's climate bill markup. (photo via talkradionews) — James Inhofe (R-OK) appeared briefly today at a climate bill markup …
Political Punch:
Axelrod to ABC News on Voters' Economic Anxiety: “There is a Heavy Burden That Falls on the Governing Party. That's Just Something You Accept. That's Part of the Deal” — This afternoon we spoke with White House senior adviser David Axelrod about the election results.
J. Nicholas Hoover / InformationWeek:
Homeland Security Seeks New Ideas — The federal agency plans to adopt the Transportation Security Administration's IdeaFactory crowd-sourcing application to encourage brainstorming by employees. — The Department of Homeland Security is latching onto one of the Transportation Security Administration's …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Anthony Tommasini / New York Times:
Classical Music Takes Center Stage at the White House — WASHINGTON — Wednesday was classical music day at the White House. The festivities and performances were sponsored by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, created by executive order in 1982.
Discussion:
The Page
Associated Press:
AP Sources: AARP to endorse House health care bill — WASHINGTON — Officials are telling The Associated Press that AARP_the seniors' lobby_will endorse the health care overhaul bill that House Democrats are preparing to take to the floor. — Officials with knowledge of the group's decision told …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Page, Wonkette, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill, Macsmind and The Politico
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