Top Items:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WEAK KNEES KEEP SHAKING.... In Tuesday's congressional races, voters sent two more House Democrats to Congress, expanding an already-large Democratic majority on the Hill. In 2008, the electorate made a House Democratic majority bigger, and in 2009, Dems went five for five in special elections, making that majority bigger still.
Discussion:
New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog, Los Angeles Times, Prairie Weather and Eschaton
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The Politico:
‘We got walloped’ — Two big questions loom in the wake of the 2009 elections. The first is whether Barack Obama learned anything new about American voters. The second is whether American voters will soon learn something new about Obama. — For a president who likes always …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Wake up America, James Pethokoukis, Political Punch, Taylor Marsh, Commentary and The Note
Ezra Klein:
Congressional Budget Office Thrashes Republican Health-Care Plan — Republicans are learning an unpleasant lesson this morning: The only thing worse than having no health-care reform plan is releasing a bad one, getting thrashed by CBO and making the House Democrats look good in comparison.
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, Washington Monthly, American Power, New York Times, The Caucus, msnbc.com, Blogs and Stories, The Note, MoJo Blog Posts and The Page
Washington Post:
Democrats debate Obama agenda's impact on Democratic Party — Democrats on Capitol Hill began a nervous debate Wednesday about the course President Obama has set for their party, with some questioning whether they should emphasize job creation over some of the more ambitious items on the president's agenda.
Discussion:
McClatchy Washington Bureau, The Politico, Swampland, Suburban Guerrilla, Associated Press and msnbc.com
Ruy Teixeira / New York Times:
Relax, Democrats — TO hear Republicans tell it …
Relax, Democrats — TO hear Republicans tell it …
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist
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:
Washington Monthly, Think Progress, The Note, Wake up America, Raw Story, TPMDC, AMERICAblog News, George's Bottom Line and Hot Dish Politics
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Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Michele Bachmann's Capitol House Call: ‘Get Your Hands Off My Health Care!’ — Rep. Michele Bachmann's message for conservatives traveling to Washington to attend her Capitol Hill House Call event Thursday is simple: “Go into the Capitol and find members of Congress,” she told activists Wednesday night.
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:
Think Progress, The State, Wonk Room, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, The Reaction, Stop The ACLU, George's Bottom Line, Newshoggers.com and Weasel Zippers
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Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
CBO: Republican health plan would reduce premiums, cut deficit — The Congressional Budget Office Wednesday night released its cost analysis of the Republican health care plan and found that it would reduce health care premiums and cut the deficit by $68 billion over ten years.
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Douglas Elmendorf / Director's Blog:
A Preliminary Analysis of a Substitute Amendment to H.R. 3962 …
A Preliminary Analysis of a Substitute Amendment to H.R. 3962 …
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Tuesday's Suburban Vote Swing — Even a five-point shift would mean big Democratic losses in 2010. — Printer — Friendly — Tuesday's elections should put a scare into red state Democrats—and a few blue state ones, too. — Barack Obama was said to have redrawn the electoral map …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Sister Toldjah, The Greenroom and YID With LID
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Morning Fix: Courting Sarah Palin
Morning Fix: Courting Sarah Palin
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, msnbc.com, Ben Smith's Blog, Firedoglake and Conservatives4Palin.com
Adam D. Krauss / Foster's Daily Democrat:
Fresh on the heels of repeal in Maine, N.H. may reconsider gay marriage — DOVER — Now that gay marriage has been defeated in Maine, attention again shifts to New Hampshire, where lawmakers say momentum from Tuesday's vote may fuel legislation to repeal the state's law and give voters a say.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
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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.
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Senate climate bill moving without GOP — Democrats on a key Senate committee bypassed a Republican boycott and this morning approved a sweeping plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a move meant to reassure other nations as the world prepares for global warming treaty hearings next month …
Discussion:
The Politico
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
NYC Population By Borough — I forget what I was trying to prove when I started working on this chart yesterday morning, but late yesterday afternoon I realized there was a 90 percent finished visual display of data on my computer so I figured I might as well finish it:
Discussion:
Megan McArdle
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) …
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Administration missteps hamper Mideast efforts — President Obama came into office insisting that his administration would press hard and fast to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But after nine months, analysts and diplomats say, the administration's efforts have faltered in part because of its own missteps.
The Note:
Protesters Arrested at Lieberman's Office — ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports: — It is protest day, for the Left and the Right, on Capitol Hill. — First out of the gate - 8 Protesters backing a universal health care system briefly occupied Sen. Joe Lieberman's office this morning.
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.
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.
David Rogers / The Politico:
Dems want to seize historic moment — Health care is big for House Democrats: big like Social Security in the '30s and civil rights in the '60s, big like the war stories retold now in party caucuses as lawmakers grapple with the floor vote that is just days away.
Discussion:
Althouse