Democrats Outrun by a 2-Year G.O.P. Comeback Plan  —  The PowerPoint slides presented to House Republicans in January 2009 seemed incongruously optimistic at a time when the very word “hope” belonged to the newly ascendant Democrats and their incoming president, Barack Obama.

Michele Bachmann bid adds drama to the GOP leadership race  —  House Republicans look like they've largely been spared any uncomfortable leadership races as they cruise into their robust new majority, except for one little speed bump: Michele Bachmann.  —  The often fiery and always …

You think '10 was tough?  Check out '12  —  For the first time in two cycles, Democrats will have more seats up for grabs than the Republicans, and the party could see its shrunken majority erased altogether.  —  Several of the senators up for reelection came in on the 2006 Democratic wave …

34 warships sent from US for Obama visit  —  New Delhi: The White House will, of course, stay in Washington but the heart of the famous building will move to India when President Barack Obama lands in Mumbai on Saturday.  —  Communications set-up, nuclear button, a fleet of limousines …

What the Fed did and why: supporting the recovery and sustaining price stability  —  Two years have passed since the worst financial crisis since the 1930s dealt a body blow to the world economy.  Working with policymakers at home and abroad, the Federal Reserve responded with strong …

In new memoir, Bush makes clear he approved use of waterboarding  —  Human rights experts have long pressed the administration of former president George W. Bush for details of who bore ultimate responsibility for approving the simulated drownings of CIA detainees, a practice …

Governor Christie to cut 1,200 public sector jobs, saving NJ millions  —  When Governor Christie set his sights on reducing the size of government and the debt in the Garden State, he is keeping that promise.  —  The governor announced that beginning January, he'll cut 1,200 state jobs saving New Jersey taxpayers $8.8 million.

A recoil against liberalism  —  Unwilling to delay until tomorrow mistakes that could be made immediately, Democrats used 2010 to begin losing 2012.  Trying to preemptively drain the election of its dangerous (to Democrats) meaning, all autumn Democrats described the electorate as suffering a brain cramp …

The Midterms: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward  —  Now that the dust has settled on the 2010 midterm elections, it's slowly becoming clear just how monumental the results really are.  We saw an extreme left-wing agenda suffer a crushing defeat.  At the ballot box, voters took Obamacare …

Devastation: GOP Picks Up 680 State Leg.  Seats  —  While the Republican gains in the House and Senate are grabbing the most headlines, the most significant results on Tuesday came in state legislatures where Republicans wiped the floor with Democrats.  —  Republicans picked up 680 seats …

CNN Poll: Obama vs. Palin in 2012?  —  Washington (CNN) - His party got its clock cleaned in Tuesday's midterm elections, but according to a new national poll President Obama remains competitive in hypothetical 2012 presidential election matchups, especially against Sarah Palin.

Mr. Obama, It's Time for Some Poetry  —  On my blog, a Times reader named Eddie asked about President Obama: “Where is the man I voted for?”  —  “Does he ever sweat?”  Eddie continued.  “We're in desperate times and I don't see a man who is really affected by it.”

Tired of Repetitive Arguing About Climate Change, Scientist Makes a Bot to Argue For Him  —  Getting into a climate change debate on Twitter could be even more exhausting than it sounds now that a software developer named Nigel Leck has automated the process.

Ouster of Iowa Judges Sends Signal to Bench  —  DES MOINES — An unprecedented vote to remove three Iowa Supreme Court justices who were part of the unanimous decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state was celebrated by conservatives as a popular rebuke of judicial overreach …

Bill Moyers: “Welcome to the Plutocracy!”  —  Bill Moyers speech at Boston University on October 29, 2010, as a part of the Howard Zinn Lecture Series.  —  I was honored when you asked me to join in celebrating Howard Zinn's life and legacy.  I was also surprised.  I am a journalist, not a historian.

In 2012, could Dean beat Obama?  —  While today it looks impossible that anyone would challenge Obama, in politics you have to prepare for the impossible.  Russ Feingold, the Wisconsin senator who lost his reelection bid Tuesday, has been mentioned but denies interest.

It's the Ideology, Stupid  —  No doubt we'll be talking about the 2010 election for a long time, and dueling explanations for the Democrats' defeat will abound.  Although I plan to make my own contribution to this explanatory surfeit, my topic right now is more modest—to trace the contours of what actually happened on November 2.