The Meaning of Yesterday's Defeat  —  Yesterday was a comprehensive disaster.  Here in Minnesota, to add a local perspective, not only did the state go for Obama-no surprise there-but the Democrats recaptured both houses of the legislature, and voters defeated two ballot initiatives, one on gay marriage and one on voter ID.

Conservatives lambast Romney, vow to take over Republican Party  —  Conservative leaders on Wednesday lashed out at Mitt Romney, saying his attempts to paint himself as a moderate and hide his principles cost him the presidency.  —  They vowed to wage a war to put the Tea Party in charge …

Reid moves to limit GOP filibusters  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he will try to push through a change to Senate rules that would limit the GOP's ability to filibuster bills.  —  Speaking in the wake of Tuesday's election, which boosted Senate Democrats' numbers slightly …

How Conservative Media Lost to the MSM and Failed the Rank and File  —  Nate Silver was right.  His ideological antagonists were wrong.  And that's just the beginning of the right's self-created information disadvantage.  —  Before rank-and-file conservatives ask, “What went wrong?” …

Why I Was Wrong  —  I've got egg on my face.  I predicted a Romney landslide and, instead, we ended up with an Obama squeaker.  —  The key reason for my bum prediction is that I mistakenly believed that the 2008 surge in black, Latino, and young voter turnout would recede in 2012 to “normal” levels.

GOP retakes state Senate and full control of state government  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Republicans recaptured the state Senate on Tuesday, once again giving them the complete control of state government that they used to enact sweeping changes in the last legislative session.

Boehner opens door to ‘new revenue,’ to halt debt  —  Video: Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) addressed the fiscal cliff and the national debt after President Obama's reelection.  Boehner said Republicans are willing to accept new revenue.  —  Republicans are “willing to accept new revenue” …

Why Mitt Romney Lost: A Simple, Overriding Theory  —  If last night proved anything, it's that no serious political party in America can win an election by suppressing votes.  —  Philip Andrews/Reuters  —  Mitt Romney lost because he was too conservative.  Mitt Romney lost because he wasn't conservative enough.

Hippies Wander Into the Lions' Den, Maul Lions  —  Let us review:  — The United States of America — a country where only eight years ago, opposition to the right of gay and lesbian couples to form and protect their families, under the color of law, was a winning national election strategy …

Fordham Study: Public Policy Polling Deemed Most Accurate National Pollster In 2012  —  Fordham University has published a ranking of the most accurate pollsters of the 2012 in terms of national trends, and (both) top spots were held by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, the North Carolina-based firm.

In a Nation of Children, Santa Claus Wins  —  RUSH: Hey, any of you guys in there want to come sit in my chair today?  Anybody?  Nobody wants to come sit in my chair here?  None of you?  I mean, I'm giving you a golden opportunity to speak to, what, 50 million people.  —  (interruption)

Nate Silver-Led Statistics Men Crush Pundits in Election  —  Nate Silver was right.  The Gallup Poll was wrong.  —  Silver, the computer expert who gave Obama a 90 percent chance of winning re-election, predicted on his blog, FiveThirtyEight (for the number of seats in the Electoral College) …

Mendacity and Malice Won  —  What happened?  A political narcissistic sociopath leveraged fear and ignorance with a campaign marked by mendacity and malice rather than a mandate for resurgence and reform.  Instead of using his high office to articulate a vision for our future …

Inside the Secret World of Data Crunchers Who Helped Obama Win  —  “The cave” at President Obama's Election headquarters in Chicago  —  In late spring, the backroom number crunchers who had powered Barack Obama's campaign to victory noticed that George Clooney had an almost gravitational tug on West Coast females ages 40 to 49.

Morning in America  —  This country has truly changed, and I believe there will be no going back.  Hate lost yesterday.  That is amazing in and of itself.  And all the women who were elected last night!  A total rebuke of Neanderthal attitudes.  —  Now the real work begins.

The Long Game  —  Three areas the Right should address, financially and intellectually  —  Life is short, said Hippocrates, but art is long.  There is a practical corollary to that great truth: elections are won and lost in the politics of the moment, but it's the culture that makes the nation.

‘Unskewed’ Pollster: ‘Nate Silver Was Right, And I Was Wrong’  —  Dean Chambers, the man who garnered praise from the right and notoriety on the left for his “Unskewed Polling” site, admitted today that his method was flawed.  —  “Nate Silver was right, and I was wrong,” Chambers said in a phone interview.

Man behind anti-Muslim film sentenced to prison  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East was sentenced Wednesday to a year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter, then issued a provocative statement through his attorney.

Colorado and Washington Have Legalized Marijuana.  What Now?  —  As Mike Riggs noted earlier tonight, voters have approved marijuana legalization measures in Colorado and Washington—an unprecedented change that could help lead our country away from the unjust, cruel …

Puerto Rico Statehood Vote Wins Largest Share And Governor Luis Fortuno Concedes Defeat … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, Latino Politics, Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rico Governor, Puerto Rico Status Vote, Hispanic Heritage, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Election Results 2012, Puerto Rico Statehood …

Yes, Obama Won a Mandate  —  Four more years.  Four more years.  Four more years ... of what?  —  That's pretty much the way the political conversation went Tuesday night, at least based on what I saw on television.  Just minutes after the networks declared President Obama the winner …

Pollster Predictive Performance, 51 out of 51 … Elections 2012 , Pollster , Electoral College , Nate Silver , Obama Romney Polls , Obama Polls , Election Predictions , Polls , Pollster Analysis , Win-Probability , Politics News  —  The morning after a good night for the predictions we made with my poll-averaging model...

The Sasha And Malia Obama Aging Timeline  —  Watch them grow up before your eyes.  —  August 2004.  —  Source: Getty Images  —  November 2004.  —  Source: Getty Images  —  November 2004.  —  Source: Getty Images  —  January 2005.  —  Source: Getty Images  —  View Entire List ›

Don't Lose Heart  —  America, don't lose heart.  This election is not an “Obama mandate,” nor is it a rejection of conservatism.  Unanswered ads like this one running in blue collar swing states defined Romney early on, and the Obama media also piled on with the narrative that Romney would harm the middle class.