Rove's On-Air Rebuttal of Fox's Ohio Vote Call Raises Questions About His Role  —  It was 11:13 p.m. on Tuesday, the moment that Fox News had called Ohio for President Obama.  Karl Rove stood just off camera, his phone glued to his ear.  On the other end was a senior Romney campaign official …

Life after defeat for Mitt Romney: Public praise, private questions  —  BOSTON — Mitt Romney began his retreat from public life Wednesday at a private breakfast gathering with a couple hundred of his most loyal and affluent campaign benefactors.  The former Massachusetts governor …

Vegas Employer: Obama Won, So I Fired 22 Employees  —  LAS VEGAS (CBS Las Vegas) — A Las Vegas business owner with 114 employees fired 22 workers today, apparently as a direct result of President Obama's re-election.  —  “David” (he asked to remain anonymous for obvious reasons) …

Make a deficit deal now  —  Erskine Bowles, who served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, was co-chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.  —  The American people spoke on Tuesday, and they voted for a continuation of divided government.

Vice President Joe Biden to guest on ‘Parks and Recreation’ — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO  —  Next week's episode of Parks and Recreation is going to have a VIP: the VP.  —  Joe Biden — yes, the very guy who was re-elected Vice President of the United States less than 24 hours ago …

Romneyworld reckoning begins  —  BOSTON — Advisers to Mitt Romney insisted Wednesday that they were surprised by the scale of their loss to President Barack Obama, while big-time GOP donors griped about the campaign's unflinching confidence in the final stretch.

Obama's Victory Presents G.O.P. With Demographic Test  —  A couple of decades ago, Prince William County was one of the mostly white, somewhat rural, far-flung suburbs where Republican candidates went to accumulate the votes to win elections in Virginia.  —  Since then, Prince William has been transformed.

The Case of the Missing White Voters  —  One of the more intriguing narratives for election 2012 was proposed by political scientist Brendan Nyhan fairly early on: that it was “Bizarro 2004.”  The parallels to that year certainly were eerie: An incumbent adored by his base …

Boeing Announces Big Layoffs in Defense Division  —  Boeing announced a major restructuring of its defense division on Wednesday that will cut 30 percent of management jobs from 2010 levels, close facilities in California and consolidate several business units to cut costs.  —  The company [BA Loading...

We Forget  —  There is no permanence in politics.  All is fleeting.  All is cyclical.  We find comfort in our cycle and distress when others rise to the top.  —  Right now, conservatives are bitterly disappointed.  Some choose to check out mentally.  Some have decided to throw in the towel.

GOP civil war: Herman Cain calls for third party  —  As the GOP fights itself in the wake of Mitt Romney's loss, calls for a third party emerge  —  It's been less than 24 hours since the polls closed and already the first shots in an emerging civil war within the conservative movement are being fired.

Obama supporters celebrate: No more Israel; kill those motherf***ers  —  Obama supporters out celebrating his win on election night gathered on State Street Tuesday evening.  I asked one man why he was celebrating Obama, and what that meant to him.  He said, “It really means to me …

Republican Reckoning Begins After Revealing Defeat … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Barack Obama , Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Natural Disasters, Republican Party, Video, Ground Game, Turnout, Politics News  —  BOSTON — Republican Party leaders on Wednesday began picking …

Little to Show for Cash Flood by Big Donors  —  At the private air terminal at Logan Airport in Boston early Wednesday, men in unwrinkled suits sank into plush leather chairs as they waited to board Gulfstream jets, trading consolations over Mitt Romney's loss the day before.

Sneed exclusive: Jesse Jackson Jr. in plea deal talks with feds: sources  —  Sneed has learned U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who handily won re-election Tuesday despite a lengthy stay at Mayo Clinic for depression and bipolar disorder, is in the midst of plea discussions with the feds probing his alleged misuse of campaign funds.

Last of ballots being counted by Miami-Dade; results expected by afternoon  —  Long voting lines in South Florida drew criticism, but nowhere was worse than Miami-Dade.  Mayor Carlos Gimenez acknowledged some problems, and ordered a review.  —  CMORGAN@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Karl Rove's election nightmare: Super PAC's spending was nearly for naught  —  Karl Rove was the political genius of the George W. Bush era — the architect of the last Republican president's two electoral victories.  But this week, he may have had the worst election night of anybody in American politics.

Blue reign in Sacramento: Democrats dominate California voting  —  The Democrats' historic gains position them for unchecked power in the form of two-thirds majorities in both houses.  —  Gov. Jerry Brown could have two-thirds Democratic majorities in both houses of California's Legislature.

Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles launch new effort  —  The Campaign to Fix the Debt, founded by Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson, on Thursday will announce a dramatic increase in its drive to mobilize corporate and grass-roots support for Congress to make tough choices on the rising federal debt …

Chris Matthews' ode to joy  —  Is there a smaller, more unprincipled man in the national political debate than Chris Matthews of MSNBC?  —  No, there is not.  —  Bereft of decency and devoid of soul, what mattered most for Matthews is that his candidate — in this case, President Obama — somehow was boosted over the top.

Slash the 'Stache!  —  The Goal: To raise the cash  —  David Axelrod's mustache is safe... for now.  President Obama won PA, MI, and MN.  —  But that famous mustache is on the line again.  David has promised to shave it, this time in support of another of his favorite causes - epilepsy research.

BAD SIGN: FEMA office on Staten Island closes ‘due to weather’  —  Looks as if FEMA is just a fair- weather friend.  —  Yesterday's nor'easter proved too much for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's aid location in Tottenville, SI — which hung a sign reading “Closed due to weather” as the wintery storm blew into town.