Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Now We Can Get Congress Going — Reform the tax code, redefine ‘full time’ as working 40 hours a week, move on the Keystone XL pipeline—there are plenty of tasks ahead. — Americans have entrusted Republicans with control of both the House and Senate. We are humbled by this opportunity …
Discussion:
neo-neocon, American Prospect, Mediaite, New York Times, The Federalist, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, National Review, ABC News, Fox News, Algemeiner.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Real Clear Politics, Washington Times, Liberaland, ThinkProgress, Bloomberg View and TIME
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Ron Fournier / National Journal:
Obama Isn't Listening to Voters He Claims to Hear — “I hear you,” the president says. But he doesn't. — Shellacked and thumped by an angry electorate, President Obama declared to every American who voted in Tuesday's elections—and to those who've checked out of the political process—"I hear you."
Discussion:
Philly.com and Ed Driscoll
Townhall.com:
Obama Has Called the GOP's Bluff. What Will the House Do Next? — SHARES — If you were looking for any acknowledgment from President Obama that he bears any responsibility for the massacre Democrats suffered at the polls on Tuesday, then you were probably very disappointed in his press conference yesterday.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Federalist, Hot Air and Inside Higher Ed
The Huffington Post:
Senate Now Has Enough Votes To Pass Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Bill
Senate Now Has Enough Votes To Pass Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Bill
Discussion:
Gothamist, The Dish, New York Times and Firedoglake
Josh Lederman / Associated Press:
Obama to Ask Congress to Approve Force Against IS
Obama to Ask Congress to Approve Force Against IS
Discussion:
The Dish, Informed Comment, Bloomberg Politics and New York Magazine
Washington Post:
GOP crafts narrow agenda for new Congress, seeking unity, Democratic votes
GOP crafts narrow agenda for new Congress, seeking unity, Democratic votes
Discussion:
Hit & Run, The New Republic, New York Times, Techdirt and Hot Air
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
C-SPAN Caller On Air: ‘Republicans Hate That N***er Obama’ (VIDEO) — A man who called into C-SPAN's “Washington Journal” Thursday morning referred to President Barack Obama as “that n***er” before getting booted off the air. — The caller, who gave his name as Anthony from San Diego …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Gawker and Jezebel
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Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Barack Obama's case for himself has holes
Barack Obama's case for himself has holes
Discussion:
Hinterland Gazette and PoliticusUSA
Tom Brune / Newsday:
Steve Israel, outgoing Democratic House campaign chief, sees 2016 hope — WASHINGTON — The political climate for Democrats can only get better in 2016, said Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, on the day after Republicans swept into power in the Senate …
Discussion:
CNN, OnPolitics, The Hill, New York Times, susiemadrak.com, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, DownWithTyranny! and Washington Post
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Jonathan Topaz / Politico:
Rep. Steve Israel leaving DCCC
Rep. Steve Israel leaving DCCC
Discussion:
Truth Revolt, New York Times, Mediaite, VodkaPundit and The Cook Political Report
Libby Nelson / Vox:
Republicans now have historic majorities in state legislatures. That's a really big deal. — One Republican victory in the midterm elections has been mostly overlooked. Yes, Republicans took control of the Senate and a surprising number of governorships. But they also won a record number of state legislature seats.
Discussion:
ABC News and The PJ Tatler
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Frank Luntz / New York Times:
The Midterms Were Not a Republican Revolution — ON election night 1994, as Republicans recaptured the House for the first time in 40 years, I stood in the audience and watched my client Newt Gingrich, who would soon become speaker of the House, declare the beginning of the “Republican revolution.”
Discussion:
Gawker, PoliticusUSA and Mediaite
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Obama's claim that Obamacare has reduced health-care inflation ‘every single year’ since it was passed — “Health care inflation has gone down every single year since the law [the Affordable Care Act] passed, so that we now have the lowest increase in health care costs in 50 years …
Politico:
How to waste 10 million dollars — Embracing the irony of setting up a super PAC that would spend big money in order to fight super PACs and other groups that spend big money, Harvard professor Larry Lessig and GOP strategist Mark McKinnon went all-in on the idea voters would kick megadonors to the curb.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Gawker
Reeve Hamilton / The Texas Tribune:
What Went Wrong With Battleground Texas? … *Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout. — Battleground Texas launched in January 2013 with the goal of turning reliably red Texas into — at minimum — a purple state where Democrats could compete.
Discussion:
RedState, Betsy's Page, Washington Post and The Federalist
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Dana Milbank: Obama seems numb to this latest ‘shellacking’ of Democrats — “I hear you,” President Obama said to the voters who gave Democrats an electoral drubbing in Tuesday's midterm elections. — But their message went in one presidential ear and out the other.
Alec MacGillis / The New Republic:
Democrats Didn't Lose Governor's Races Because of a GOP Wave. They Lost Because of Bad Candidates. — I knew Democrat Anthony Brown was in trouble in the race for Maryland governor when every single voter I spoke with Tuesday—including several who voted for Barack Obama …
Hillel Italie / Associated Press:
Rare WWII Story By John Steinbeck Finally Being Published — NEW YORK (AP) — In July 1944, Orson Welles wrapped up one of his wartime radio broadcasts with a brief, emotional reading of one of the country's favorite authors, John Steinbeck. — The piece was titled “With Your Wings,” …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
CHARLES PIERCE LIVE BLOGGING: OPEN ALL NIGHT … 1:30AM — I think it was contemplating the fact that both Sam Brownback and Paul LePage both may have survived as governors that was the last straw for me tonight. Brownback has wrecked his state. Even Kansas Republicans believe that.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Mahablog, Althouse, Common Dreams and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
Ashley Killough / CNN:
Chris Christie's big moment — (CNN) — Gov. Chris Christie granted interviews to all five major news networks Wednesday morning, reveling in the thumping Republican governors gave Democrats on Election Night. — As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Christie helped raise $106 million …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway
James Oliphant / National Journal:
Face It, Obama Is a Lousy Politician — The president's skill set didn't match up well with an election that prized extremes over nuance. He paid the price. — As his party lost seats in epic fashion Tuesday in both the House and Senate, the world's most famous Democrat sat on the sidelines …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Instapundit, Hot Air, The Hill and Wall Street Journal
Ben Hubbard / New York Times:
ISIS Wave of Might Is Turning Into Ripple — BAGHDAD — The extremists of the Islamic State appeared unstoppable after their sudden blitz through Iraq this summer, with its battle-hardened fighters continually raising their black flag over newly conquered areas.
Discussion:
Hot Air, War on the Rocks and Defense One
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Kirsten Gillibrand not interested in DSCC chairmanship — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has no interest in leading Senate Democrats' campaign to take back the majority on 2016, an aide said on Wednesday morning. — Senate Democrats woke up on Wednesday morning with one silver lining …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo