There may not have been a James Stewart or Julius Caesar elected to the Senate, but Arkansas’ Pulaski County is allowing us to live out one huckleberry fantasy. Sure, the spelling isn’t quite on and “Doc” is a sort of nickname for incumbent Democrat Charles Holladay, but the name was legitimate enough to make its [...]
Adam makes a good point about the effect of potential Tea Party challenges on voting behavior over the next two years. But it’s worth stepping back to assess the Tea Party’s performance last night. Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle went down hours ago, Ken Buck was recently declared the loser in Colorado, and now Joe [...]
In the wake of last night’s election, President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have both said they’re open to “tweaks” of the Affordable Care Act, but don’t think they have any interest in fundamentally changing the law. Obama said today he thinks the 1099 provisions for small business in the ACA are too [...]
From 2004 through 2008, Democrats racked up state-legislature seats in three straight cycles, gaining 55% of all seats and control of 60 legislative chambers. So the thumping they took in statehouses around the U.S. last night was partly a function of their own recent successes. Not that it softens the blow. Republicans captured a majority [...]
Dave Weigel makes the point that the Tea Party’s success or failure should be judged not just on whom they get elected (or don’t), but to what degree they are able to influence sitting Senators with the specter of a primary challenge. John McCain is a test case in how to survive: plunge right and [...]
I’d say there was something remarkable about Majority Leader Harry Reid’s victory Tuesday night. I’d say it was a race he shouldn’t have won. That his dismal approval ratings in Nevada suggested a potted plant could have bested him. That he mercilessly bludgeoned Sharron Angle’s numerous follies and foibles until she was somehow more unelectable [...]
In 2006 and 2008 Democrats wiped out every New England House Republican and with the departure (from the Party and then the Senate) of Vermont’s Jim Jeffords, and John Sununu and Lincoln Chafee’s losses at the polls, GOP senators looked endangered as well. Pundits talked about how New England was turning permanently blue and how [...]
Heading into the elections, John Boehner didn’t want to have a victory party. “This is not a time for celebration. Not when one in 10 of our fellow citizens are out of work. Not when we have buried our children under a mountain of debt. Not when our Congress is held in such low esteem,” [...]
As Scherer points out, Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO, spent almost $142 million on her bid to become the next governor of California. But her historically expensive attempt seems to have fallen short. (A quick moment to consider what she could have bought with that money: a 222-acre Bahamian island, a goat for every person [...]
