Look who's weeping. You'll get over it
On Nov 3, 11:55 am, Tommy News <[email protected]> wrote: > Orange John Boehner weeps, Democrats Keep Senate > > Restive Voters Divide Power in Congress as G.O.P. Surges to Control of House > > Stephen Crowley/The New York Times > John A. Boehner, the House Republican leader, in an emotional moment > during a victory gathering for the National Republican Congressional > Committee in Washington. More Photos » > > By JEFF ZELENY and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN > Published: November 3, 2010 > Twitter > comments (188) > Sign In to E-Mail > > Print > > Single Page > > Reprints > > Share > CloseLinkedinDiggMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalink Republicans captured > control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday and expanded their > voice in the Senate, as discontented voters, frustrated about the > nation’s continuing economic woes, turned sharply against President > Obama just two years after catapulting him into the White House. > > Results: Senate | House @thecaucus on Twitter > NYT Politics on Facebook > Multimedia > > What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind? > Slide Show > The House Races > Slide Show > The Senate Races > Slide Show > Voters Turn Out for Midterm Elections > Related > News Analysis: In Republican Victories, Tide Turns Starkly (November 3, 2010) > In House Victories, Republicans Oust Old and New Democrats Alike > (November 3, 2010) > G.O.P. Makes Gains Toward Narrowing the Gap in the Senate (November 3, 2010) > A Victorious Paul Vows to Stick to Message (November 3, 2010) > Rubio Continues Quick Rise in G.O.P. With Win in Florida Senate Race > (November 3, 2010) > Obama Is Expected to Urge Cooperation on Economy and an End to Vitriol > (November 3, 2010) > Many Voters Find Little Comfort on Ballot (November 3, 2010) > Reports of Intimidation and Electronic Problems Surface at Polls > Across the U.S. (November 3, 2010) > Related in Opinion > Evan Bayh: Where Do Democrats Go Next? (November 3, 2010) > Maureen Dowd: Republican Party Time (November 3, 2010) > Editorial: Election 2010 (November 3, 2010) > Blogs > The Caucus > The latest news on the new Congress and midterm election races from > around the nation. Election Night Live Blog » > FiveThirtyEight > On his blog, Nate Silver provides continuing > analysis of the election results as they come in. Election Night Live Blog » > Readers' Comments > Share your thoughts. > Post a Comment » > Read All Comments (188) » > Mr. Obama now faces the prospect of shared government in Washington > for the balance of his term, and the unusual balancing act that comes > with a divided Congress. > > While leaders of both parties are promising to cooperate, the > prospects of bipartisanship are dicey — especially with the 2012 > presidential election on the immediate horizon. > > Republicans are already strongly positioned to win control of the > Senate in 2012, when Democrats will be forced to defend 23 seats > compared to just 10 for Republican incumbents, potentially limiting > the party’s incentive to compromise. And the issues facing the nation > in the months ahead are hugely divisive, including a debate over the > expiring Bush-era tax cuts and efforts to address the long-term fiscal > problems, possibly by making big changes to Social Security and > Medicare. > > Receiving a congratulatory phone call from Mr. Obama after midnight, > the likely speaker, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, told the > president that his top priority would be to create jobs and cut > spending, aides said. But the parties have disagreed fiercely over how > to accomplish such goals. > > At a news conference Wednesday morning at the Capitol, Mr. Boehner > said Republicans would begin laying the groundwork for spending cuts > and for repealing the health care law. > > “The American people have concerns about government takeover of health > care,” Mr. Boehner said. “I think it’s important for us to lay the > groundwork before we begin to repeal this monstrosity.” > > Overall, however, voters did not express any clear policy preferences > that might help direct lawmakers. > > They indiscriminately ousted Democratic incumbents who loyally > supported Mr. Obama’s agenda, including the health care law, as well > as lawmakers who carved their own path by voting against the president > and the party leadership. > > In surveys outside polling places, 39 percent of votes said reducing > the budget deficit should be the top priority for the next Congress, > while nearly as many said the first order of business should be job > creation. Just 19 percent said the top priority should be cutting > taxes. > > Voters were divided over the question of extending the Bush-era tax > cuts for everyone, as most Republican lawmakers advocate, or letting > the rates expire on income above $250,000 for couples and $200,000 for > individuals as Democratic leaders have proposed. > > For Mr. Obama’s fellow Democrats, who won majorities in the House and > Senate in 2006, the election results were a punishing defeat. > Republicans picked up at least 60 seats, surpassing their gains in the > so-called Republican Revolution of 1994, and making it the largest > sweep of House races since 1948. In the Senate, Republicans nabbed at > least six seats, a more modest gain. The Republican resurgence, > propelled by deep economic worries and a forceful opposition to the > Democratic agenda of health care and stimulus spending, delivered > defeats to House Democrats from the Northeast to the South and across > the Midwest. > > A number of ousted incumbents were centrists, including fiscal hawks > in the Blue Dog Coalition, leaving the Democratic caucuses not only > diminished but more liberal. > > Still, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, narrowly > prevailed and his party hung on to control by winning hard-fought > contests in California, Connecticut, Delaware and West Virginia. > > Republicans picked up at least six Democratic seats, including the one > formerly held by Mr. Obama, and the party will welcome Marco Rubio of > Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky to their ranks, two candidates who > were initially shunned by the establishment but beloved by the Tea > Party movement. In an early morning appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, > Mr. Reid said it was time for the parties to cooperate. “The message > to America today is that we’ve got to start working together,” he > said. “The only way we can have progress is by working together. If > that means legislative compromise, we’ve got to do that.” > > Republicans won at least 60 seats, surpassing the 52 seats the party > won in the sweep of 1994. > > The most expensive midterm election campaign in the nation’s history, > fueled by a raft of contributions from outside interest groups and > millions in donations to candidates in both parties, played out across > a wide battleground that stretched from Alaska to Maine. > > The Republican tide swept into statehouse races, too, with Democrats > poised to lose the majority of governorships, particularly those in > majorpresidential swing states, like Ohio, where Gov. Ted Strickland > was defeated. > > Republicans picked up governorships in at least eight states, and > Democrats lost at least nine, as Lincoln Chafee, a former Republican > senator, was elected governor of Rhode Island as an independent. > > One after another, once-unassailable Democrats like Senator Russ > Feingold of Wisconsin, Representatives Ike Skelton of Missouri, John > Spratt of South Carolina, Rick Boucher of Virginia and Chet Edwards of > Texas fell to little-known Republican challengers. > > “Voters sent a message that change has not happened fast enough,” said > Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. > > The outcome of Senate races in Colorado, Washington and Alaska was > uncertain, and could remain so for days, as mail-in and write-in > ballots were tabulated. Republican and Democratic lawyers were > preparing for potential recounts in nine House district, but the > results would not change the Republican conquest. > > The future plans of the House Democratic leadership, beyond a > lame-duck session of the current Congress that is set to begin on Nov. > 15, were also not immediately clear. > > The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, did not immediately say > whether she would retire from Congress after losing the speakership or > serve out the new term she won on Tuesday. > > But in a statement about the election results, she was resolute in > defending the policies of her caucus — despite the evident voter > backlash — and she said Democrats had saved the nation from economic > disaster. > > Results: Senate | House @thecaucus on Twitter > NYT Politics on Facebook > Multimedia > > What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind? > Slide Show > The House Races > Slide Show > The Senate Races > Slide Show > Voters Turn Out for Midterm Elections > Related > News Analysis: In Republican Victories, Tide Turns Starkly (November 3, 2010) > In House Victories, Republicans Oust Old and New Democrats Alike > (November 3, 2010) > G.O.P. Makes Gains Toward Narrowing the Gap in the Senate (November 3, 2010) > A Victorious Paul Vows to Stick to Message (November 3, 2010) > Rubio Continues Quick Rise in G.O.P. With Win in Florida Senate Race > (November 3, 2010) > Obama Is Expected to Urge Cooperation on Economy and an End to Vitriol > (November 3, 2010) > Many Voters Find Little Comfort on Ballot (November 3, 2010) > Reports of Intimidation and Electronic Problems Surface at Polls > Across the U.S. (November 3, 2010) > Related in Opinion > Evan Bayh: Where Do Democrats Go Next? (November 3, 2010) > Maureen Dowd: Republican Party Time (November 3, 2010) > Editorial: Election 2010 (November 3, 2010) > Blogs > The Caucus > The latest news on the new Congress and midterm election races from > around the nation. Election Night Live Blog » > FiveThirtyEight > On his blog, Nate Silver provides continuing > analysis of the election results as they come in. Election Night Live Blog » > Readers' Comments > Share your thoughts. > Post a Comment » > Read All Comments (188) » > “Over the last four years, the Democratic majority in the House took > courageous action on behalf of America’s middle class to create jobs > and save the country from the worst economic catastrophe since the > Great Depression,” Ms. Pelosi said, adding: > > “The outcome of the election does not diminish the work we have done > for the American people. We must all strive to find common ground to > support the middle class, create jobs, reduce the deficit and move our > nation forward.” > > Republicans did not achieve a perfect evening, losing races in several > states they had once hoped to win, including the Senate contests in > Delaware and Connecticut, because some candidates supported by the Tea > Party movement knocked out establishment candidates to win their > nominations. > > But Republicans did score notable victories in some tight races, like > the Pennsylvania Senate contest, where former Representative Pat > Toomey defeated Representative Joe Sestak for the seat now held by > Arlen Specter, the Republican-turned-Democrat. > > The outcome on Tuesday was nothing short of a remarkable comeback for > Republicans two years after they suffered a crushing defeat in the > White House and four years after Democrats swept control of the House > and Senate. > > It gives the party substantial leverage in terms of policy, posing new > challenges to Mr. Obama as he faces a tough two years in his term, but > also for Republicans — led by Mr. Boehner — as he suddenly finds > himself in a position of responsibility, rather than being simply the > outsider. > > In the House, Republicans found victories in most corners of the > country, including five seats each in New York, Pennsylvania, and > Ohio, at least three in Illinois, three in Florida, Tennessee and > Virginia and two each in Arkansas, Colorado and Mississippi. > > Throughout the evening, in race after race, Republican challengers > defeated Democratic incumbents, despite being at significant > fund-raising disadvantages. > > Republican-oriented independent groups invariably came to the rescue, > helping level of the playing field, including in Florida’s 24th > Congressional District, in which Sandy Adams defeated Representative > Suzanne Kosmas; Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, where Mr. > Boucher, a 14-term incumbent, lost to Morgan Griffith; and Texas’s > 17th Congressional District, in which Mr. Edwards, who was seeking his > 11th term, succumbed to Bill Flores. > > Democrats argued that the Republican triumph was far from complete, > particularly in the Senate, pointing to the preservation of Mr. Reid, > and other races. > > In Delaware, Chris Coons defeated Christine O’Donnell, whose candidacy > became a symbol of the unorthodox political candidates swept onto the > ballot in Republican primary contests. Ms. O’Donnell, speaking on CNN > on Wednesday morning called her loss a “symptom of Republican > cannibalism.” She blamed the commentator Karl Rove, formerly President > George W. Bush’s senior strategist, and other party leaders for not > uniting behind her campaign. > > But mainstream Republicans could just as easily blame unsuccessful Tea > Party candidates for costing them a shot at winning control of the > Senate. > > In West Virginia, Gov. Joe Manchin III, a Democrat, prevailed over an > insurgent Republican rival to fill the seat held for a half-century by > Senator Robert C. Byrd. And in California, Senator Barbara Boxer > turned back a vigorous challenge from Carly Fiorina, a Republican. > > But Democrats conceded that their plans to increase voter turnout did > not meet expectations, party strategists said, and extraordinary > efforts that Mr. Obama made in the final days of the campaign appeared > to have borne little fruit. > > The president flew to Charlottesville, Va., on Friday evening, for > instance, in hopes of rallying Democrats to support Representative Tom > Perriello, a freshman who supported every piece of the > administration’s agenda, but he was defeated despite the president’s > appeals to Democrats in a state that he carried two years ago. > > In governors’ races, Republicans won several contests in the nation’s middle. > > They held onto governorships in Texas, Nebraska and South Dakota, and > had seized seats now occupied by Democrats in Tennessee, Michigan and > Kansas. Sam Brownback, a United States Senator and Republican, easily > took the Kansas post that Mark Parkinson, a former Republican turned > Democrat, is leaving behind. > > Before the election, Democrats held 26 governors’ seats compared to 24 > for the Republicans, As of Wednesday morning, Republicans controlled > 26, and Democrats just 14, with 9 races still undecided.. > > In New York, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, the Democrat, easily > defeated the Republican, Carl P. Paladino, even as Republicans were > expected to pick up seats in the state legislature and the > congressional delegation. In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick won a > second term. > > As the election results rolled in, with Republicans picking up > victories shortly after polls closed in states across the South, East > and the Midwest, the House speaker, Ms. Pelosi, and other party > leaders made urgent appeals through television interviews that there > was still time for voters in other states to cast their ballots. > > But the mood in Democratic quarters was glum, with few early signs of > optimism in House or Senate races that were called early in the > evening. Surveys that were conducted with voters across the country > also provided little sense of hope for Democrats, with Republicans > gaining a majority of independents, college-educated people and > suburbanites — all groups that were part of the coalition of voters > who supported Mr. Obama two years ago. > > Results: Senate | House @thecaucus on Twitter > NYT Politics on Facebook > Multimedia > > What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind? > Slide Show > The House Races > Slide Show > The Senate Races > Slide Show > Voters Turn Out for Midterm Elections > Related > News Analysis: In Republican Victories, Tide Turns Starkly (November 3, 2010) > In House Victories, Republicans Oust Old and New Democrats Alike > (November 3, 2010) > G.O.P. Makes Gains Toward Narrowing the Gap in the Senate (November 3, 2010) > A Victorious Paul Vows to Stick to Message (November 3, 2010) > Rubio Continues Quick Rise in G.O.P. With Win in Florida Senate Race > (November 3, 2010) > Obama Is Expected to Urge Cooperation on Economy and an End to Vitriol > (November 3, 2010) > Many Voters Find Little Comfort on Ballot (November 3, 2010) > Reports of Intimidation and Electronic Problems Surface at Polls > Across the U.S. (November 3, 2010) > Related in Opinion > Evan Bayh: Where Do Democrats Go Next? (November 3, 2010) > Maureen Dowd: Republican Party Time (November 3, 2010) > Editorial: Election 2010 (November 3, 2010) > Blogs > The Caucus > The latest news on the new Congress and midterm election races from > around the nation. Election Night Live Blog » > FiveThirtyEight > On his blog, Nate Silver provides continuing > analysis of the election results as they come in. Election Night Live Blog » > Readers' Comments > Share your thoughts. > Post a Comment » > Read All Comments (188) » > “We’ve come to take our government back,” Mr. Paul told cheering > supporters who gathered in Bowling Green, Ky. “They say that the U.S. > Senate is the world’s most deliberative body. I’m going to ask them to > deliberate on this: The American people are unhappy with what’s going > on in Washington.” > > In an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” on Wednesday Mr. Paul > also promised collegiality. “I’m not afraid to point out hypocrisy but > I’m also a fairly pleasant guy,” he said. > > The election was a referendum on President Obama and the Democratic > agenda, according to interviews with voters that were conducted for > the National Election Pool, a consortium of television networks and > The Associated Press, with a wide majority of the electorate saying > that the country was seriously off track. Nearly nine in 10 voters > said they were worried about the economy and about 4 in 10 said their > family’s situation had worsened in the last two years. > > The surveys found that voters were even more dissatisfied with > Congress now than they were in 2006, when Democrats reclaimed control > from the Republicans. Preliminary results also indicated an electorate > far more conservative than four years ago, a sign of stronger turnout > by people leaning toward Republicans. > > Most voters said they believed Mr. Obama’s policies would hurt the > country in the long run, rather than help it, and a large share of > voters said they supported the Tea Party movement, which has backed > insurgent candidates all across the country. > > The Republican winds began blowing back in January when Democrats lost > the seat long held by Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, with > the victory of Scott P. Brown serving as a motivating force for the > budding Tea Party movement and a burst of inspiration for Republican > candidates across the country to step forward and challenge Democrats > everywhere. > > On Tuesday, the president did not leave the grounds of the White > House, taking a respite from days of campaigning across the country, > so he could meet with a circle of top advisers to plot a way forward > for his administration and his own looming re-election campaign. > > The White House said Mr. Obama would hold a news conference on > Wednesday to address the governing challenges that await the new > Congress. > > “My hope is that I can cooperate with Republicans,” Mr. Obama said in > a radio interview on Tuesday. “But obviously, the kinds of compromises > that will be made depends on what Capitol Hill looks like — who’s in > charge.” > > But even as the president was poised to offer a fresh commitment to > bipartisanship, he spent the final hours of the midterm campaign > trying to persuade Democrats in key states to take time to vote. From > the Oval Office, Mr. Obama conducted one radio interview after > another, urging black voters in particular to help preserve the > party’s majority and his agenda. > > “How well I’m able to move my agenda forward over the next couple of > years is going to depend on folks back home having my back,” Mr. Obama > said in an interview with the Chicago radio station WGCI, in which he > made an unsuccessful appeal for voters to keep his former Senate seat > in Democratic hands. > > There was little Democratic terrain across the country that seemed > immune to Republican encroachment, with many of the most competitive > races being waged in states that Mr. Obama carried strongly only two > years ago. From the president’s home state of Illinois to neighboring > Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio — all places that were kind to the > Democratic ticket in 2008 — Republicans worked aggressively to find > new opportunities. > > For all the drama surrounding the final day of the midterm campaign, > more than 19 million Americans had voted before Tuesday, a trend that > has grown with each election cycle over the last decade, as 32 states > now offer a way for voters to practice democracy in far more > convenient ways than simply waiting in line on Election Day. > > More:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/us/politics/04elect.html?pagewanted... > > -- > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. > Have a great day, > Tommy -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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