A Different Big Accomplishment

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I think it's rather obvious that where you're going is either:

A: Trump caucusing with the Democrats

B. Lieberman switching parties

One of those is LOL NOPE.

The other.........uh, you're not really on the exact right track, but you're not necessarily completely wrong.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Olbermann: We're back, and we're looking at Donald Trump Headquarters here. As you can see, a lively scene there as that extremely close race rages on. We will let you know as soon as Suffolk and Dutchess decide the next Senator from New York. Of course, Gillibrand headquarters are empty, you saw Campaign Manager Jess Fassler, before the break, telling people to go home, that the campaign would be making no final statement tonight.

We're also awaiting a victory speech from Senator Harry Reid, who against a lot of people's expectations, held on over Sharron Angle, and in doing so clinched the majority for the Democrats. Ed Schultz continues to be positioned there and joins us once again.

Schultz: Thank you, Keith. I just spoke with the Secretary of State a few moments ago and I have some numbers to share. We're very close in Nevada to 400,000 early votes, That is extremely high. I said, you know, Sharron Angle, she has never given a concession speech in her life, will she ask for a recount? He said, well, we use electronic machines, so that's not going to be able to be recounted, all the paper ballots can be counted, but the process is, after the canvassing on the 22nd, the republicans would have to pay for a recount in each of the 17 counties. Highly Unlikely, but this is still, pretty close, and just to play out that scenario, that's where it is. We're told Harry Reid will be out to speak shortly on his projected victory.

Let me talk a bit about the efforts of organized Labor. It's been a rough night at the office. They didn't deliver in Pennsylvania. They didn't deliver in Ohio. They may not have been able to deliver in Illinois, we'll see. Russ Feingold is gone. Harry Reid survived, yes, but overall this has anything but a strong victory for organized Labor. The Republicans may have an opportunity to capture these sorts of voters as a result. You know, Michele Bachmann, she held a victory party tonight, but it wasn't even in her district, it was over in the 3rd district, maybe she ought to create jobs in her own district if she wants to boost her presidential prospects in 2 years. Bachmann went out and raised 11 million dollars, she is certainly a national player to compete with Christie and Romney and whoever else may run.

Going back to John Boehner earlier, he was emotional, which I think is going to connect with a lot of people. When you want something so bad, and you achieve it, you can get emotional. It shows that he's got a pulse. But again, Boehner's going to have come back and work with a President, and a Democratic Majority in the Senate, and create jobs. And that does not stand consistent with some of the comments that he has made. Just in recent interviews, this is no time to compromise, we've gotta stick with our principles, just like he said earlier tonight, effectively, 'tea partiers I will not abandon you'. So, will the real John Boehner please stand up? Who are you going to cater to? The Tea-Partiers? Or will you actually go into the oval office and say to the President: 'No more Obstruction, I'll create jobs with you'. Because the tea partiers, they want Obama to be a one-term president, and the Minority Leader in the Senate has said just that.

Olbermann: Thank you, Ed Schultz. We'll of course come back to you when Mr. Reid takes the stage. But John Boehner, he is the sort of guy who will cry at a supermarket opening. That was not an isolated event earlier this evening. Lawrence?

O'Donnell: Well, you know, when someone captures the Speakership, they feel the weight of that office. This is a guy who grew up, one of 12 children, the first in his family to go to college. I mean, I don't agree with him on a single policy objective he wants, but I think we saw on screen, that realization, that he is going to be the Speaker. He'll have the responsibility of that gavel, the incredible weight.

Madddow: Well, there's a distance between you guys I think I can fill here. John Boehner does cry a lot. It is part of what makes him an appealing political figure. But he was famous you know, for weeping openly on the House Floor, begging Republicans to vote for TARP. And he's now out there building his speakership. And part of the way he will continue to do it is through his weeping as it is necessary.

Matthews: And you know, there's a long tradition of people like that, and they're not all rich people.

Olbermann: I was the first member in 120 years to go to college and I never weeped.

Matthews: Well, I think he was talking about what he had to do to get where he got, and he certainly has surpassed some hardships.

O'Donnell: J.C. Watts knocked him out of the Leadership back in 1998, he fought his career was done, he roared back, and I actually didn't know he was that much of a weeper with the TARP thing there so I will have to adjust my thinking.

Maddow: And he told Politico today, "New Republicans, like me, aren't professional politicians.". Well, before he got into congress, he was in the state legislature. But somehow, he wasn't a professional politician there. He's out there giving some speech making him sound like he's the dishwasher in a bar, but the reality is he's been in elective office for 26 years, predating his time in the House and he cries frequently to get people to do things. So yes, he cries a lot, but I don't think it makes people see him as a non-politician.

Olbermann: Let me duck in a call here, no it's not in one of the two senate races left, but still, we can now project that in the State of Minnesota the Democrats have picked up the Governorship there!

89% in: Dayton 45%, Emmer 41%, Horner 13%

Final:

Dayton (D): 44.4%
Emmer (R): 41.8%
Horner (I): 12.4%
Others: 1.4%

Republicans: 30 (+6)
Democrats: 17 (-8)
Independents: 2 (+2)

And let me just say, Harry Reid, scheduled to speak soon, and he better not cry, he better not pout. Because, uh, that lane has been taken.

Moving on, one thing that Ed Schultz said earlier, Chris Christie, is he a dark horse contender for the 2012 nomination?

Robinson: Well, he could be, but he said he's not gonna run. I mean he made a pretty declarative statement.

Olbermann: Yes, and might he not wear well in his current position. Because one thing, is as Paterson in New York discovered, when you have to govern, and that comes with cutting an enormous amount of Money out of the state budget, people take it personally, and blame you regardless of fault.

O'Donnell: The only situation where I think Christie comes up is if the Republicans have nobody else. That's when you start going through those types of people. 'Well, we've got nothing, what about the guy whose been governor for a few weeks, what about him?', and the Republicans may not want to display they are at that level even if they are.

Matthews: But Lawrence, at least he named one thing he'd cut. That Tunnel!

Olbermann: So when you guys look at the Republican race, who looks like the frontrunner? Is it Romney? Huckabee? Bachmann?

Robinson: Well, I think it starts out as Romney's race to lose, and certainly he's spent the last 3 years running for the job, really kept raising whatever money he could even after he was forced to withdraw, when he couldn't beat McCain. But Romney, I'm really not sure that he has the enthusiasm among the party faithful. Bachmann may be more the sort of person they're looking for.

Matthews: Well, Bachmann, she's going to have to get over her hypnotization from earlier, again, she just seemed to give the same response to every question I asked her, and that may work in a six minute or less interview, but I don't think it works on the debate stage or in the oval office.

Sharpton: I think the Republican Race is itching for a dark horse contender, it may not be Christie, he's been governor for too short a time, but I think a Mitch Daniels, a Rick Perry, they could have a lot of support. Perhaps even Donald Trump if he wins tonight, because he'll have to run for re-election in 2 years with it being a special, and that could be hard in a Presidential environment, so he may just decide to scale up his career.

Maddow: God help us if he does, honestly I think some reality show businessman who hates immigration being in the Senate is bad enough.

O'Donnell: Agreed.

Olbermann: Well, you all can reminisce on that, we'll take a quick break. Still watching that Senate Race in Illinois, that Senate race in New York, the Governor's Race in Oregon as well. We're also, again, awaiting a victory speech by Harry Reid in Nevada. Stay with us.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Olbermann: We continue, and we still await a victory speech by Harry Reid. Let's go to Chuck Todd for a quick development on the New York Race.




93% in:

Donald Trump (R) 49.02%
Kirsten Gillibrand (D) 48.97%

Well, you see it there, 7% to go and Trump has pulled ahead. Look at that, just 5 hundredths of one percentage point separate these two candidates.

As you can see, Dutchess has fully reported now, it came in decently strong for Trump. Now up to 95% of the vote in Queens, Gillibrand did boost up from 56 to 43 to 58 to 41, as you can see it isn't really doing much for her overall though. On the other hand, Monroe is completely done now, and as you can see it has ended up as an exact tie in the final results. Checking further here, we had a bit out in Westchester earlier - and we still do, it's at 96% in now. Syracuse is now done however.

Suffolk still stuck at 18% in, we're told we will have a big dump from there within the balance of the Hour, and as you can see, looks like that will decide this. We'll let you know as soon as we get it.

Olbermann: Thanks for that. While we still have some time as we wait for Harry Reid to approach the podium, let's go to Jonathan Alter of Newsweek and MSNBC. First, a photograph has been presented now of President Obama on the Phone with Speaker-Elect John Boehner. Describe what we know early on in terms of the relationship between those two.

Alter: Well it has not been a good relationship. The President told me in an interview last year that the biggest surprise of his presidency is when he went over and met with just Republicans in the House of Representatives a month after he was sworn in. He thought that they were going to negotiate regarding the recovery plan. And Boehner instructed every member of the Republican caucus, 'No, we are not going to vote with the President, period, no negotiations'. So Obama was prepared to take out anything they objected to, come to some sort of deal regarding the economy, and Boehner just wouldn't play at all. The President was, resentful is probably too strong a word, but he was certainly disappointed, he didn't think it was a stand up thing to do. And in the time since then, he said privately, all I want for Christmas is a Republican Opposition I can negotiate with. And yes, he will now sit down with them, it's inevitable, and Obama and Boehner do both play golf, so I guess that's a common interest, but it remains to be seen if Boehner wants to govern.

Olbermann: Golf? They wouldn't be able to decide who tees off first.

Alter: Well, it's in their mutual interest Keith to put some points on the board as Obama likes to say. You know, Boehner had been involved with Ted Kennedy and Former President Bush on education reform, it's an issue that he feels strongly enough, I know Obama wants some changes to the law there, it could really be an area of common ground. Maybe some clean energy stuff and tax legislation for small business. If they show achievement together, they can both win. So it may not be complete gridlock on every issue, regardless of what the conventional wisdom may state.

Olbermann: Well, the last two years certainly demonstrated that gridlock. Yeah a few things got past the filibuster but the GOP provided little to no help.

Alter: Well, you know, now the GOP is in a position where they have a different incentive. For the last two years it was just obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. No, No, No. That doesn't work for them moving forward. That's not a good position to be in going into 2012. So, I don't want to be polyanish about this, on the larger issues obviously there probably won't be much motion, but there are a few discrete areas that they will probably inflate to say that Washington isn't totally dysfunctional.

Maddow: It's Rachel here. In what sense do you think Republicans have concluded that obstruction only didn't work for them? And in what way do you think they would be likely to turn over their obstruction agenda towards 2012? It seems like it's worked great.

Alter: But there's nothing right now to obstruct. Because Obama got a good deal through. The immigration bill, like or hate it, is law unless Obama wants to veto it. Dodd Frank and the Stimulus are in law. Yeah, health care failed, but with the democratic senate caucus shrunk, that's even more of a dead issue than it was previously. So the question will quickly  become, can the GOP show any ability to govern? The onus will be on them. Again, I think the odds are still super gridlock for the majority of issues, there may be nothing all that big. But I think there's certain things that have to be reauthorized. For instance, the elementary and secondary education act, that is coming up at the beginning of next year. They will have to address that. There's certain things, not just the debt ceiling, certain further things that relate to the general functioning of government that Boehner will have to figure out how to cooperate with the administration on.

Olbermann: Well, in the department of boosting possible obstruction, and also just utter weirdness, we have a sort of split decision in Illinois to announce.

Most importantly, the Republican Mark Kirk has won over Alexi Giannoulias for the next six year full term. However, We still cannot call the special election to serve out the remaining few weeks of the 111th Congress. Remember, this was Obama's old seat, today you have both the special for the last bit of Obama's term, since Roland Burris will now be departing, and the election for the next six years. Mr. Kirk will hold the Seat for the term beginning January 3, 2011, but it's still possible that Alexi Giannoulias will get to serve the last few weeks of 2010.


Illinois (REGULAR): 96% in: Kirk 47.88%-47.25%

Final:

Kirk (R) 47.94%
Giannoulias (D) 47.17%
Others 4.89%

ILLINOIS (SPECIAL, STILL UNCALLED): 96% in: Giannoulias 47.67%-47.47%

[Illinois is 30% shaded to reflect the still uncalled special]

Democrats: 49 (-8)
Republicans: 48 (+8)
Independents: 2

If Independents caucus as they currently do:

Democrats: 51 (-8)
Republicans: 48 (+8)

So talk about something we didn't see coming. Obviously Giannoulias would prefer the full term, but he's still got the potential of winning this very small term. Does it mean anything? Is it even worth him showing up for it?

Lawrence: Well, I suppose every service opportunity is worth something, there's no reason he shouldn't show up for it if he does win it. Maybe it gives Democrats a leg up in negotiations regarding the expiring of the Bush Tax Cuts, since that will have to be handled in the lame duck? It's not anything big, the 60 vote majority will be gone in the lame duck anyways since the Delaware race, which Mike Castle won, was a special for an unexpired term through 2013. It'll be even more gone if Mr. Trump eeks out a victory, he would also begin in the lame duck on an unexpired term through 2013. So it's not as if there's a big accomplishment that just got saved. I don't know if 57 democrats vs 58 or 58 vs 59 means anything, whatever it'll be, it's not 60, but maybe every little bit helps for a good lame duck session.

Robinson: This is the sort of odd result that you see in each election cycle, you know the one thing you can't really explain. Why would Illinois give us this split? Is it just a turnout difference, did people think they were giving a second senate seat to Mr. Kirk, it'll be really interesting to look into this and see what went down. Still, a huge accomplishment for the GOP in now holding Obama's old seat in a pretty blue state, no doubt about it, Mr. Kirk deserves all the credit for that, you see how close it was. But this potential oddity for a couple of months is certainly a head scratcher.

Olbermann: Well, to deliver us from thinking about this, here is Harry Reid, the re-elected Senate Majority Leader, a much smaller Majority, but still a Majority, beginning to speak. Let's listen in.

Reid: (cheering) Yes we did!

Today Nevada chose hope over fear. Nevada chose to move forward not backwards. Nevada made this choice because we know it's not us versus them. It's every Nevadan, all of us together, today you made possible what many called impossible. And I'm grateful you did, not for me, but for the future we all share as Nevadans.

First let me thank my wife. I wanted you by my side since the first time I saw you, and you've been there ever since, every step of the way. To my family, my tireless staff, and all my generous volunteers, I wish my voice could convey what's in my heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You never gave up, you never gave up. I know how hard you worked, and I appreciate each and every one of you. It's always been an honor to serve the state, to fight for the state, and to fight for each of you. I'm not finished fighting, in fact tonight I'm more determined than ever.

You see, I've been in some pretty tough fights in my day. They've been in a street, they've been in a boxing ring, and they've been in the united states senate. But I have to admit, this has been one of the toughest. But it's nothing compared to the fights families are facing all over Nevada. This race has been called, but the fight is far from over. The bell that rang isn't the end of the fight, it's the start of the next round.

I know a lot of Nevadans feel like they've been counted out, but you know I know what that's like. I've taken on powerful forces. No one dared to challenge them. And I've run in some tough elections no one thought I could win, so I know what it's like to have the odds stacked against you. I know what it's like to take a punch, but more importantly I know what it's like to get back on your feet. My story and this night prove that difficult is not synonymous with impossible. Everyone in Nevada deserves a chance. Everyone in America deserves a chance. We're going to bounce back stronger than ever. I've never counted Nevada out and I'm not about to start right now.

You also know that balloons and ballrooms aren't my style, they aren't my thing. So enjoy tonight. But remember tomorrow is back to work for the People of Nevada and for the people of this country. You see, tomorrow morning there will still be too few jobs for too many people. There will still be too many foreclosure signs on too many front yards. There will still be too many kids in crowded classrooms. And too many students wondering how they can afford College.

Across this country, we have been victorious in enough states to ensure that our Senate Majority will remain to defend and build upon the accomplishments of this Presidency. But we cannot be complacent in the face of strong opposition from the House and the impetus for trouble among some members of the Senate. We're going to need to fight hard every day to preserve our historic immigration reform legislation. We're going to need to fight hard every day to preserve the Dodd-Frank banking reform legislation. We're going to need to fight hard every day to build upon our efforts to revitalize the economy until Americans can reliably find work again. And while 2009 health care bill is dead, and single payer is a joke, I believe in this new congress we can find a way forward on Health Care Reform.

Your hard work has shown again that tomorrow isn't impossible. I'd like to invite some people on stage to close things out. My family.

My Friends, My staff, they all made tonight possible.

Because of you, Because of you, we didn't just make history, we made a lot of futures better. We kept our majority against historically bad odds. Because of you, we did it! Thank you!

Olbermann: Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader. Returned to his seat, and he will remain the Majority Leader. Nobody's going to challenge him after that victory I don't think. We'll continue after a short break.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Olbermann: Well, we continue, and it's a moment many people have been waiting for. Some with anticipation, others with trepidation. In a historic race in the split-ticketing department, David Axelrod's Mustache is no more, as Donald Trump will be the next Senator from New York, occupying the seat once held by Hillary Clinton.

NY SPECIAL - 96% in:

Trump (R) 49.46%
Gillibrand (D) 48.53%

Final:

Trump (R) 49.93%
Gillibrand (D) 48.06%
Others: 2.01

(NY is used for the Regular won by Schumer, NJ is used for the Special (2-year) won by Trump)

Democrats: 49 (-9)
Republicans: 49 (+9)
Independents: 2

If Independents caucus as they currently do:

Democrats: 51 (-9)
Republicans: 49 (+9)

Let's go to Chuck Todd.

Todd:




Well, you see it there, Suffolk just gave us a big dump, and the early results there were merely a mirage, Trump is winning there, winning comfortably in fact, and the race will not turn around at this point.

It really gets stunning when you think about what this state has done tonight. It gave Schumer 61.6% of the vote in a landslide re-election for him. It gave Andrew Cuomo a very strong win, 60.7% of the vote going for him. But in split ticketing of perhaps biblical proportions, Donald Trump has won this special election to complete Clinton's term. 32% in Brooklyn. 41% in Queens. Every upstate county a victory save 2 and a tie in a third. Long Island and Staten Island very strong for him. Those were the ingredients that gave way to this victory. When Donald Trump entered this race, it wasn't even clear that he would get the Republican Nomination. Now, he's the next Senator from New York.

Olbermann: Panel?

O'Donnell: Well it's a testament to the strong campaign Trump ran. I haven't seen a senate campaign before where one Senator made his endorsement of the other opposite-party Senator a key selling point. But Trump did it and it was honestly genius. It said, "Hey, I'm not Partisan. I'm voting for Schumer just like the rest of you are. I'm just opposing this one Senator I see as corrupt and a wrong choice.", and that really resonated with people. He found a way to sell being anti-immigrant in the state of New York, saying not just a wall with Mexico, but a wall with Canada too. He eschewed social conservatism, even saying he was pro-choice, and simply ran on ethics, the economy, and immigration. Yeah he got lucky with correctly guessing a news organization bank transaction that he could twist in his favor. But even after that, the polls still showed Gillibrand ahead and he still needed to sell to the people of this admittedly pretty democratic state that he was an acceptable choice. And clearly he did just that.

Sharpton: Honestly, I don't think Trump likes the Minority communities very much, but he did go out there and try to compete for our vote. I was in Queens the other week, and the Trump campaign efforts were right there for the eye to see. They were working in the black and asian neighborhoods, getting every vote they could. Sure, most of the houses on a given block were going to vote for Gillibrand, but they were out there, trying to get one or two or three, knowing every vote counts.

Maddow: To highlight the split ticket aspect, the control room has a flyer they can put up on the screen. There you see it, this was the mailer the Trump campaign sent out to Democratic Towns across New York City and Upstate. Notice right there, near the top. "You're NOT being asked to vote straight ticket R. Vote for Schumer if you desire. But consider my candidacy for this one office." And all indications are it worked. Lots of people went out, voted for Schumer, voted for Cuomo, many of them still voting for Democratic House Candidates, though some did switch there and he'll certainly take credit for that, and then when they got to the Special Senate Race, they went across the aisle and voted for him.

Robinson: I think we also have to highlight though that the Gillibrand campaign made some major missteps. Campaigning with Hillary Clinton after she left the administration and started criticizing Obama was a mistake. Why campaign with someone who is criticizing the President whose agenda you would be fighting to uphold in office. That sort of confused a lot of people as to what her real intentions in office were. They tried to campaign on abortion and gay marriage and were unprepared to pivot when Trump said, essentially, "Well, great. I agree with you." And they failed to effectively respond to the allegations that Gillibrand was fundamentally corrupt and untrustworthy.

Maddow: Of course, it remains to be seen how he will actually act in office on that. There will be a lot of pressure on him to fall in line in preparation for a GOP presidential victory in 2012.

Matthews: Well, perhaps, but first off the guy will have to win re-election while Obama is on the ballot, so he's going to have to tread carefully at least at first, and while the Party may not like him voting pro-choice, is anyone else going to be able to hold this seat for them going forward?

Maddow: Well, a lot of people didn't think even he could win, and he did. So I wonder if the party may get a bit excited so to speak in cycles to come. I wouldn't be surprised if he does face a serious primary challenge in 2012, and I wouldn't be surprised for him to eschew any liberal talking points from his rhetoric and action, particularly if he wins more than just these two years and serves under a GOP President. Certainly, perhaps anyone that were to primary him would get blown out in the general...but after this result, who can really say for certain. I think more than anything Trump did, Gillibrand ran a poor campaign and had some bad breaks, and Democrats need to carefully analyze this race going forward to reassert their dominance in the state.

Olbermann: And talk about quick to the podium, there's the man himself at his headquarters tonight over in Brooklyn, where he crucially received nearly a third of the vote, lots of people driving in from all over the state to see him tonight. Let's listen in.

Trump:

Thank You! (massive cheers)

The Media said it could never be done! The pundits said it could never be done! The Left-Wing propaganda Machine said it could never be done! Even David Axelrod, the fool, bet his very hair on my defeat! But tonight, you have shown that the people of New York don't want corruption and defeat, they want a better future where all can prosper.

I want to thank all the support I got across the state, from all walks of life. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic. The City, Long Island, Upstate. Poorly Educated and Highly Educated. Young and Old. Gay and Straight. I have great love for all of you! I received historic support and you have all come together to deliver change for the state of New York!

Let me extend my deepest thanks to my family and all of my volunteers. You worked long hours, day and night, making calls, knocking on doors, going into some of the most liberal parts of this state, where the pundits claimed we shouldn't make a single effort because we couldn't flip a single vote, and achieving great results. A lot of people said 'You fool! Why are you working so hard in Queens, you have to focus on driving upstate turnout!', but I knew we had struck into something real there, and the results speak for themselves. A Republican getting over 40% of the vote in a New York Borough - honestly even I am a bit shocked. But it's a testament to how hard we all worked and how very wrong the misguided media was.

Let me also extend my congratulations to Chuck Schumer on his landslide victory. Like many of you, I voted for him, and I have great confidence in his continued ability to deliver for our state. He'll be in the Majority and I'll be in the Minority, but remember guys, I wrote the Art of the Deal. I know how to get big wins for the people of this state, I'll show it on day 1, and I look forward to making some big deals with Senator Schumer to improve everyone's lives. And while I didn't support him, incoming Governor Cuomo had a very large victory as well, and I'm happy to work with his office.

I want to congratulate outgoing Senator Gillibrand on a hard fought campaign. This race had many twists and turns, but there was a clear choice, you knew what you were getting whoever you supported, and both of us worked very hard. Corrupt as she may be, I respect that she never gave up, and fought for what she truly believes.

We can celebrate tonight, but remember, folks, we take office almost immediately. We have a wall to build with Mexico, a wall to build with Canada, an economy to restore, and a depressed population to reinvigorate. The people of New York have been led into ruin by this President and this administration, but my office alone can restore their prosperity! We're going to bring New York back, stronger than ever before. I'll never stop fighting for the future of this state which I so greatly love. While I may no longer be handing out jobs and rewards on the Apprentice, I now have a much bigger role, and that is restoring this state and this country!

Thank you!

Olbermann: And there you go, Donald Trump, overcoming what was once a deficit even in the GOP Primary, and a 17 point deficit in the general, to win the Special Election in New York. He may only be there 2 years, or could have a long career, but the former host of The Apprentice has certainly earned his place in our political history.

That wraps it up for us tonight. From all of us at MSNBC, we thank you for watching, and have a great night.

END OF ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE

[more to come....]

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Final Results

(TN is used to represent the IL Special, NJ the NY Special)

IL Special (to complete the term ending 1/3/2011):

Giannoulias (D): 47.56%
Kirk (R): 47.48%
Others: 4.96%

Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders continue to caucus with the Democrats.

Lame Duck Senate:

Democrats: 58 (-2)
Republicans: 42 (+2)

[Donald Trump, Mike Castle, Joe Manchin, and Alexi Giannoulias take office immediately, replacing Kirsten Gillibrand, Ted Kaufman, Carte Goodwin, and Roland Burris.]

Senate as of 1/3/2011:

Democrats: 51 (-9)
Republicans: 49 (+9)

Oregon:

Dudley (R): 49.0%
Kitzhaber (D): 48.1%
Others: 2.9%

Republicans: 31 (+7)
Democrats: 17 (-9)
Independents: 2 (+2)

House: 246 Republicans (+67), 189 Democrats (-67)

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

November 2010

Gillibrand Concedes But Not Very Graciously

In a short speech the morning after the election, Gillibrand acknowledged Trump's victory but also said he had achieved it by running a "craven, misleading campaign" and that he had not truly captured the confidence of the New York populace. She also said that she is likely to run for the seat again when it is up in 2012 for a full term.

Axelrod Shaves off Mustache

Appearing on the Thursday, November 4 episode of Morning Joe, Axelrod shaved off his mustache, LIVE. Afterward, he acknowledged how wrong he was about New York, and said the Democratic Party needed to carefully analyze what happened in New York and more broadly to prepare for 2012.

Obama acknowledges Midterm "shellacking"

In a Press conference the morning after the election, Obama acknowledges his party lost, and decisively so, calling it a "shellacking". He says while he believed he achieved great things in his first two years, clearly there is still a long way to go to restore America from the Great Recession. He states his hopes that the Republican House, Narrowly Dem Senate, and his administration will be able to work together to achieve prosperity.

Hillary Clinton declares Primary Challenge to President Obama

In a very early declaration, the 2012 Presidential Race has already begun as Hillary declares her challenge to a cheering crowd in Westchester. There were even some people holding "Trump voters for Hillary" signs in the crowd, suggesting Hillary may have some unique appeal in open-primary states. She repeats her declaration that Obama is the worst President since Hoover and asserts she will win the nomination decisively.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

December 2010


Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repealed

With the support of Republicans Donald Trump, Mike Castle, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins, Democrats successfully override a filibuster on adding a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell into the NDAA (eliminating the need for the separate legislation needed in OTL) on a 60-37 vote, despite opposition from Joe Manchin and Blanche Lincoln being absent from the lame duck.

On the final passage of the NDAA in this form, 12 Republicans join all Democrats present.

Bush Tax Cuts repealed for those making $600,000 or more

With the support of Republicans Donald Trump, Lisa Murkowski, and Mike Castle, Democrats successfully pass a repeal of the Bush Tax Cuts for those making at least $600,000 annually ($650,000 for couples) on a 60-38 vote. In a statement to the press after the vote, Trump says "This is the first of many deals I hope to make with Chuck Schumer. The activists, they wanted to raise taxes on those making as little as $150,000. I said, you can't do that, that's our small business owners, and I love the small business owners. But the Millionaires and near Millionaires like me, like Buffet says, we don't care, raise it on us, don't raise it on the small business owners. We came together behind $600,000, I think a great consensus point for the people. And when we look to balancing the budget, you know, the revenue side is solved and out of the way now. We can focus on cutting and re-strategizing our spending next year and I'm looking forward to that, lots of great ideas in my view."

The House quickly consents to both items above.

Thomas Porteous Impeached

Convicted on 4 chargers relating to Corruption and Perjury, Federal Judge Thomas Porteous was impeached by the Senate and prevented from holding office going forward. Trump was one of many senators voting Guilty on all 4 charges, and attempted to take much of the credit for the votes happening, saying he was already rooting out corruption from the government, just as he had pledged he could do. However in reality the impeachment was set to happen regardless of Trump's presence, something that Democrats did their best to make clear.

Single Payer bill losing support, appears more dead than before

With Democrats having lost their House Majority and the departure of Sen. Gillibrand, one of the 20 senate co-sponsors for the legislation, there is no clear path forward for Single Payer in the next Congress.

On other health care options, while there was some discussion of whether a bill like the failed ObamaCare could have the votes in the lame duck, continued opposition from Ben Nelson, as well as opposition from the newly elected Manchin and Trump, ended any discussion. Reid's statement in his victory speech that he hoped to find a path forward does seem to signal an end to the blockade that was placed on health care legislation in 2010 following the block of ObamaCare, but what, if anything, could reach 60 votes in the new congress seems extraordinarily unclear.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

January 2011

Boehner formally elected Speaker

With support of 241 of the 246 Republicans, Boehner was formally elected Speaker on January 3, 2011. Among the 5 that did not support him, 3 voted for Donald Trump, 1 voted for Louie Gohmert, and 1 voted for Jim Jordan.

On the democratic side, the anger over the loss of 67 House Seats and 9 Senate Seats boiled over, as a stunning 32 democrats voted against Nancy Pelosi's candidacy for Speaker. Heath Shuler was the most popular alternative, receiving 14 votes. Steny Hoyer received 4 votes, and another 4 voted for Jim Clyburn. 3 votes were cast for John Lewis, 2 votes for Harry Reid, and 1 vote each for Jim Cooper, Jim Costa, Marcy Kaptur, Colin Powell, and Michelle Obama.

Immigration Bill survives Suspension Vote, but repeal supported by a Majority

As promised during the campaign, Boehner first brought up a repeal of the immigration vote under Suspension of the Rules, a house procedure in which many steps are skipped in return for needing a 2/3 vote for passage, as a means of demonstrating bipartisan support for repeal. Despite many blue dogs being picked off during the midterms, 24 House Democrats voted with Republicans on the repeal, while another 7 voted "Present", and 3 didn't show up at all. The resulting 270-155-7 vote, however, fell several percentage points short of the needed two thirds majority.

The House soon followed up with a vote pursuant to a special rule, which only needed a simple majority, and passed the repeal on a 268-160-4 vote. It proceeds to the senate, where it has much dimmer prospects.

Trump Mounts 17 Hour Filibuster against Rule Change Efforts

While the Senate found broad agreement in minor changes to anonymous holds and the reading of amendments, efforts to weaken or wind down the Senate Filibuster found themselves utterly doomed. While such efforts probably would have failed anyway, given unclear unity for them even among the democratic majority, any chance was dashed when Trump mounted a 17 hour talking filibuster that forced the majority to pull an all-nighter keeping the floor staffed. Trump said the efforts to weaken the filibuster were rooted in the core corruption of the Senate that he had vowed to root out, saying the Gillibrand campaign was a cleaner, more ethical operation than these efforts. He pointed to the fundamental nature of the Senate over time, and noted the Senate had been able to work together recently to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell and raise taxes on the very wealthy, thus there was little if any justification to want change. Certainly there will always be issues where procedural tricks are justifiably used, he said, such as in a recent effort to pass the DREAM Act that fell several votes short of the 60 vote threshold, but by and large the Senate is already showing it is and will continue to come together to move the Country forward.

Ultimately, Trump relented as Reid abandoned any plans to force through the changes. Reid and McConnell made a series of handshake agreements to not gum up the floor too much, and symbolic votes on the change proposals failed, receiving 12, 41, and 43 votes respectively.

Obama has large lead about a year out from the first 2012 primaries

So far, President Obama is strongly favored to defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2012 democratic primaries. He holds a 63 percent to 30 percent lead nationally, a 71 percent to 23 percent lead in Iowa, a 58 percent to 35 percent lead in New Hampshire, a 61 percent to 33 percent lead in Nevada, and an 80 percent to 14 percent lead in South Carolina.

[Politician]

Why do Dems hold MN-8, TX-27, and WV-1 in a bigger GOP wave?

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Why do Dems hold MN-8, TX-27, and WV-1 in a bigger GOP wave?

MN-8, WV-1 and honestly HI-1 as well are sort of just general weirdness from where the immigration bill either had no effect or ended up being a slight positive.

TX-27 is from my 2018 writings and I don't recall why I left that D.  We'll just go with it.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

February 2011

Senate holds vote on "Statement of Support" for Immigration Bill

During a debate on transportation legislation, Reid offered an amendment declaring a Sense of the Senate that the Immigration Bill should remain in place. The amendment was filibustered, but did receive support from 52 Senators - All Democrats (yes, even Landrieu fell in line here due to not wanting a wholesale repeal of the legislation.) plus Olympia Snowe.

McConnell later forced a vote on a motion to proceed to the House-passed repeal of the immigration bill, which failed 49-51 on party lines.

Meanwhile, Trump introduced his bill to build walls along the Mexican and Canadian borders, which was referred to the Judiciary Committee. Currently, most observers expect it to die there.

House holds Marathon Spending Debate, Anti-Union Amendment Narrowly passes

In the first process resembling anything close to an open rule since Summer 2008, the House held a marathon, nearly two-week spending debate on the continuing resolution needed to fund the government beyond March 4. Members were allowed to offer any amendment previously noticed in the congressional record, with 167 amendments ultimately being offered.

(CHANGE FROM OTL)  One highlight was an amendment offered by Rep. Frank Guinta toward the end of the debate: "At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following: SEC. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to enter into, after the date of the enactment of this Act, a Government contract that requires a project labor agreement." . The strongly anti-Union and Anti-Progressive Labor Amendment passed on a 213-212 vote.

While many proposed spending cuts and funding limitations failed, some did pass, like (Next 2: CHANGE FROM OTL) an amendment from Rep. Lummis reducing forest service funds (Passed 215-214), an Amendment from Rep. Heller reducing monument designation authority (Passed 213-210), An Amendment from Rep. Sullivan related to Ethanol Waivers (passed 287-134), An Amendment from Rep. Poe blocking enforcement of Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations (passed 250-176), An Amendment from Rep. Young cutting "Hawaiian Native Education Reform" (passed 310-116), An Amendment from Rep. Sessions blocking enforcement of the Immigration Bill (passed 255-171), and An Amendment from Rep. Burgess blocking enforcement of "Any Bill Similar to the failed ObamaCare legislation", which overrode a point of order on grounds of adding additional agency duties (218-214) before passing 236-195.

Prominent among failed proposals was an Amendment by Rep. King to block enforcement of the Davis Bacon Act, which failed 192-230.

The final legislation was passed by the House, 236-188. In its current form, it is DOA in the Senate.

Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, Pensions) Committee floating narrower version of the failed ObamaCare

With Reid having declared some openness to pursuing health care reform should the votes exist for it in his paltry 51-49 majority, the HELP committee is currently considering a version of the failed ObamaCare with the individual and employer mandates removed from the bill, as well as the Cadillac and Medical Device Taxes. The current level of support for it is unclear.

The Single Payer legislation, which has been reintroduced for the 112th Congress, is back at 20 co-sponsors, with the newly elected Sen. Richard Blumenthal having signed onto the legislation, replacing the defeated Sen. Gillibrand.  It's still not really going anywhere though. The House version of the bill currently has 70 co-sponsors, a notable decrease from the high-water mark of 97 in the previous congress.

Several Republicans showing up in early primary states

While no one has declared a candidacy or even an exploratory committee at this very early stage, media has spotted Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Michelle Bachmann in Iowa. Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson and Mitch Daniels have all been spotted in New Hampshire. While Romney is the early frontrunner in the polls, the race could end up competitive depending on who actually declares.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

March 2011

The Ryan Budget, or the Trump Budget

Sure, the congress is still fumbling around on the current fiscal year's budget. When the continuing resolution through March 4 expired, another through March 18 was passed, followed by another through April 15. But much of the conversation is already moving on to the budget for the new fiscal year beginning October 1.

While many possible budgets exist, most, such as CPC, CBC, RSC, Simpson-Bowles, and Democratic Caucus proposals are all but doomed to failure on the house floor next month. The early framework that will be followed in the House seems to fall along one of two paths. One is a budget written by Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, who proposes massive tax cuts for the wealthy and privatization of entitlement programs. There would also be across the board cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, and a complete repeal of Dodd-Frank and the Immigration Bill.

The other big proposal is written by none other than Donald Trump himself. Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia is the House Sponsor. It would keep entitlement programs and taxes as is, but cut non-defense discretionary about twice as deep as the Ryan Plan would. It also includes the repeal of Dodd Frank and the Immigration Bill. But it would also fund construction of walls along the Mexican and Canadian borders, and includes a new "entrance tax" to be paid each time one enters the country on a work visa or green card. On an interesting note, the original text of the Trump proposal also calls for repealing some Anti-abortion riders, including the Hyde and Weldon Amendments (but not the Helms Amendment). However, when Gingrey introduced it in the house, he added those amendments back in.

While most expect the Ryan budget to be the budget the house will pass and appropriate for in the coming months, few can rule out the Trump budget winning the day instead, due to uneasiness with Ryan's entitlement cuts among some in his party. Of course, either will suffer significant modifications in the negotiations with the Senate.

Republican Primary reaching exploratory committee stage

Among those recently visiting IA, NH, and/or SC are Fmr. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Fmr. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Fmr. Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Fmr. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Fmr. New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, Congressman Ron Paul, Congressman Thaddeus McCotter, Businessman Herman Cain, and on a humorous note, Fmr. Delaware Senate Candidate (Reminder: Narrowly lost the Senate Primary in this universe) Christine O'Donnell. No one has formally declared yet, simply opting for an exploratory committee at this stage. Romney and Huckabee currently look like frontrunners, but it's anyone's game at this early stage.

Could Trump be on the GOP ticket - as Vice President?

It's very early speculation on this front, but some rumors are circulating that particularly if Huckabee is the nominee, he will want a running mate to solidify support in more northerly battleground states like Virginia and New Hampshire, maybe even make Democrats spend money in places like New Jersey. While some might think Romney would be VP here, Huckabee and Romney hate each other, so that's not an option. What might be an option? A Huckabee/Trump ticket. Of course, the GOP would likely lose Trump's Senate seat, but they could make up for it and then some - the party believes they can gain seats in North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Missouri, and Virginia. And it could really be worth it if Trump can improve the normally anemic results for the GOP in the Northeast and force democrats to spend money in places they can normally win when asleep.

[NewYorkExpress]

Christine O'Donnell running for President in this universe is about interesting as Nina Turner running in 2024 IRL.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

April 2011

Fiscal 2012 Budget/Appropriations Season off to rocky start - all budgets rejected!

In its most freewheeling budget debate in years, the House debated 7 budget proposals. As promised, the Ryan and Trump (as modified by Gingrey) budgets dominated the debate, with Trump budget proponents attacking the Ryan Budget for its entitlement cuts and Ryan budget proponents attacking the Trump budget for refusing to cut taxes. Democrats attacked both while offering their own sacrificial lamb messaging documents. Ultimately, the House rejected all the budgets presented to it:

1. Congressional Black Caucus Budget - Rejected 101-305
2. Simpson-Bowles Budget (as offered by Jim Cooper) - offered and withdrawn
3. Congressional Progressive Caucus Budget - Rejected 71-353
4. Republican Study Committee Budget - Rejected 122-133, 169 Present (Dems mostly forced GOP to reject this one on their own)
5. Trump Budget (as offered by Gingrey) - Rejected 194-218, 17 Present
6. Democratic Caucus Budget - Rejected 167-262
7. Ryan Budget - Rejected 213-216


The result is an effective victory for the Democratic Minority. While their budget wasn't adopted either, the inability of the House to agree on any budget effectively passes the first bid to the 51-49 dem senate, and likely ends any chance of Ryan's entitlement cuts becoming reality. The deepest source of frustration may be in the House Appropriations Committee, which cannot begin its work without a budget having been adopted by the House.

On a bit of a good note, however, appropriations for the remainder of fiscal 2011 are passed and signed into law without issue. So at least the risk of a shutdown is gone for a few months.

Trump Endorses the Exploratory Committee of Herman Cain

It's still very early in the cycle, but Trump has apparently already made up his mind on who he wants to be President. Emphasizing the need to increase the amount of outsiders in government, and Mr. Cain's credentials as the CEO of Godfather's Pizza, Trump says that Cain is one of the few people out there who truly cares about the country and knows what is needed to fix it. He also touts the fact that Cain is black, saying "I LOVE THE BLACK PEOPLE!", and touting that his election would show that non-white people can be elected as President even if they are not Liberals like Obama.

First Official Declarations in the Republican Primary

As of April 30, Gary Johnson, Thaddeus McCotter, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum have officially declared their candidacies.

Meanwhile, despite draft efforts, Fmr. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has announced that he will NOT be a candidate for President.

Current Active Exploratory Committees: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Herman Cain, Christine O'Donnell, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Fred Karger

Other Possible Candidates: Mitch Daniels, Rick Perry, Chris Christie, Buddy Roemer

Hillary Clinton gaining in polls against Obama

Obama remains strongly ahead in Iowa, 74 percent to 22 percent, and in South Carolina, 79 percent to 16 percent.  But he only leads 54 percent to 39 percent in New Hampshire and 56 percent to 37 percent in Nevada.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

May 2011

Senate fails to pass several proposed budgets

The senate's initial attempt at passing budgets proved no more successful than the House's debate. Seven options were presented, but most did not even get close.

1. A replica of President Obama's budget - Rejected 0-97
2. Trump Budget (as introduced) - Rejected 6-91
3. Trump Budget (Gingrey version) - Rejected 37-60
4. Rand Paul Budget - Rejected 7-90
5. RSC Budget - Rejected 35-62
6. Ryan Budget - Rejected 44-53
7. Democratic Caucus Budget - Rejected 47-50 (Pryor, Nelson, Manchin against; Schumer and 2 Rs absent)

House forces through Ryan Budget using procedural manuever

Despite failure of the Ryan budget as a standalone measure, house leadership, citing a need to get appropriations bills on the floor in a timely fashion, tucked it into a must-pass rule for unrelated legislation, deeming it passed with passage of the rule. Despite democratic outrage at the floor technique, the manuever allowed the rule and therefore the Ryan budget to pass on a 219-211 vote.

Later in the month, the house began its appropriations process. Using open rules for the first time in years made for late nights on the floor, but proves helpful in rallying necessary votes for passage. The Homeland Security bill passes 227-193, and the Commerce-Justice-Science bill passes 234-185. Defense Authorization also passes the House on a bipartisan vote of 322-96.

A victory for Trump's 'Art of the Deal' - Bill reducing Oil Tax Loopholes beats filibuster, passes Senate

In a shock result, Trump and Schumer successfully work out a bipartisan deal to limit tax credits for oil companies making more than $5 Billion annually and producing at least 700,000 barrels annually. Despite an intense filibuster effort, the bill surpasses a filibuster on a 62-38 vote, with Collins, Kirk, Trump, Castle, Kyl, McCain, Blunt, Portman, Norton, Ayotte, and Chambliss joining all Democrats in support. On final passage, the bill passes 56-44, with Collins, Kirk, Trump, Castle, Blunt, and Ayotte in support and Landrieu opposed.

In a joint statement, the New York senators celebrate the bill for simplifying the tax code while protecting smaller oil businesses, and as evidence that the rules of the senate, including its 60 vote threshold, have not destroyed the body. Both senators favorability ratings go up following the passage of the bill.

However, House Leadership calls the bill a "partisan sham" and currently plans to block it in committee.

Additional Republican Candidates declare

Announced Candidates as of May 31: Gary Johnson, Thaddeus McCotter, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Buddy Roemer

Exploratory Committees: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Christine O'Donnell, Rick Perry, Chris Christie

Declined to run: Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, Fred Karger

Fox News holds the first debate of the GOP primary cycle, inviting all the declared candidates except Roemer, citing his very low polling numbers. Cain, who spends large portions of the debate trying to hype up his endorsement from Trump, and Bachmann, who wins accolades for clever criticisms of the records of Huntsman and Pawlenty on grounds of them being too liberal, seem to get the most positive attention, though many focus group participants also like Ron Paul's strong focus on large tax cuts. However, it remains unclear if any of the candidates participating today can retain signficant attention if Romney, Huckabee, and/or Perry enter the race, which is expected to happen soon.


Senate HELP Committee passes Health Care Bill at markup

A version of the failed ObamaCare legislation, with the individual mandate removed, the employer mandate removed for companies with less than 10,000 full time employees, the public option added in (unlikely to survive on the floor), and the cadillac and medical device taxes removed, passes the committee on a party line vote. Its fate on the floor is uncertain at best though. Trump releases a statement decrying "Big Government Intervention in the Doctor's Office" and declares he will fiercely oppose the legislation.

Support for the far more liberal single-payer legislation remains unchanged from February.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

June 2011

Trump announces support for Gay Marriage

After being in support of "Very Strong Civil Unions" during the campaign and casting a decisive vote to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" in the lame duck, Trump announced his support for states legalizing Gay Marriage on June 5. A bill to do just that is currently under consideration in New York. Trump is the first Republican in either chamber of congress to support Gay Marriage. Trump however clarified that he believes this decision should be made at the state level.

Mitt Romney, Chris Christie will NOT run for President

In a shock to most observers, Mitt Romney announced on June 11 that after "truly enjoying an exploratory committee" and speaking to "thousands of Iowans", he had decided to not pursue a presidential run. He did not announce an endorsement.

Additionally, Chris Christie announced he had decided to focus on the "job the people of New Jersey elected me to do" instead of a run for President.

Mike Huckabee, Christine O'Donnell enter Presidential Race

Just two days after the Romney-Christie declination, Huckabee and O'Donnell announced runs in announcement speeches made at virtually the same time.

Announced Candidates as of June 13: Gary Johnson, Thaddeus McCotter, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Buddy Roemer, Mike Huckabee, Christine O'Donnell

Exploratory Committees: Rick Perry

Declined to run: Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, Fred Karger, Mitt Romney, Chris Christie

Sparks Fly at Second Republican Debate

A second Republican debate was held on the evening of June 13, including all announced candidates except for Roemer and McCotter. Podiums were hastily added to the stage just a couple of hours before the debate to accommodate the just-announced Huckabee and O'Donnell. The exclusion of McCotter despite his inclusion in the previous debate generated some press coverage but ultimately the consensus was he was not a remotely credible contender for the nomination and that the stage of 9 candidates was already very crowded.

Each candidate fired criticism at Obama, many echoing Hillary Clinton's characterization of him as the worst president since Hoover. However many clarified that Hillary remained a "liberal loon" that the country should also firmly reject.

Huckabee went out swinging, calling much of the field far too liberal, including Pawlenty, Paul, Huntsman, Johnson, and even Cain, who he said was guilty by association as a result of being endorsed by Trump.

Pawlenty and Bachmann continued to argue over who had the more conservative record in office, with both pointing to times the other had allegedly voted to increase taxes.

Huntsman suffered attacks from across the stage for serving as Obama's Ambassador to China until announcing his presidential campaign. Huntsman was able to deflect somewhat by saying he had a duty to serve and by pointing to his high approvals among all parties in Utah when he was governor there.

While there was no clear winner of the debate, many criticized O'Donnell's debut performance for being weak and disjoined, including one moment where she had to clarify she wasn't a witch after attacks from Huckabee and Paul.

Appropriations Process moves forward in the House

While the Senate seems to have abandoned the FY12 appropriations process for the time being, things are continuing to move in the House. The Veterans Affairs Bill passes 411-20.  The Agriculture Bill withstands a long talking filibuster over cuts to the WIC program, and the unexpected adoption of an amendment regarding Brazilian Cotton, before passing 217-203. The Defense Appropriations Bill passes 337-86, followed by State-Foreign Operations at 340-83, getting the House to the halfway point in the appropriations process.


Obama holding steady over Hillary Clinton

Obama remains strongly ahead in Iowa, 75 percent to 22 percent, and in South Carolina, 79 percent to 15 percent.  He has also stabilized in New Hampshire and Nevada. He leads 53 percent to 41 percent in New Hampshire and 56 percent to 39 percent in Nevada.