The Voices

dailykos.com — Parties, bluntly, exist to win elections — and that usually means the next election. They form as parties around ideologies or policies, but the impulse to win elections is always primary. Movements, on the other hand, come together around issues, and, to be maximally effective, have to always remember that their interests are not identical to those of parties.

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truthdig.com — Why is Barack Obama allowing some retreads from the Clinton era who went on to great riches on Wall Street to set economic policy for his administration? The fatal hallmark of this president’s financial policy is that it is being designed by the very people whose previous legislative efforts created the mess that enriched them while impoverishing the nation, and they now want more of the same.

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prospect.org — Obama inspired the country with his campaign, and now he must manage expectations of those swept up by his rhetoric.

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thenation.com — "That's the price of health care reform." That's what plenty of oh-so-well-meaning pundits have told those of us making a fuss over the Stupak amendment, the late-night attachment to the House health care reform bill that will leave virtually any woman accessing insurance through the health insurance exchange without abortion coverage. But both pro-choice and progressive health care reform leaders and members of Congress have come out swinging against the amendment, some going as far as to make it clear they'll refuse to support reform if Congressional Democrats decide to pay for it with women's health care.

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openleft.com — When most voters believe their lives are getting better, then the party in power will benefit politically. Ideological abstractions about the size of government or appealing to the base don't matter quite as much. It really is about delivering the goods. The smart post-election political argument for a governing party should be about what policies they can pass that will improve people's lives, not about how to appeal to voters on a more abstract level.

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nytimes.com — To hear Republicans tell it, Tuesday’s elections, in which their candidates captured the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey, were a repudiation of President Obama and indicated a voter shift toward their party. They should calm themselves down. The results don’t show this and, in fact, suggest some rather daunting challenges for the Republicans.

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huffingtonpost.com — Imagine where we'd be now with President John "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" McCain, and Vice President Sarah (shudder) Palin. Each and every time you get disappointed in President Obama, or disagree with something he says or does, ask yourself: "How would this discussion be different if McCain had won?"

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