The Voices

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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huffingtonpost.com — Politics isn't always about the bottom line, and for me, President Obama's invisible victories are immensely heartening. He has cleansed the Presidency, reinstated America's status in the world, championed ideals on every front, and spoken truth to power, whether that means calling both the Israelis and Muslims to account or facing down racism in this country.

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dmiblog.com — Consider this simple hypothesis: times are tough. Voters need to see that elected leaders are doing something that actually makes things better. If they don't, they're liable to opt for a change.

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tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com — If progressives face a challenge, it's not on allegiance to our values such as rewarding work or promoting greater justice, it's a skepticism by many independents of the effectiveness of government in accomplishing the goals shared by most of the public.

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huffingtonpost.com — We wish the President every success at Year One. We remain guardedly optimistic, despite the disappointments. We would pitch in and help ourselves, if we were welcomed. And we recognize that politics is hard, messy, and filled with compromise. But, if greatness is a combination of talent and historical need, this President has the potential for greatness. So the final question is this one: Does the President understand that compromising with cynics can lead to a half-cynical outcome?

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tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com — No matter how you slice it, the Democrats lost two big statehouses (New Jersey and Virginia), because they were perceived as the party of the establishment. The irony is that if Obama started kicking ass and taking names with the syncophants of the Fortune 500 that sit in Congress, a lot of Glenn Beck's audience might even take notice. Not to mention the youth vote, which was totally absent last night. This is a teaching moment. Let's hope the President understands this.

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guardian.co.uk — What do these strange, odd-year elections — suddenly so feverishly important, now that America's excitable right-wingers from Rush Limbaugh on down demand that they be — tell us about Barack Obama's political health? Not very much, really.

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newdeal20.org — Few things are as potent in politics as calling for change at a moment of fundamental dissatisfaction with the status quo. Nobody should know this better than the current White House. Gauzy words describing the possibilities for change are always more comforting than defending the current dire straits. That is why — in addition to all the substantive arguments — the current White House plan for banking reform is so troubling.

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