++The Cooch isn't done yet. Teabaggers want him to run against Mark Warner for Senate in 2014.
++Congratulations to Rachel Maddow for announcing the major elections story this past week. Robert "Heshy" Bucholz made history in his election in Philadelphia as a judge. He is the first Whig to have won an election in Pennsylvania in 160 years. Alsp, congratulations to Rachel Maddow for discovering that Terry McAuliffe's election was the first where an incumbent party vacates the governor's mansion in Virginia after only one term since tha days of the Re-Adjuster party held office for a single term in the 19th Century.
++The story that was missing in Virginia before the election was broken by Larry Sabato two days later. The Cooch has planned to overthrow Governor McDonnell using an obscure clause of the Virginia constitution where cabinet members could remove a sitting governor on the grounds he could not function. It has never been used.
++Terry McAuliffe's two executive actions when he takes office is to reverse Bob McDonnell's prohibition against gays in public service and to limit the gifts government officials receive.
++The Teabaggers and the GOPseem to agree that there number one issue going into 2014 is running against Obamacare. Celinda Lake , a Democratic pollster, indicated that in Virginia the repeal Obamacare polled the same 24% for two years. Gallup now puts Obamacare at 47% apprpoval rating,above the President's approval rating and twice that of the GOP.
++Not since Steve Benen defected from Washington Monthly to the Rachel Maddow show have I been as bummed out as today's anouncement that Jason Linkins who has been live-blogging Sunday Talk Show for the last 6 years will be wrapping up this activity by the end of December. This is a bitter blow to those of us who depend on his good humor and biting sarcasm covering famous white dead men.
++In the profiles of courage department, it took ENDA forty years to pass the Senate. Of the thirty-some GOP Senators who voted against, only one actually took the floor to argue against it. Of course, ENDA will not see the light of day in the House until Democrats win back the chamber.
++With the House calendar rapidly shrinking to less than 13 days left in this year,Congressman McCarthy, the GOP Whip who can't count votes, announced on Friday that the GOP in their outreach effort would not--repeat--would not bring up immigration reform this year. But maybe he claimed next. Unbelieveable. The Senate already passed such a bill and the GOP knows they have to do something not ton further PO the Hispanics, and the Asians. This means the GOP has agreed that the "Dream Kids" should be deported.
++The State of Hawaii has approved same sex marriage and the bill goes to the Governor, who says he will sign.
++President Obama told the Cuban-American National Foundation in Miami that U.S. Policy doesn't make sense. He pointed to the fact that the American policy has been basically the same since he was born. He argued that change inside Cuba will come from the civil society and that the United States must act in sophisticated ways to foster this change.
++With all the fuss about Obamcare and the parade of people who claim their health insurance was cancelled,it's very important to note that Kathleen Sebelius announced in Georgia that "mental illness and substance abuse" will be treated with parity under ACA and health insurance policies from here on out. This is a consequence of the 2008 law sponsored by Senators Wellstone and Domeinici. It is Item #22 of President Obama's executive orders on gun control issues.
++The President did a swing through Texas, Louisiana and Florida to tout the ACA and talked to the states about Medicaid expansion, which all three Republican governors refuse to accept. The GOP sabotage of the ACA can be summed up with the number 5 million Americans denied Medicaid coverage by GOP governors. Makes the website problems look small in context.
++The new right-wing theme on ACA is that wealthy people are having their health insurance cancelled and FOX is broadcasting such people as Johnny Bench. Of course, none are losing their ability to get health insurance.
++American healthcare costs have been less than half the average increases of the last 40 years. Thanks to the ACA.
++3 California geeks have created an alternative website Healthcare Sherpa,com . You can enter your zipcode and see all the health insurance plans available through the government website. Obamacare signup has recalibrated its numbers for the ACA signup by dividing the number for exchanges and the number for Medicaid. Total they have about 1 million.
++I know this is inconvenient. The economy added 204,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate ticked up to 7.3%. The jobs number would have been higher except the public sector lost jobs. President Obama is only at 37% approval on the economy.
++The talks on the Iranian nuclear program lasted three days but broke down after France insisted that Tehran close their Arak plutonium enrichment project. Talks will resume on November 20. Israel is vowing to lobby Congress to prevent any negotiated deal.
++Meanwhile the BBC had a story that the Saudis have purchased nuclear weapons from Pakistan and the package is being held in Pakistan until the right time.
++The United States lost its vote at UNESCO because it had been withholding its back dues because UNESCO deals with the Palestinians.
++The machinery for the Syrian chemical weapons has been destroyed but now the international community must engage the Assad regime about how to dispose of the weapons themselves.
++PPP has a new poll out saying that Hillary Clinton is the most formidable front-runner for President since they started polling. 67% of Democrats favor her, which is up from 61% in 2012. Her approval rating Democrats is 90%. They argue that the "invisible" primary, that of Democratic officials puts her ahead,better than her 2008 campaign.
++Democrats should note that the race for Virginia governor showed that in an off-year election,Democrats can win with a mini-Obama coalition. Single women,African-Americans and younger voters did come out. That's something to remember in 2014.
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