President Barack Obama: The Vice News Interview

On #CRomnibus and purity pouting

If you're furious about #CRomnibus but didn't vote in midterms, may I suggest this drink? http://t.co/AHOztfV2xx

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Liberal Librarian (@Lib_Librarian) December 11, 2014

Well, a hint of the next 2 years has been washing over us.

The Continuing Resolution Omnibus, which will more or less keep government funded through September 2015 is slouching towards 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. And people are pissed.

It has giveaways to the banksters! It tries to gut Dodd-Frank! It cuts the EPA! It kills DC’s weed law!

Well, Charlies, what the fuck did you expect?

The Future Rewards Those Who Press On

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Jackie Grumbacher

Ever since then Senator Obama decided to run for president in 2007, he has been modelling the behavior he would wish all of us and, particularly all Democrats, to follow. He never panicked or over dramatized anything, but patiently, methodically built an organization that was bigger, better and infinitely more effective than the existing Democratic Party. And he did it with finesse and courtesy, never once publicly criticizing the Democratic establishment or embarrassing any individual, no matter how much he was insulted by them. He showed us how to have immense grace under pressure, how to press forward on difficult days, how to shut out the naysayers, how to respect our skills and empower each other. As president he has showed us optimism combined with pragmatism and realism. He has never stooped to the level of his enemies and has tried to seek a common ground, even as he worked against the most massive obstruction in history. After the midterms, he literally went in front of the cameras and taught us how to act– not to cower or despair, but to lift our heads with pride and a sense of optimism and move forward. He told us by his actions alone to give nothing to our critics, waste no sorrow on our enemies, remain undaunted at our prospects and just keep moving forward bringing light and honesty into the darkest hate. If Democrats in this country–and that includes you, Jon Tester–opened their eyes and realized how much this incredible president is teaching us every day we would not only become better human beings, we would never lose another election.

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A Different Take On The Election

by @zizii2

Much handwringing over the Democratic party’s electoral fortunes has taken place this past week. Teabaggers are ecstatic. The most loathesome wingnuts are going to make our lives even more miserable than we have already endured. Some young people justify young voter apathy by saying Democrats did not give them what they wanted, as shown below in the Carl Gibson piece titled:

Open Letter to Democrats From a Disillusioned Young Voter

And Democratic Party leaders will probably learn the wrong lessons and move further repub-lite.

I think differently about what happened. I believe what we are seeing is the brick wall that Coalition Politics slams into when the regular institutions of Democracy have been irreparably subverted and perverted by oligarchs and their political minions who have convinced many Americans that nihilism is their birthright. What do I mean?

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Normally, in a democracy, aspiring politicians and party platforms woo voters with promises of what they will DO for said voters, and the campaigns go full steam ahead in competition. And whoever wins tries to maintain voter approval and possible reelection based on their ability to account to the voter. Otherwise how do you win power again, right?

Wrong. Voters? What voters? GOP-Oligarchs’ answer to electoral imperatives and demographic change, is to shrink the electorate till they could “drown it in a bathtub”!

Another Tweet Or Two

American Kenneth Bae thanks Pres.Obama for his release from N.Korea & safe return back to U.S. cnn.it/1ubikq0 http://t.co/yQoPOdgUG0

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The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) November 09, 2014

Roses are lovely Some Democrats are dumb Didn't vote and sat at home Suckin' their thumbs

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  (@JOBoomr) November 09, 2014

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Racism destroys because it is backed by power, systems, policy and action. Oh, and a complacent, incurious populace.

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jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) November 08, 2014

Public indifference and gullibility are critical to the cover ups everywhere.

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jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) November 08, 2014

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A black girl did this last year. Everybody called her a ho RT @BuzzFeed women are the greatest bzfd.it/1x0yqFg http://t.co/exKcZhU3cp

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Trini Trent (@TriniTrent) November 04, 2014

*rolls eyes* http://t.co/LzHhxqKA5Q

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QUEEN OF MEAN (@youngblackbitch) November 04, 2014

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Contrast and compare these headlines. http://t.co/aBmjgbxEpM

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Concepción Lara (@lowsell) November 05, 2014

NYC’s black upper-middle class familes fade, while well-off single whites surge on.wsj.com/1ww4fUS http://t.co/DsKsXOaLy9

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Rani Molla (@ranimolla) November 05, 2014

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I believe in giving criminals a second chance but honestly, Florida, the governor's mansion is a bit much.

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John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) November 05, 2014

Clearly a rough night for us and much of the polling industry and we'll own that and try to figure out what happened in the coming days

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PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) November 05, 2014

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U.S. transfers Guantanamo prisoner to Kuwait cbsn.ws/1xdJb3x

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CBS Top News (@CBSTopNews) November 05, 2014

Scott Brown is the first person in history to lose two Senate seats in two different states to two women.

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Kasie Hunt (@kasie) November 05, 2014

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Very proud to see @SenScottBrown become the first person in history to lose 2 senate races in 2 states to 2 separate women #Election2014

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Heather L Harvey (@thisladyHeather) November 05, 2014

Mitch McConnell wins KY Senate race, thanks “all those who’d rather die of treatable diseases than let a black president help them.”

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Top Conservative Cat (@TeaPartyCat) November 05, 2014

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Alison Grimes was coached in the Clinton politics of abandoning the working class. She got beaten for her cowardice.

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CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) November 05, 2014

Both Clintons campaigned in Ky for family friend Alison Grimes-@billclinton did 5 events, @HillaryClinton did 4 events there #CNNElection

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Kevin Bohn (@KevinBohnCNN) November 05, 2014

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Environmental protection, Green initiatives, overtime pay, stem cell research expansion, fuel economy standards #DemocratsDidThat

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Nancy Giles (@nancygilesnyc) November 05, 2014

In Pennsylvania, the Medicaid expansion will stay; Tom Corbett will go.

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Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) November 05, 2014

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To be a "conservatarian," one must merge the complete lack of empathy of a conservative with the complete lack of empathy of a libertarian.

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  (@LOLGOP) November 09, 2014

Breitbart attack on the Attorney General nominee actually refers to a different Loretta Lynch mm4a.org/1417YPH http://t.co/hGcmMUtoCn

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Media Matters (@mmfa) November 09, 2014

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Btw, number of Americans killed by Ebola since Oct 1: 0. Number of Americans killed by gun violence since Oct 1: 3,200. #gunsinAmerica

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Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) November 09, 2014

In places where anti-gun violence candidates & policies were on the ballot voters sided w them bit.ly/1oto6T5 http://t.co/UA9YXVvBsA

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Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 07, 2014

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$2 trillion down the drain; MT @memeorandum: W Bush: 'No Regrets' over Decision to Invade Iraq mediaite.com/tv/george-w-bu… memeorandum.com/141109/p14#a14…

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Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) November 09, 2014

The only Republican replacement for Obamacare? Destroying Obamacare eclectablog.com/2014/11/the-on…

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Denise Ingram (@leclemot) November 09, 2014

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George W. Bush has no regrets about the Iraq War or the worst economy in 60 years. So go ahead and leave the toilet seat up.

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  (@LOLGOP) November 09, 2014

How many people would have to die in wars, how many jobs lost, how many homes foreclosed before George W. Bush would feel a little regret?

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  (@LOLGOP) November 09, 2014

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Red states love: 1. Raising the minimum wage 2. Politicians who oppose raising the minimum wage

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Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) November 05, 2014

Living in a blue state must be so easy. You don't have anything to do but run your mouth. #NotAllBlueStates

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Cindy (@JustCindeh) November 05, 2014

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Will WI accept Medicaid $ to expand access to care? Scott Walker says "No." Why? "We don't put our taxpayers at risk." Just our sick people.

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John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) November 09, 2014

Dad of the Year http://t.co/Yk9EowhhKa

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  (@pourmecoffee) November 05, 2014

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25 years ago today, Ronald Reagan tore open the Berlin Wall with a golden grappling hook thrown from a screeching virgin-born bald eagle.

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  (@pourmecoffee) November 09, 2014

Read your Bible, Steelers! "And the Lord said, 'Let not Bieber into your inner circle, or thou will be smitten by the lowliest of enemies.'"

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  (@pourmecoffee) November 09, 2014

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As a white male, I find it beneficial to always ask myself the following questions before complaining about anything: 1. Shut the fuck up.

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Guy Endore-Kaiser (@GuyEndoreKaiser) November 04, 2014

I've never reported Safari for quitting unexpectedly, because my momma didn't raise a snitch.

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Guy Endore-Kaiser (@GuyEndoreKaiser) November 03, 2014

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President Obama greeted by Chinese foreign minister on arrival in Beijing http://t.co/VIaCnRmgzw

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TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 10, 2014

President Obama arrives in China - and immediately makes a new friend 🙂 http://t.co/0gmFk88qDa

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TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 10, 2014

You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone

@RickStrandlof

A Political System On Life Support

The results of Tuesday’s “earth shattering” election are quite revelatory, but not for the reasons bruited about by your average MSNBC/Fox/CNN vacuous pundit.

Although President Obama won’t use the word—and bless him for it—it was a “shellacking” which the voters meted out to the Democratic Party. But let’s examine this “mandate” a bit further.

The turnout for the midterm election stands at 36%, a low not seen since the 1940s. That’s 36% of registered voters. Voter registration in its turn doesn’t encompass all eligible voters. This Al Jazeera article has this telling paragraph:

Election turnout is often cited as an indicator of the strength of the mandate of winning candidates, but it can be a misleading statistic: Turnout is usually measured as a proportion of registered voters rather than of those eligible to vote — and census numbers show that more than 70 million U.S. citizens of voting age are not registered voters.

Get that? 70 million Americans who are eligible to vote aren’t even registered. What does this mean? That the number of registered voters is at best a bare majority of eligible voters. And then that the voters who turned out were a minority of that number. And then that the GOP “landslide” depended on a further minority of registered voters, which in turn doesn’t account for all eligible voters.

This opens up a veritable cornucopia of delicious dysfunction.

A Tweet Or Two

"We've just got to keep at it until every American feels the gains of a growing economy...in their own lives." —Obama http://t.co/mrCUuBAEws

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 05, 2014

“When you look at the facts, our economy is stronger than just about anybody’s.” —President Obama http://t.co/yWWt8KHHfY

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 05, 2014

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"My number one goal is...to deliver as much as I can for the American people in these last two years.” —President Obama

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 05, 2014

"In the 5 states where a minimum wage increase was on the ballot last night, voters went 5-for-5 to increase it." —Obama #RaiseTheWage

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 05, 2014

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"I will measure ideas not by whether they come from Democrats or Republicans, but by whether they work for the American people." —Obama

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 05, 2014

AK, AR, NE and SD approved measures yesterday to #RaiseTheWage. This action will benefit thousands of working families in their communities.

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Tom Perez (@LaborSec) November 05, 2014

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Hard Truths

There is work to be done. We must keep fighting

He fixed carnage left to him by GWB If he was white, his party would have had landslide tonight That's the truth http://t.co/tWdxj7MpJl

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TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 05, 2014

To Dems who fought hard, kudos. To those who encouraged not voting to stick it to President Obama, he wakes up as POTUS. What do you have?

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Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) November 05, 2014

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92% of black voters voted for Wendy Davis. 92%. Incredible. WAY more than anyone else. Ya'll couldn't have done ANY better. ✊✊✊✊

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Reagan Gomez (@ReaganGomez) November 05, 2014

Goddammit, white women in Texas. Damn it. http://t.co/7a6ZxMT9sP

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Jessica Luther (@scATX) November 05, 2014

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Greg Abbott won "women" by 9 points. Yet 94% of Black women and 61% of Latino women voted for Wendy Davis. WHITE WOMEN VOTED FOR ABBOTT.

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Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) November 05, 2014

If so, imagine if Democrats had embraced President Obama's policies and focused on getting as many Black people to the polls as possible...

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Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) November 05, 2014

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Note: the two Dems who voted against Manchin-Toomey both lost (AR & AK) while two guvs who signed sweeping gun laws are hanging on (CT & CO)

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Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) November 05, 2014

Our new national anthem is now "America, The Cognitive Dissonant" sung in the key of WHAT THE FUCK

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We Be Du Bois (@eclecticbrotha) November 05, 2014

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Because "women" means "white women." She won Black and Latino women. | Wendy Davis didn't even win Texas women washex.am/1ty9qBe

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Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) November 05, 2014

"Concerned" RT @nytpolitics: White voters concerned about race relations voted Republican in the midterm elections nyti.ms/1AeDKqN

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Oliver Willis (@owillis) November 05, 2014

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Dear millennials, winners show up: nbcnews.to/1tx87Cu http://t.co/BGYMitYpRG

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Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) November 05, 2014

There really needs to be a SchoolHouse Rock for Adults.

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  (@HumanityCritic) November 05, 2014

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Maybe people would think more of Democrats if they seemed like they were proud to be Democrats.

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David Roberts (@drgrist) November 05, 2014

Alison Lundergan Grimes wouldn't say if she voted for Obama and she lost. Obama campaigned for Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania and he won.

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Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 05, 2014

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Today's we learned that the most dangerous airborne virus in America isn't Ebola, it's Amnesia.

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John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) November 05, 2014

So voters want a higher minimum wage, legal pot, abortion access and GOP representation. Ok then.

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Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) November 05, 2014

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If he was white, PBO would be on Mount Rushmore by now RT @BloombergNews U.S. added 230,000 jobs in October, ADP says

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TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 05, 2014

This is not government by, for, and of the people. This is vulture capitalism and media collusion run totally fucking amok.

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Propane Jane (@docrocktex26) November 05, 2014

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Election of 38% turnout, more than third of them over 60 years old, has nothing to do with Obama's polices, only his skin color.

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BWD (@theonlyadult) November 05, 2014

'It is still about race: Obama hatred, the South & truth about GOP wins - age-old ugliness' salon.com/2014/11/04/it_… http://t.co/BG05Zte66T

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TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 05, 2014

What The Pundits Won’t Tell You

MT @RussOnPolitics History made in Rhode Island. Gina Raimondo elected governor. First woman gov & first Dem since 92 http://t.co/T70rSthml9

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TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 05, 2014

Wendy Davis lost, Latino voters in Texas favored her over Republican Greg Abbott by a 68%-32% margin, @LatinoDecisions says.

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Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) November 05, 2014

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Congratulations to @GwenForCongress on her election! floridadems.org/news/fdp-state… #NorthFLWay http://t.co/YK6iCHIwGk

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FL Democratic Party (@FlaDems) November 05, 2014

Another point you won't hear on TV tonight: After the election, @OfficialCBC will have 47 members, the largest # of Blacks ever in Congress.

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  (@rolandsmartin) November 05, 2014

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Susanne Atanus, Republican Who Said Autism Was Result of God’s Anger Over Gay Marriage, Loses Race for Congress tinyurl.com/klhd9cu

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Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) November 05, 2014

Coloradans rejected — for the THIRD time — a ballot initiative to define “personhood” as beginning at conception bit.ly/1x2g5Ys

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  (@igorvolsky) November 05, 2014

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Don’t let anyone say Udall lost because he ran on women’s issues. In 2012, Obama won women in #CO by only 3pts. Udall won women by 9pts.

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Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) November 05, 2014

Voters approve minimum wage hike in Nebraska. Will go to $9 by 2016.

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Dave Jamieson (@jamieson) November 05, 2014

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Big win for my neighbor and friend @RepEsty. On a tough night for Dems nationally, she shines.

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Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 05, 2014

Good news for Dems, in 2016 GOP will be defending 22 Senate seats

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Eric (@diggaduh) November 05, 2014

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Don't get cocky. Who votes in midterms vs. who votes in Presidential elections: http://t.co/MVrBVWe226

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Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) November 05, 2014

Black voters in Fayette GA elected first Af-Am ever to County Commission thanks to new district elections! @NAACP_LDF naacpldf.org/press-release/…

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Janai S. Nelson (@JNelsonLDF) November 05, 2014