Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

The election on Tuesday of five new women to the U.S. Senate, four of them Democrats, will bring to 20 the number of “Gentle ladies” in Congress’ upper chamber.

With the retirements of Republican Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Olympia Snowe, the steady increase in numbers of Senate women was expected to stop in 2012.  Not so, and the women elected in campaign 2012 are a diverse lot in background and ideology.

Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is a high-profile Harvard Law professor and architect of the Wall Street reform package and new consumer agency passed by Congress in 2010.  Sen.-elect Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, is a rural state legislator from western Nebraska who beat two better financed opponents in the GOP primary and easily defeated former Sen. (and Gov.) Bob Kerrey in the general election.

Sen.-elect Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, is the first openly gay woman to serve in the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.”  Sen.-elect Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, held the annual Net Roots National conference rap earlier this year with the tale of her mother escaping an abusive marriage in Japan and making a new life for herself and offspring in Hawaii.

The last Senate seat decided on Tuesday was North Dakota.  Considered a sure Republican pickup, it was held for the Democrats by former state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp, who won despite the fact that Mitt Romney was piling up nearly 60 percent of the state’s vote.

Voters reelected Sens. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, considered a goner in the summer, won a sweeping victory after her Republican challenger Todd Akin tried to argue that women’s bodies can shut down pregnancy when they become victims of forcible rape.  Mitt Romney was handily winning in Missouri.

Just over a quarter-century ago, in 1986, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, became the first woman elected to the Senate whose spouse had not served before her in Congress.  The “year of the women,” 1992, brought Feinstein and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to the Senate, where they continue to serve.

It was Murray, reluctantly taking the job of Senate Democratic Campaign Committee chair, who recruited several of Tuesday’s winners.

With Snowe’s retirement in Maine, Washington, California and New Hampshire are the three states  in which women hold both U.S. Senate seats.  With the election of two Democratic women to the U.S. House of Representatives, New Hampshire became the first state to have an all-women congressional delegation.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

New York Times blogger Nate Silver earned some fame during the 2008 election for accurately predicting the presidential winner in 49 of 50 states.

He didn’t disappoint in 2012 either.

Silver has accurately guessed all of the called races in the presidential contest. Florida has yet to be decided yet, but Silver could run the table if President Barack Obama maintains his thin margin over Republican Mitt Romney.

So if you are counting, Silver is 98-99 on picking the Electoral College. Vegas should fear him.

Silver was so confident about his prediction that he was willing to wager $2,000 with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Obama winning re-election. The New York Times later called the bet “a bad idea” and “inappropriate,” according to the Huffington Post.

Scarborough, however, might not have had the best of luck with friendly wagers though.

The MSNBC host bet Obama advisor David Axelrod that he would grow a mustache if Obama won North Carolina or Florida. Romney captured North Carolina, but he is facing an uphill battle in the Sunshine State.

If that happens, Silver runs the table and Scarborough gets a mustache just in time for Movember.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

President Barack Obama’s reelection drew enthusiastic applause from environmental activists, muted congratulations from the oil industry and plenty of advice for the future from both camps.

Environmentalists widely hailed Obama’s second-term win as a victory for policies to advance renewable power, curb domestic energy use and cut pollution. But, they challenged Obama to stick to those policies during a second term and insisted more needs to be done to combat climate change.

Oil and gas industry leaders, meanwhile, praised Obama’s campaign trail promises to support domestic natural gas production, but pleaded for relief from newly proposed regulations governing drilling on federal lands and the threat of more federal mandates governing the hydraulic fracturing process that has helped unlock fossil fuels trapped in dense rock formations.

Here’s a look at some of the initial responses to Obama’s win from energy and environmental leaders:

“We congratulate President Obama on his re-election and look forward to continuing to work with his administration over the next four years on issues related to American natural gas, a powerful engine of job creation. Natural gas is revitalizing our nation’s manufacturing base and giving our nation a more competitive position in the global economy, and as President Obama has said, ‘We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years.’”

– Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber

“The power of oil and natural gas development in revitalizing our economy has been a central theme throughout this campaign season. America’s independent oil and natural gas companies have spearheaded a true energy revolution, causing U.S. manufacturing to return to the mainland and creating much-need jobs for the middle class. This is all possible because of the sophisticated, safe technologies of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, which have unlocked vast reserves of energy previously trapped in shale. IPAA appreciates President Obama’s affirmation of natural gas as an abundant and affordable energy source that will supply the United States for more than 100 years. However, IPAA has serious concerns about energy policies the Obama administration has implemented over the past four years, which taken together, demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the natural gas and oil industry in the United States. … Right now, more than twelve federal agencies seek to regulate oil and natural gas development, a jurisdiction that the states have historically and successfully regulated. One-size-fits-all regulations from Washington that duplicate what regulators are doing at the state level threaten new supplies of energy and make it next to impossible for independents to operate on federal lands, both onshore and offshore.”

– Virginia “Gigi” Lazenby, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America and chairman of Bretagne, LLC

“We look forward to continuing our work with the president and helping him fulfill his campaign promise to increase domestic oil and natural gas production that will create American jobs and strengthen our economy. With both candidates supporting more development of America’s vast oil and natural gas resources, energy is a big winner in this election. Right off the bat, the president can approve the Keystone Pipeline and put thousands of Americans to work immediately. He can acknowledge the effective role states are already playing in regulating oil and natural gas production and avoid the temptation to impose duplicative and unnecessary regulations on hydraulic fracturing. By following through on his own executive order to eliminate overly burdensome regulations, he can rein in EPA’s plans to impose regulatory burdens that could cost businesses hundreds of billions of dollars and chill economic growth.”

– API President Jack Gerard

“From its role in economic development to what it means for our national security, President Obama has recognized the many benefits of natural gas. … It is only through smart, efficient policies and coordination with policy makers at all levels that we will be able to meet our nation’s energy goals, and there is no doubt natural gas has a significant role in our energy future. …Our nation has an unprecedented domestic supply of natural gas that can meet our current and even increased demands at reasonable and relatively stable prices. Natural gas utilities can make the most of this promise by working with customers and local policy makers to leverage the efficient use of natural gas in thermal applications, expand access to natural gas vehicle fueling infrastructure, increase the use of combined heat and power technologies and explore how micro-grids can help communities address their energy needs.”

– Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the American Gas Association

“The natural gas pipeline industry looks forward to working with President Obama and the new Congress to ensure that legislation and regulation does not hinder the development of natural gas and the pipeline infrastructure needed to transport this abundant, clean-burning domestic fuel. We appreciate President Obama’s repeated statements about the benefits of natural gas to the nation’s economy and consumers. Our industry stands ready to help America reach its energy potential—while creating jobs and economic prosperity—by continuing to serve as the indispensable link between natural gas producers and consumers.”

– Don Santa, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America

“There was only one candidate in this race who doubled down on our nation’s clean energy economy. There was only one candidate who consistently fought to hold oil and coal companies accountable and only one candidate who stood up for landmark protections to keep toxins out of our air and water. And there was only one candidate who took historic steps to mitigate the climate crisis.  Because of those positions, President Obama faced an unprecedented assault from deep-pocketed oil and coal execs who inundated the airwaves with millions of dollars in attack ads.”?

– Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune

“The American people have rejected the candidate who mocked the threat of climate change on behalf of the carbon industry. Americans of all political persuasions agree that the president’s job is to explain existing threats to the public welfare, and lead the nation in tackling them head on. Obama’s forthright response to the immediate disaster of Superstorm Sandy demonstrated his ability to lead in a crisis. Now he must tackle the root causes of that disaster, including the terrible scourge of carbon pollution. The campaign over, President Obama must end his climate silence and speak out. …Talking about climate change will not be enough. What is needed is bold action, and that will require overcoming any number of practical and political challenges. … Words alone won’t save us, but silence seals our fate. It’s time for President Obama’s silence to end.”

–ClimateSilence.Org and Forecast the Facts

“With the election behind him and Sandy’s full impact still mounting, President Obama has an opportunity and an obligation to press the case for stronger climate action. … While Sandy’s lessons are still fresh, the president should be clear about the urgency of cutting carbon emissions and strengthening critical infrastructure to protect Americans against the rising costs of climate change. We urge President Obama to ensure that EPA pushes forward with strong, sensible greenhouse gas standards and allows states to meet them with market-based approaches. We also urge the president and Congress to place climate change alongside the nation’s other pressing challenges, and to consider approaches such as a carbon tax that can help solve more than one at the same time.”

– Eileen Claussen, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

In its first term, the Obama administration made real progress to reduce harmful emissions and shift the country toward cleaner energy. … But, these actions aren’t enough. The reality is that the Obama Administration has not yet put the country on a pathway to truly confront the climate crisis. First off, the United States needs a strong national climate and energy strategy. The president should begin by re-engaging a dialogue on climate change and identifying the actions needed to address the crisis. The president should work with Congress on national-level policies, including putting a price on carbon, to get the country on a low-carbon trajectory. In addition, the EPA, in particular, has the ability to implement new standards to reduce dangerous greenhouse gases from existing power plants. The president should reject proposals that would over-exploit America’s resources, decimate its lands, or increase its dependence on high-carbon fuels.”

– Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute

“Exit polls confirm that for millions of American voters, Hurricane Sandy and climate change were decisive factors in this election. As the historic storm just reminded us, we have no time to waste; we must get serious about climate solutions in order to protect our loved ones and communities from terrible impacts — extreme weather disasters, droughts, heat waves, and other dangerous consequences of global warming. Especially in the wake of Sandy, which demonstrated that doing nothing about climate change is much costlier than taking action, this issue clearly should be a top priority for our leaders in government.”

– Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp

“Big Oil-backed special interests brought unlimited resources to bear this election cycle and were expected to overwhelm the presidential race. But voters … chose a different course – reelecting a president who has championed building a clean energy economy.”

– League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski

“Despite the many differences between the candidates and their political supporters, both candidates agreed energy independence was an important national goal. We are pleased that both candidates publicly supported the Renewable Fuel Standard based on its proven success.”

– Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association

“This year has witnessed policy gridlock and economic stagnation. Now that the election is behind us, America’s business leaders are focused on making 2013 a better year for the U.S. economy. The White House and next Congress should … streamline the federal regulatory process while expediting approval of federal permits for major industrial and infrastructure projects and make U.S. energy systems more diverse, more domestic and more efficient.”

– Business Roundtable President John Engler

“During his first term, President Barack Obama strengthened the economy and created jobs by issuing executive orders improving fuel economy standards and advancing manufacturing and building efficiency. The president invested heavily in energy efficiency through the Recovery Act; weatherized more than a million homes; and made energy efficiency a central pillar and the ‘first fuel’ of choice for the nation. … We expect — and will press hard — for President Obama and his team to continue on this important path to make the United States the most energy productive country in the world.”

– Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

1. America is diverse. Deal with it. The sight of Bill O’Reilly whining about the white establishment being in the minority was as telling as it was disgustingly racist. Twenty years ago we would have won, he said.  That misses the point. What America did last night was full-throated affirmation of diversity of all kinds. It was undoubtedly the best night for gay rights in history, with Tammy Baldwin’s historic ascension as the first openly gay Senator, gay marriage winning popular-vote contests in Maine and Maryland (and maybe Washington) and a ban on gay marriage being rejected in Minnesota.

2. Don’t attempt illegal nonsense to subvert the democracy. The vote-suppression efforts across the country were as transparent as the old Jim Crow poll tests and taxes. What they did was infuriate and engage the electorate. This election wasn’t stolen by apocryphal busloads of illegal voters. It was won by people who stood in line for six hours to insist on what the Constitution gives them – that precious right that they were determined to preserve.

3. The electorate did not fall off a turnip truck. Mendacious messaging like the desperation Jeep ad in Ohio will backfire, and the backlash feels worse than the initial problem. You can’t tell people whose livelihoods were saved by a policy you opposed that down is up and tomorrow really should be yesterday.

4. Pandering to the “base” is perilous. The Republican Party has a tea party problem because it has allowed itself to. The echo chamber encouraged it and enabled it (see O’Reilly, above) and smart people like John Cornyn and John Boehner watched the trains collide. America is simply not, in large numbers, that conservative. A political garden where Mourdocks and Akins are allowed to crowd out moderates – nobody ever accused Richard Lugar of being a wild-eyed liberal – will not produce the desired result. Consider the balance of power in the Senate this morning. Then consider what the tea party has done for the Republicans in the upper chamber: Five seats squandered in two cycles. And the House is not immune. The banshee screamed for Allen West and Joe Walsh and even Francisco “Quico” Canseco last night. Michelle Bachmann barely escaped. The House tea party caucus is feeling a little like Custer’s 7^th Cavalry this morning. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are the bright spots, but if they want to succeed on the national level, they need to lead the party in a direction where more voters live.

5. “Trust me” doesn’t get it done. The secrecy of Mitt Romney on everything from tax returns to the records of his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, and his inveterate position-switching, did not make selling his inscrutable tax plan any easier. Similarly, “repealing Obamacare but keeping the good parts” always was a fairy tale. The hidden-ball trick doesn’t work very often.

6. If you must pander, do not alienate large chunks of voters in the process. The Republican Party should not have the gender gap and the “race gap” that it has. This was an unforced error. As flawed a candidate as he was – whose idea was it to nominate a corporate takeover and outsourcing artist on the heels of a horrible recession? – if Mitt Romney had been allowed to be moderate on women’s issues, which I suspect he truly is, and if he has not been pushed into the “severely conservative,” self-deportation-espousing immigration hawk he was in the primaries, he might be president next January.

7.  The system self-corrects. The Republicans lost in 2006  and 2008 because they had diverged from the path the country wanted to take. The Democrats lost in 2010 because they were arrogant and overreaching and didn’t understand the depth of the distress most Americans were feeling. And the Republicans lost this year, in part, because they thought they could fundamentally change the structure of Washington, and they dramatically underestimated the demographic sand shifting beneath their feet. Our system maintains its ability to judge such deviations relentlessly. The laws of politics are as immutable as the laws of physics. And any marketer will tell you: If you don’t know your market, or ignore its central truths, you’re not going to be successful. In that context, the Republicans in the House hold the key to what kind of party emerges from the ashes of 2012: A minority status that endures for generations, or a newly respected and effective alternative to the Democrats. If they continue to obstruct and disengage, they and the country will pay the price. Similarly, the Democrats must realize this was a one percent popular vote victory, not a mandate; that the country is still deeply divided; and they have toreach across the aisle in sincerity to make it work. That ultimately will take new congressional  leadership.

8. “We’ve got to fix that.” As an aside, President Obama commented Tuesday night on the flaws in our electoral process that produce the enormous lines, disenfranchisement and disillusionment about our democracy. It’s not an aside, it’s vital. Depoliticize Secretaries of State and the elections process.  While you’re at it, draw the lines fairly. Gerrymandering in all its arcane forms has produced a House of Representatives where extremism has been rewarded and dynsfunction has been the result. California, with citizen-led redistricting, took a step toward the honest embracing of the new demographics in this country. If we rid ourselves of gerrymandering, freely embrace universal voting and put the people back in charge of the electoral process, we’ll have a House of Representatives much more responsive to the public will. Free the electoral process for a more perfect union.

9. Retail politics still matters. Examples abound. The victories of Jon Tester and Heidi Heitkamp did not happen because they had powerful machines behind them. They happened because the candidates themselves were genuine, leveled with voters one-on-one and ran smart, error-free campaigns.

10. Nate Silver is a freaking genius.

Comments

|

E-mail

|

Print

Twitter has a new top tweet after election night. At 11:16 p.m. on Election Day, President Obama’s Twitter feed posted a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama hugging each other, with the statement “Four more years.”

By Wednesday morning, the post had topped 500,000 retweets, the media news site revealed. The New York Daily News reports that Obama’s tweet racked up more than 400,000 hits in just two hours. The second-most popular tweet, posted by Justin Bieber, received more than 200,000 retweets.