The next few years are going to be very different than the previous two. Practically nothing of substance is going to get done, everything is going to be about ideological and tactical battles.
The Republicans will be using their newfound subpoena power in the House to investigate every last aspect of the Obama Administration and maybe even other members of Congress for "Unamerican" activities, McCarthyism is going to be back with a vengeance. Fighting this type of ideological combat requires a very different set of leaders than we currently have. Reid and Pelosi were both really good at the type of arm-twisting and cojoling that gets things done in a political system institutionally designed for stasis. However, neither were particularly good at motivating the base of the party, and now both have sky-high negatives. It would be best if Reid stepped down.
To turn the page on this election we need new blood in leadership positions (as Minority Leader in the House and Majority Leader in the Senate. Reid is probably not going to make it after this term is up, why not get a majority leader that can aggressively combat the Republican flood of BS that is going to follow from the House takeover? The GOP leadership is going to have an exclusive country club look to it (all white male), so why not contrast that with a relatively new and energetic female senator or minority leader (who I'm not sure)
As far as the Obama Administration staff, Rahm is gone and Rouse is in, but the communication from the White House has not been very effective. There does not seem to be a defining message of the Obama White House right now, they've lost control of the narrative. I'm not sure how they can get it back, and Rouse is brand new so I guess I have to give him some time. Overall, President Obama has lost his mojo and he needs to get it back, new messages have to be tried and risks taken. If President Obama was a football quarterback he's managing the game and not playing from the heart.
The next fews years are not going to be about getting things done, they are going to be about protecting what the President and the current Congress have already achieved. This will require someone with a strong grasp of our party's basic philosophy and the ability to communicate it effectively to ordinary Americans. It's time to mind the base of the party (and not listen to Evan Bayh), compromise with Republicans would make them look strong and us look weak (not to mention being bad for the country). Like my late grandmother used to say, "It's time to get tough." And that's what I would do if I was Master of the Universe.