Eugene Robinson:
[N]o one should assume that the party can automatically re-create the coalitions — women, minorities, young people — that swept Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012. It’s not as easy as the Obama campaigns made it look.
Getting these people to the polls requires more than a high-tech system to identify, target and nag them. It requires compelling candidates and compelling ideas. If Democrats have either, this would be a good time to bring them out.
Paul Krugman:
[T]he midterm results are no reason to think better of the Republican position on major issues. I suspect that some pundits will shade their analysis to reflect the new balance of power — for example, by once again pretending that Representative Paul Ryan’s budget proposals are good-faith attempts to put America’s fiscal house in order, rather than exercises in deception and double-talk. But Republican policy proposals deserve more critical scrutiny, not less, now that the party has more ability to impose its agenda.
So now is a good time to remember just how wrong the new rulers of Congress have been about, well, everything.
Much more below the fold.
The New York Times:
President Obama said on Wednesday that he would act on his own by the end of the year to “improve” the immigration system, presumably by giving many — perhaps millions — of the country’s unauthorized immigrants temporary protection from deportation and permission to work. He has said this before, only to back off in deference to election-year politics.
Now the election is over, and the only thing to say to the president is: Do it. Take executive action. Make it big.
He must not give in to calls to wait. Six fruitless years is time enough for anyone to realize that waiting for Congress to help fix immigration is delusional.
Jonathan Capehart:
Boehner said that his job was not only to listen to the American people, but also to “make their priorities our priorities.” If that’s the case, then are we going to see Republicans raise the minimum wage, require background checks for firearms purchases and pass comprehensive immigration reform? Don’t hold your breath. For folks who spend so much time listening to the American people, they spend an awful lot of time ignoring them.
The Boston Globe:
For hard-liners in Iran, the midterm results serve as a reminder that Obama and his party could be out of power in two years, putting any deal that rests solely on the White House in jeopardy. Iranians will be less likely to make concessions for a deal that could simply fall apart. But if one is struck, and wins support from Congress, it will be more durable than any agreement Obama cuts by himself.
The Republican victory in the Senate also carries serious implications for Syria, and could lead to deeper US military intervention in the conflict. Arizona Republican John McCain, who has called for a no-fly zone in Syria, more vigorous airstrikes, and US troops in Iraq, is now slated to become chair of the Armed Services Committee. Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who will take over the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has voiced support for similar measures.
Shikha Dalmia:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) pulled off a stunner of a solid victory on Tuesday. And after his very public fights with Wisconsin's public sector unions, the governor's re-election is being billed as a major blow to Big Labor.
In the long run, that is no doubt true. But unions might not have that much to worry about in the foreseeable future. That's because there just aren't many governors, including Walker himself, who are going to have the appetite or the need to push anti-union measures until the economy tanks again.
Ryan Cooper:
Surely there are many factors at work here, a vast suite of voter suppression measures first among them. But Democrats also seem to be missing the forest for the trees. [...] Here's a suggestion for Democratic candidates: why not offer a straightforward explanation of why your favored policies are actually good? It's true, as somebody always points out around election time, that average voters are astoundingly ignorant about basic political facts. But even ignorant people are pretty good at figuring out if someone is trying to pull one over on them. We all deserve the dignity of an honest political argument.
For Democrats preparing to run for office in 2016 and beyond, here's my advice: don't forget to explain why your policies are worth supporting. Data politics is perhaps a necessary evil, but booting up all the computers money can buy didn't do much for Democrats in the last two midterm elections. It's time for a change.