House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing everything in her power to get health care reform passed

Gloria Borger
CNN Senior Political Analyst

The story so far: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does everything in her power to get health care reform passed by keeping her Democratic caucus together.

She keeps liberals by insisting on a public option. She works on fiscal moderates by re-jiggering it. She works on lowering the cost of the package. She pays for it by taxing millionaire couples, appealing to the class-warfare crowd.

And to keep the Catholic bishops (and their moderate allies) on board, she keeps severe restrictions on paying for abortion in the measure. The liberals, of course, threaten to bolt - but it remains in the final package.

This is not legislating; it's whack-a-mole.

The challenge is simply to try and keep your unruly team in line, and maybe pick up a stray vote or two from the opposition. If you succeed, it's not about bipartisanship. It's just salesmanship.

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Program Note: Don't miss Anderson's conversation with the book's authors Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe tonight. AC360° 10 p.m. ET.

Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe
'Sarah from Alaska'

Introduction: Lights Out

IN A CONDOMINIUM SUITE at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin read over the election night victory speech that she would never have the chance to deliver. Thank you all so much. And thank you, America, for the great responsibility that you have given to President-elect John S. McCain.

It was just minutes before the stirring moment when the official results would begin to trickle in, but as the sun descended toward the desert horizon, her fatigue must have been crushing. Palin’s two months on the trail had been not just physically exhausting but mentally draining. This short, strange trip had tested her in ways that might have broken even the most hardened political pro, and she had suffered more than her fair share of setbacks and embarrassments.

Still, it was Palin’s gripping story and alluring personality that had breathed life into a once flatlining campaign. Her addition to the ticket had sparked a flood of donations, standing-room only crowds at rallies, and a surge in the polls for the Republican ticket. But along with Palin’s many positive contributions to the campaign had come as many ruinous malfunctions. In the final hours of this frenzied voyage, she would discover just how expendable she had become, as the McCain campaign was literally about to turn the lights out on her.

How had she skyrocketed so quickly into the stratosphere of American politics? Who had really been at fault for her many public stumbles? And what was it about Sarah Palin that drew such passion from both her fans and her foes? Even with the benefit of the thousands of hours of media attention that had been devoted to her candidacy, the heat of the moment did not afford the perspective for anyone to answer these questions adequately, least of all the candidate herself. On this last night of the campaign, Palin remained focused on the momentous judgment that the American people were about to deliver.

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Tea Party activists hit the Hill, arrested outside Pelosi's office.

Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

If there is one thing that unites Democratic and Republican elites in DC, beyond of course a deep disdain for ethics rules, it is a fundamental inability to understand independent voters. The most important trend worth watching in the election this week was the behavior of the independents, and it should have sent campaign gurus running into bunkers with armloads of canned goods.

Barack Obama was swept to victory by a shift of moderate and independent voters to the Democratic side one year ago. But this week, in Virginia and New Jersey, his independent horsepower bolted from the barn. Sixty percent or more, in each place, voted Republican.

The GOP crowed over their new found friends, and Dems quietly cursed the loss. But both parties remain largely blind to what is really happening. The independents who voted for Barack Obama did so because they believed he would make a good stab at fixing the economy. But now, with the deficit still soaring, mortgages still failing, and unemployment lines still growing, they are on the move again.

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Republican Chris Christie defeated Jon Corzine in New Jersey's gubernatorial election on Tuesday.

David Gewirtz | BIO
AC360° Contributor
Editor-in-Chief, ZATZ Publishing

I think it's time I weighed in on the New Jersey election results. Some in the GOP (Chairman Michael Steele, for example) are claiming "historic" victories. Others, most notably Democrat Nancy Pelosi, are doing their level best to completely ignore the gubernatorial election results. That's right, Nancy. If you close your eyes, it never happened.

The punditocracy is going to town over this. First, most of us didn't even realize we were going to get the gift of politics until we turned on our TVs last night. It's like finding a post-season All Stars game on your TiVo when you didn't even know one was scheduled to record.

Talking heads. Pontification. Spin. It's enough to make a guy geek out all giddy with delight.

Back to New Jersey. First off, I'm a Jersey boy. I grew up in the Garden State and lived there on and off until just a few years ago, when my love for my wife (and her desire to live somewhere without winter) overwhelmed my deep connection with my native soil.

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GOP candidate Bob McDonnell emerged victorious in the Virginia gubernatorial race.

CNN

Tuesday's off-year election may not have had the high stakes of the 2008 presidential election, but several races are significant on the national level:

• New York's 23rd Congressional District: Owens to win vacant U.S. House seat, CNN projects

Democratic candidate Bill Owens will be elected to a vacant U.S. House seat in upstate New York.

The race garnered national attention as local Republican leaders picked Dede Scozzafava because of her appeal to centrist Republicans, independents and even some Democrats. However, the decision sparked a revolt among conservative activists in the GOP.

Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman outpolled Scozzafava, forcing her to withdraw. Scozzafava has since endorsed Owens.

• Virginia governor: McDonnell is projected winner

CNN has projected that Republican Bob McDonnell will be elected Virginia governor. The 55-year-old former state attorney general will be the first Republican to win the state's highest office in 12 years.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, McDonnell was leading Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds 59 percent to 41 percent.

The race was seen as an early referendum on voters' attitudes toward President Obama and his policies and an opportunity for Republicans to turn back recent Democratic gains.

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Program Note: Tune in tonight to watch Anderson's conversation with David Plouffe. AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

David Plouffe
From 'The Audacity to Win'

In a new memoir, 'The Audacity to Win,' David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's 2008 race for the White House, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse inside the campaign. Here's an excerpt:

Agony. Ecstasy.

The [Rev. Jeremiah] Wright story broke on a Wednesday and exploded across the media landscape the next day. We decided Obama had to take questions about [his former pastor's inflammatory sermons] head-on on Friday, in a series of lengthy national cable interviews.

There was one not-so-minor complication. He was already scheduled to do editorial boards that Friday afternoon with both Chicago papers about [real estate developer and political fundraiser] Tony Rezko, two hours each, no holds barred. Given no choice but to address Wright as soon as possible, we decided we would do a round of TV interviews on him directly after the Rezko boards. It shaped into quite a day, like having your legs amputated in the morning and your arms at night. The question was whether we would still have a heartbeat at the end of the day.

It was chaos and, quite frankly, frightening. I felt as if the wheels could easily spin off our whole venture. Still, Obama was the pillar of reassurance. "Don't worry, guys," he told us while making some notes on a stack of pages. "I can do more than one thing at a time. We are taking the trash out today. It won't be fun, but we'll be stronger for it."

Find more information on Plouffe's book here.

Program Note: Don't miss our special election coverage tonight, starting at 8 p.m. ET. And tune in to AC360° as we drill down on the politics of these key races and why they matter. 10 p.m. ET.

In New York's 23rd Congressional District race, Republican Dede Scozzafava endorsed a Democrat instead of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, pictured.

CNN's Political Unit

Tuesday's off-year election might not have the high stakes of the 2008 presidential election, but there are several significant races worth watching:

• New York's 23rd Congressional District

Why it matters: A conservative backlash against a moderate Republican candidate propelled this race into national headlines as proof of an ongoing family feud between the far right and moderates for control of the party.

What's the story?: Local Republican leaders picked Dede Scozzafava because of her appeal to centrist Republicans, independents and even some Democrats. But it sparked a conservative revolt, and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman outpolled Scozzafava, forcing her to withdraw. Scozzafava has since endorsed Democrat Bill Owens.

New York district bares fight for GOP's soul

Biden stumps for Owens, takes shot at Palin

WWNY: Biden asks Republicans to cross over

• Virginia Governor

Why it matters: This race is seen as an early referendum on voters' attitudes toward President Obama and his policies and an opportunity for Republicans to turn back recent Democratic gains.

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Spike Lee
For Essence.com

Barack Obama's intelligence and knowledge is vast. He's understanding, he's generous. These are all things that not just Black men, but any human being can benefit from. But when he was elected, I think a lot of people, not just Black folks, felt life with an African-American president was going to be presto chango! I'm not taking about the economy, but racism. Many felt we were entering a post-racial climate, which I think is the biggest crock ever. As a people, we have to understand Barack has to be President for the United States of America. It's unprecedented what he's doing. He's on uncharted waters. He needs our support, he needs our prayers, he needs our help in moving forward.

Barack has a definite influence on young boys. I see it with my own eyes with my 12-year-old son Jackson. If we're at a dinner and someone says something critical of Barack, he stands up at the table and defends him. Jackson's not having it! He'll say, What do you want him to do? He's doing his job! Leave him alone. He's proud of his president. We can't even estimate now the influence Barack will have on young Black boys, or the influence of Sasha and Malia. They're going to have a great effect on young Black girls too.

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Julian E. Zelizer
Special to CNN

When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced he would be pushing for a public option in the final health care bill, it looked as if he had given up on the possibility of a bipartisan agreement.

Most Republicans have been steadfast in their opposition to the Democratic health care proposals. The only serious possibility for GOP backing has come from Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. While expressing support for much of the Senate Finance Committee bill, she has said she would accept a public option only if private markets and new regulations fail to control costs and lower premiums.

Reid's decision is not a sign of commitment to an ideal but rather an act of political realism. The notion that either party will be able to find substantive bipartisan support for legislation today is dubious. The political forces that generate partisan conflict in Washington are deeply rooted and hard to change.

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