Black President, Sure; Alabama Governor? We'll See

Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, says it's doomed in the Senate

(NEWSER) - It's Harry Reid's turn to hit legislative turbulence. The House today rejected the Senate leader's plan to raise the debt ceiling in a move seen largely as symbolic, reports AP . The real fight, however, is taking place in the Senate, where GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a letter to Reid signed by 43 Republicans vowing to oppose his plan when it comes up for a vote set for 1am EST Sunday. Those numbers guarantee that Reid would not be able to fend off a filibuster, reports the Washington Post . More»

She'll be minority leader, he'll be speaker

(NEWSER) - Nancy Pelosi won the position of House minority leader today, but her uphill battle to retain a leadership role revealed a fierce split within the Democratic party, Politico reports. The vote (150-43) was far from unanimous, with the opposition holding Pelosi responsible for Democrats' crushing defeat in the midterms. "She is the face that defeated us in this last election," summed up Allen Boyd, a defeated Florida Democrat. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans, as expected, unanimously elected John Boehner to fill her role as House speaker. More details on that vote here . More»

Polling inaccuracies might surprise us today

(NEWSER) - We keep hearing doom and gloom for the Democrats, and there’s a good chance that’s accurate, writes Nate Silver in the New York Times . But thanks to a few potential polling flaws, things could turn out differently; the Dems might even hang onto the House. Here’s why:

1. Polls often skip cell-phone-only voters—Some 25% of adults don’t use landlines at all, and their demographics lean Democratic.

Women, Catholics, independents now favoring GOP

(NEWSER) - Key groups of voters who helped President Obama win in 2008 and delivered Congress to the Democrats in 2006 are favoring the GOP this time around, a New York Times /CBS poll finds. Women, Catholics, less affluent voters, and independents are all leaning Republican, the poll finds. Women are set to choose Republicans over Democrats in House races for the first time since polls started tracking voting demographics in 1982. More»

Steve King, Louie Gohmert not far behind among fringe congressmen

(NEWSER) - A week after releasing its Senate Wingnut Index , the Daily Beast investigates wingnuttery in the House. Using a “semi-scientific” process to identify the most extreme members on both sides of the spectrum, the site ranks them:

1. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): From calling the president “anti-American” to warning of tyranny, “Bachmann has become a symbol of all things Wingnutty in American politics.”