Voters Seek—But Don't Find—Safety

But they've turned on GOP in Congress even more

(NEWSER) - Independent voters were key to President Obama's victory in 2008, but this year he may have a tougher time winning them over. Only 31% of independents say they view Obama favorably, while two-thirds say he's done little to improve the economy, a New York Times /CBS poll finds. Some six in 10 independents don't feel their priorities match Obama's. "I trusted Obama would bring fresh ideas to the country and improve the economy, even though he was not experienced. It didn’t happen," says one. More»

Looked 'heartless' as Obama seized advantage: Charles Krauthammer

(NEWSER) - Republicans really blew it in the payroll tax debate—both in terms of policy and politics, writes Charles Krauthammer. For one thing, the two-month extension simply doesn't make sense: It requires businesses to plan for "two-thirds of a one-quarter tax-holiday extension." More importantly, for Democrats, it was "the perfect campaign ploy: an election-year bribe that has the additional virtue of seizing the tax issue for the Democrats," Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post . More»

Vocal minorities can temporarily sway the masses

(NEWSER) - Wondering about the future of the Tea Party, or what affect the Occupy Movement might have on Democrats? Try asking a bunch of fish. Scientists have found that in a school of fish, a "vocal minority"—that is, a group determined to swim in a certain direction—can entice a less-committed majority to follow. But when uncommitted fish are introduced, they tend to follow the majority. More»

Krugman: It's a 'disaster' for the country, and shows he'll surrender again

(NEWSER) - President Obama caved deeply in a debt deal that made the Republicans big winners, with both Andrew Leonard and Paul Krugman arguing that he "surrendered." Their take:

• “In the end, President Obama had to admit surrender,” writes Andrew Leonard in Salon , detailing “a smashing victory for the Tea Party and a crushing defeat for Democrats.” In Obama’s defense, he “had to choose between an awful deal or an outright catastrophe.” But he made a mistake in trying to sell it as a compromise. "The president said it was not 'the deal I would have preferred.' He should have said it's a bad deal that does not address the pressing needs of the nation," but one that he had no choice but to sign.

At least 13 have jumped ship so far, and there could be more

(NEWSER) - Democratic losses didn’t stop on Election Day: Since Nov. 2, at least 13 state lawmakers have switched over to the Republican party, the AP reports. Many of the defections took place in the South, where dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party is high. In some states, like Alabama and Louisiana, the party switches gave control of the House to Republicans. Georgia Rep. Alan Powell, who switched to the GOP this month, said that the GOP sweep of his state brought “an effective end, at least for the foreseeable future, to the two-party system in state government.” More»