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Fear Of GOP Takeover Forces Unions To Back Dems Who Opposed Health Care Reform
The Hill reports that unions have had to rethink their previous opposition to House Democrats who voted against the health care bill, and have now been sending out mailers in support of them: “Larry Scanlon, political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), told The Hill he sees more labor support coming for Democrats who voted against the bill due to concerns about the party losing control of the House. ‘When the reality sets in and you are talking about John Boehner running the House, you have to start saying ‘Hey, we have to take a second look here.’ It’s what is called practical politics,’ Scanlon said.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver remarks at 9:45 a.m. ET, to the President’s Export Council meeting. President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10:15 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10:45 a.m. ET, and Obama will meet at 11:15 a.m. ET with senior advisers. Obama and Biden will have lunch at 12:15 p.m. ET. Obama will participate in a 12:45 p.m. ET Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony. He will meet at 2:30 p.m. ET with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Rep. Luiz Gutierrez (D-IL). At 3:25 p.m. ET, he will make an announcement on the expansion of his “Educate to Innovate” initiative. He will depart from the White House at 4:05 p.m. ET, and depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 4:20 p.m. ET, arriving at 5:15 p.m. ET in New York. He will deliver remarks at an event for Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), at 6:15 p.m. ET in Stamford, Connecticut. He will attend a private fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at 7:45 p.m. ET. He will depart from New York at 9:40 p.m. ET, and will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base at 10:35 p.m. ET, and back at the White House at 10:50 p.m. ET.

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend President Obama’s morning briefings, and have lunch with Obama at 12:15 p.m. ET. He will meet at 2:30 p.m. ET with staff of the Middle Class Task Force and policy experts. He will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA).

Tea party Gains Clout For 2012 With O’Donnell Win
Politico declares: “Christine O’Donnell, the newly minted Republican Senate candidate from Delaware, may turn out to be every bit as unelectable as Karl Rove predicted she will be. But O’Donnell and her ideological allies already have succeeded in one of their aims–shaking up the Republican Party in ways that likely will matter long after the November elections. No GOP presidential hopeful in 2012 can expect to pass go without bowing to the tea party activists and other aggrieved conservatives who in this year’s primary season repeatedly showed their ability to reward Republicans they like, and severely punish those they don’t. The opening phase of the Republican nominating contest is likely mainly to be a sprint by candidates to prove who can be the most zealously supportive of the tea party’s ideological goals and preference for ostentatiously combative candidates.”

Moderates See Castle Defeat As Part Of Purge
Roll Call reports: “Rep. Mike Castle’s upset loss in the Delaware Republican Senate primary Tuesday sent another shock wave through the party’s dwindling moderate ranks and had Democrats crowing that the Republican Party’s big tent had collapsed. Rep. Patrick Tiberi, a moderate Republican from an Ohio district won by President Barack Obama, said that if Christine O’Donnell, the tea party candidate who beat Castle, loses in November as many now expect, there will be blowback against Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Sarah Palin and others who endorsed her. ‘There will be Republicans, including conservative Republicans, who will ask why would you endorse a flawed candidate? If we come one seat short of taking control of the Senate, that will be one that comes back and haunts us.'”

Parties Plot Path to 51 With Senate Field Set
CQ reports: “With the Senate playing field set after Tuesday’s primaries, operatives in both parties spent much of Wednesday taking stock of the landscape and adjusting their strategy accordingly for the last 47 days of the campaign. Tuesday’s shocking result in Delaware, where GOP favorite Rep. Michael N. Castle was upset by Christine O’Donnell, makes the path to netting a 10-seat gain in November more difficult for Republicans. Party operatives Wednesday downplayed Delaware as the race that would be the difference between being the majority or minority party next year. Strategists argued they were facing long odds in winning all of this cycle’s competitive races even before the tea party-backed conservative O’Donnell won.”

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