repeal the George W. Bush-era tax cuts.

repeal the George W. Bush-era tax cuts. These are legitimate issues

I think it won't be long before we know whether Democrats learned anything from this election, but if I could make a suggestion to those who remain, I think I would advise that they get better acquainted with their role as members of an independent branch of government, and start taking a closer look at the e-mails and letters they've received over the last two years, to see how much of what people asked them to do they actually endeavored to achieve.  And I don't mean some industry-friendly (pick an industry) legislation with a lofty title that sounds better than it is.

The voters will reward good policy that improves their lives.  They will reward unambiguous, full-tilt efforts to stop bad policy.  I would suggest that the lame duck Democratic Congress reject, in no uncertain terms, ANY recommendation from the CatFood Commission to reduce Social Security benefits - period.  No raising the retirement age to 70.  No "re-calculating" how benefits are determined.  Give seniors the $250 - it's unbelievably meager and doesn't substitute for an actual increase to 2011 benefits, but it's something.

Go down swinging if you have to, to extend unemployment benefits; cold weather is here, and people are hanging by an economic thread.  Do it before the huge bonuses get handed out on Wall Street or live with the "optic" of celebrating bankers and brokers juxtaposed against people holding "will work for food" signs.

Any Democrat who lost needs to have as many meetings as it takes with actual voters until he or she understands why it happened, and that message needs to be carried to those Democrats moving on, or coming into, the next Congress.

Someone the president trusts needs to advise him to fire his current economic team, because not only is their vision not moving the country forward, but I don't believe the people have confidence in their ability to do so; if the vision of the current team is also Obama's vision, he desperately needs corrective lenses.

Deal with the foreclosure crisis honestly, and stop protecting the big banks; who knows how else they and their Wall Street buddies have screwed us over, but it needs to stop.  The voters don't trust any of the industries the Democrats say they have "reformed" in "historic" ways, nor do they any longer trust Democrats to protect their interests vis-à-vis these industries.  

Where the hell is Elizabeth Warren?

Two years of opportunities wasted; they learn from this, or it gets worse in 2012.  Much worse.  While it's always possible the newly minted members of Congress will stumble, crash and burn, I think it is far more likely that GOP leadership will enforce party discipline while Dems assume the position they are most comfortable with: disarray.

But even if that was a good excuse for holding back during the campaign season, now's the time to start using the bully pulpit. Obama has a notable streak of temperamental caution that serves him well, but it could also betray him. Maybe he could have turned the tide against Proposition 8 in California if he'd been willing to take a risk on its behalf. Maybe he can overcome conservative opposition to a progressive energy plan if he's willing to take some risks selling it to the public. But if he doesn't, all the congressional majorities in the world won't help him in the long run. I sure hope he understands this.

The Democrats didn't have anything to sell, because this never really happened.  Maybe it wasn't all about the complexity of navigating Congress and the irrelevancy of the President after all, despite what the author says now.

After yesterday's vote, the stock market drops 2,000 points today, and they have a re-vote by Friday.

Obama needs to end his leftist policies, which consist of well, there werent any

Then:

Numerical notes on health care reform.  Guys, this is a major program to aid lower- and lower-middle-income families. How is that not a big progressive victory?

"Congress sought to placate those on the extreme left and motivate the base -- but that meant that our final efforts before the election focused on trying to allow gays in the military, change our immigration system and repeal the George W. Bush-era tax cuts. These are legitimate issues but unlikely to resonate with moderate swing voters in a season of economic discontent."

True, but even if we focused on other, less divisive issues, the fact remains that it was a midterm election and we still would have not kept the majority in both the House and the Senate. At at least they (finally) attempted to accomplish something with their majority, instead of just pleasing the middle for votes.