11/6 Roundup: Transition, Explanation, First Puppy

Leader: Just Getting Warmed Up

- President-elect Obama has announced the full list of advisors who will help him staff his administration. Step one is choosing a Chief-of-Staff; the job has been offered to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who has not yet accepted.  The NY Times reports that Rahm is weighing the job against giving up his power on the Hill and the effects it will have on his family. Many Democrats expect him to take the job.

- WaPo's Dan Balz looks at Obama's campaign to gather clues about how he'll govern.

- Newsweek reminds us all that transitions tend to be a bit bumpy.

- Obama's job starts to get cool already, as today he receives his first daily intelligence briefing.

Politics

- This Democratic coalition is a new one indeed. NDN's Andres Ramirez was quoted at length on All Things Considered, talking about the influential role of Hispanics in many key races. "In 2004, Hispanics accounted for about 8 percent of total turnout in Colorado. In 2008, they accounted for 17 percent. In Nevada, we saw turnout increase to 16 percent in 2008. That is up from 10 percent in 2004. And in New Mexico it went from 31 percent to 41 percent."

- Edward Luce wrote in the Financial Times that the geographic shift in this election signals the end of the Southern Strategy, echoing Simon's argument. 

- Obamaha is still up in the air. Oregon's Senate seat has been called for Merkeley. Missouri is still really close. Indiana goes for Obama. It looks like Stevens will win in Alaska. Franken wants a recount in Minnesota.

- Remember the Bradley effect that was keeping people up at night last week? Turns out that doesn't
exist.

- Michael Grunwald of Time puts five things on Obama's agenda to get America back on track.

International

- People around the world rejoiced at Barack Obama's win, but perhaps nowhere so exultantly as in Kenya, the homeland of Obama's father. His paternal grandmother-- still living in Kenya-- wondered if she might die of happiness.

- John Hughes of the CS Monitor puts together Obama's daunting global to-do list.

One More Thing

- The Onion, no longer in the business of fake news, made two incisive observations: Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job, and Nation Finally Shitty Enough to Make Social Progress.

- Simon dominated the competition in The Hill's election prediction contest.

- The search is on to recruit America's First Puppy.

- Last, the truth about Sarah Palin is spilling out, and it's not pretty: