Senators emerged from a closed-door meeting last night with no deal, though many said they’re confident they could reach a deal today to tamp down the partisan standoff that has engulfed the upper chamber. Senate Majority Leader has vowed to change the rules of the Senate to allow executive branch nominees to be approved with a simple majority, something Republicans call the ‘nuclear option.’
Nate Silver of The New York Times‘ Five Thirty-Eight blog sees a tossup for Senate control in 2014, and forecasts Republicans will hold 50 or 51 seats.
2nd Term Stylistics: The New York Times writes about how President Obama is using a ‘hidden hand’ approach in his second term, as opposed to the flood-the-zone strategy of being everywhere during his first four years in office.









