White House to Democrats: Well seek extension to Iran nuclear talks
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White House to Democrats: Well seek extension to Iran nuclear talks - Video
Southern Democrats who lost key races this election cycle
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
New Orleans (CNN) -- The 2014 elections seemed like the final reckoning for Southern Democrats, the culmination of a political metamorphosis that began in the Civil Rights era and concluded under the nation's first black President.
Wiped out in governors' races, clobbered in Senate contests, irrelevant in many House districts and boxed out of state legislatures, Democrats in the South today look like a rump party consigned to a lifetime of indignity.
"I can't remember it being any gloomier for Democrats in the South than it is today," said Curtis Wilkie, the longtime journalist and observer of Southern life who lectures at the University of Mississippi. "The party has been demonized by Republicans. It's very bleak. I just don't see anything good for them on the horizon."
Democrats are looking everywhere for solutions to their Southern problem. They hope population changes will make states such as Georgia and North Carolina more hospitable. They want more financial help from the national party. Some are even clinging to the dim hope that Hillary Clinton might help make inroads with white working class voters in Arkansas in 2016.
Success here is crucial for the party. There's virtually no way for Democrats to win back a majority in the Senate -- much less the House -- without finding a way to compete more effectively in the South. But the truth is there are no easy answers for a party so deep in the hole.
White voters have abandoned Democrats for decades, and the flight has only hastened under President Barack Obama. The migration has created a troublesome math problem: Democrats across the region now depend on African-American voters and not much else.
It's a disastrous formula in low-turnout midterms dominated by white voters. In Louisiana, Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu won only 18% of white voters on Election Day. She won't do much better in what's expected to be another knife-twisting loss for Democrats in the state's runoff election here on Saturday. If she loses, there won't be a single Democratic senator or governor anywhere south of Virginia.
READ: Landrieu, Cassidy spar in final Senate debate
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Dreary days for Southern Democrats
TALLAHASSEE Florida Democrats held a conference call Tuesday to try to find the sunny side of an election drubbing that saw the defeat of many of the partys rising stars.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson blamed the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision that allowed unlimited corporate and union money to start flowing into elections as one potential cause.
But he shrugged off questions from reporters about whether the party was broadly disconnected from the sensibilities of voters. He also said the partys stock of potential candidates for higher office was still solid.
Look at the horses that we have in the stable, Nelson, an Orlando Democrat, said, referencing Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel and Patrick Murphy, and newly elected Gwen Graham, the daughter of the former governor who defeated incumbent Republican Steve Sutherland for a Panhandle-based congressional seat.
He also mentioned one particular defeat state Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, D-Maitland, who lost to Republican Bob Cortes because, he said, she was overwhelmed by spending from the other side.
While the federal campaign-contribution limit ruling doesnt directly impact state races, Nelson said the flood of corporate and interest-group cash into elections now was more of a problem for Democrats than ever before.
That is a major handicap that we see at this point, and that's going to have to be faced straight on, Nelson said.
Another potential future candidate on the call, former Orlando police chief and congressional candidate Val Demings, said Florida Democrats needed to conduct a systemic review of their operations.
If we are serious about winning races up and down the ballot, we do have to look at everything staffing, funding, communications plans, Demings said. We've got to look at communication with our local officials.
The lament is nothing new for the party now out of power in Tallahassee for 16 years. For the most part, Democrats have been self-reflecting on the decision justified or not -- to place such an emphasis on winning back the governors office with a flawed, former Republican candidate in Charlie Crist.
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After electoral benching, Florida Democrats say their own is just fine
By Humberto Sanchez Posted at 11 a.m. today
Senate Democrats will meet Wednesday to start plotting a path back to the majority. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Senate Democrats will hold their first strategy session on taking back the majority Wednesday afternoon, according to a senior Senate Democratic aide.
The informal session will be led by Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, who is chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who is DPCC vice chairman.
The meeting will be the first since last months elections, and will kick off a series of discussions that will include a full caucus retreat early next year.
Senate Democrats feel optimistic about the opportunities to pick up seats after this years election given the map in 2016, but know that the caucus needs to be focused and clear-eyed about putting forth an agenda that resonates with the middle class, the aide said.
Democrats hold just 10 seats up in 2016, while Republicans will be defending 24 seats.
The aide described the meeting as a big picture discussion, with policy goals to be fleshed out later.
Democrats are not expected to decide specific policies that they will push in response to the Republicans in the meeting, but rather begin to discuss broader themes that will guide their agenda and messaging in the coming years, the aide said.
The meeting comes after Democrats have been feuding among one another following the election losses. In the next Congress, Republicans will have a 53-46 majority in the chamber, having added seven seats, excluding the Louisiana Senate race, which will be decided by a Saturday runoff.
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Senate Democrats Begin Planning Road Back to Majority
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Senate Democrats unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would eliminate a planned tuition hike for in-state students at UC San Diego and other University of California campuses, but would sharply increase the amount out-of-state students pay.
The UC Board of Regents last month approved tuition hikes of 5 percent a year for five years, saying it wasn't receiving enough money from the state to even cover inflation. The decision has sparked protests at UC campuses across the state.
Under the proposal announced today by state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, out-of-state UC students would see a 17 percent increase in their tuition premium, while the state would also boost its general fund spending on higher education by $156 million in 2015-16. The proposal also calls for redirecting funds from a middle-class scholarship program.
The plan would also create a financial incentive program for California State University students to obtain their degrees in four years.
The overall proposal is aimed at boosting UC enrollment by 5,000 next year, while increasing CSU enrollment by 10,500.
"Today, Senate Democrats stand united with California's students on improving college access, affordability and helping students graduate," de Leon said. "California's economy depends on the vibrancy and quality of our higher education system, and the cornerstone is an affordable four-year program."
UC President Janet Napolitano called the proposal a "promising first step."
"I welcome and applaud the Senate Democrats' interest in maintaining the excellence, access and affordability of California's system of public higher education," Napolitano said. "The bill introduced today is a promising first step toward making sure that public higher education benefits Californians today and for generations to come, and we look forward to working with Senate Democrats and other elected officials to secure the state funding essential to this end.
"State funding should be adequate to ensure that UC remains the best public university in the world and that tuition is as low and predictable as possible."
Under the tuition hike approved by the UC Board of Regents last month, in-state tuition for the 2015-16 school year will rise by $612, to $12,804. Out-of-state students pay the same increased rate, plus the non-resident fee of $22,878, which will also increase by the same percentage, according to UC.
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Senate Democrats propose elimination of UC tuition hike