| The Crystal Ball’s Tweets of the Week is a look back at the highlights of the past week in politics in snippets of 140 characters or less. To get this analysis as soon as news breaks, follow University of Virginia Center for Politics Director, and Crystal Ball founder, Larry Sabato on Twitter by clicking here. |
2:36 PM Dec 23rd: Take heart,10 states losing House seats. Checked 1789-2010: 35 states lost seats sometime,14 REGAINED seats. Pop. patterns can change.
8:17 PM Dec 25th: A gorgeous white Christmas on Mr. Jefferson’s Lawn…Just heard sleighbells in the snow.
12:54 PM Dec 28th: Bold Economic Prediction for 2011: Stock markets will gyrate wildly, up & down, often with no clear explanation except “profit taking”.
4:20 PM Dec 28th: Bold Political Prediction for 2011: I forsee special elections. They will be dramatically over-reported and massively over-interpreted.
12:13 PM Dec 31st: At midnite we begin 2nd decade of 21st c. Didn’t happen 1/1/10. No Year Zero. Happy & healthy new decade to all.
12:15 PM Jan. 4th: Crunching #s on Congress: 242 Rs in House is 7th largest in history, most since 1947(246). Biggest ever: 300 Rs elected w/Harding(1920)
12:27 PM Jan. 4th Take all Senates for past 100 years (1911-2011). Average No. of Dems on opening day? 53.5 So new Senate = D norm.
2:49 PM Jan 4th: Congress record. 2011=smallest # of D House freshmen(9) in 100+ yrs (we checked 1911-2011). Largest # of GOP frosh(85) since 1920(90).
7:04 AM Jan 5th: Swearing in: A day of happy talk. You’ll think they like each other.
7:09 AM Jan 5th: Boehner’s presenting himself as the anti-Gingrich(’95 version). Humble not triumphant. That’s about right. Now keep the tears in check.
2:54 PM Jan 5th: It’s a classic “big news day”. Yet nothing is surprising; all pre-scripted (Congress) or well known in advance (Gibbs leaving).