POLITICAL SUICIDE? - AT 10:24 P.M. ET:  Apparently, last night's results won't deter Field Marshal Pelosi and her loyal brigades.  Right off the cliff they run:

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Undeterred by Republican election triumphs in Virginia and New Jersey, Democratic leaders put the U.S. House on a path to vote as early as Saturday on the most sweeping overhaul of health-care policy in four decades.

The election of Republican governors in New Jersey and Virginia won’t affect how the House proceeds on legislation to extend insurance to 36 million people and create a government- run program to compete with private insurers, lawmakers said.

Party leaders signaled they’re ready for the House to begin debating the legislation and vote on its final passage by filing a 42-page amendment that made last-minute changes to the bill. The filing last night triggered a 72-hour waiting period that Democrats pledged to give Republicans before a vote.

“We are on the verge of doing something great,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters today after meeting with lawmakers in Washington. “From my perspective, we won last night,” she said, pointing to Democratic wins in two House races to fill vacancies in California and New York.

COMMENT:  She will be cheered in Aspen, San Francisco, Manhattan and Beverly Hills.  Everywhere else?  Do you hear the silence?

November 4, 2009