Glenn Beck

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An ebullient Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele asserted Wednesday that GOP victories in governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrate "a transcendent party" on the move again. Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said that nothing about the election returns amounted to a repudiation of President Barack Obama. "We're not crowing, we're just smiling," Steele said in a nationally broadcast interview. "I think it's a bellwether for the party ... You look at where we were nine months ago. " Steele said he believes Chris Christie's victory in New Jersey and Robert McDonnell's win in Virginia show that the GOP has "really found its voice again" after sustaining damaging losses last year.

It is time to clear incumbents out of Congress To the editor: The Federalist Papers were written to explain the Constitution and one in particular seems very appropriate for the subject matter. The 39th essay, paragraph 4, states the government derives its power from the people and is administered by persons for a limited time. This seems to fly in the face of incumbents. It further states that individuals tend to become tyrannical, but still think they are serving the republic.

"I'd like to say 'Great job' by the South Mountain 11- and 12- A team, though they lost the tournament. Though they lost and didn't go any further, they had some great games and played hard through the tournaments. They have another tournament coming up, and I wish them luck with that. " - Rohrersville "Saw this on the back of a car: 'Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? No one now, thanks to BP.' Thought it was kind of representative of what's happening down in the Gulf.

There is an old bit of folklore about "whistling in the dark" as you walk through a graveyard. The reason given is that whistling masks the real feeling of uneasiness about being in the presence of so many tombstones and corpses. This accounts for the squeaky voice that cannot disguise the pretense at bravado by arch conservative William Kristol in "A Good Time to be a Conservative", Washington Post (Oct. 27, 2009). One can remember earlier days when some good minds having principled conservative views were leading the conservative movement.

It's a cotton pickin' shame that state Senate candidates Donald F. Munson and Christopher B. Shank spent so much time last week debating illegal immigration. It drew attention away from more pressing Western Maryland concerns, such as whether we should introduce polar bears into the lake at City Park. Not to go all conspiracy theory on you, but here is how I expect the immigration issue to play out: In a couple of years, the powers that actually run this country are going to tell the politicians and the radio and TV talkers to stop beating the immigration drum.