James Carville, Bob Shrum, and Stan Greenberg

On the scope of the Republican win:

(Carville) "It is a monumental political achievement...."

On how the president won:

(Greenberg) "The president acted boldly, in a very effective campaign, to keep the election focused on safety and values.... He got people to vote their feelings and their beliefs rather than to vote on his job performance or his ideas."

On the state of the Democratic Party:

(Carville) "We are an opposition party and as of right now not a particularly effective one."

On the need for a Democratic story line or narrative:

(Carville) "The party needs a narrative.... It is tough to beat a narrative with a litany [of policy positions] and that happens to us again and again and again."

On John Kerry's post-election role:

(Shrum) "He did come within 60,000 votes in Ohio of winning the presidency and defeating an incumbent president in a time of war. I do think he will not do what Al Gore did after the last election. He will not disappear. He will be active and vocal. He has one of the most powerful lists in the Democratic party and one of the most powerful fundraising bases in the Democratic party and I think he intends to use it to speak out. "