It was bad . . . it could have been worse.
A few observations:
1. The crazy women and the wealthy women lost: Christine O'Donnell, Sharon Angle, Meg Whitman, Carla Fiorina, and Linda McMahon.
2. The GOP takeover of the House was huge -- probably will wind up with about a 65 seat turnover -- but still short of the tsunami of 70+ that some had predicted.
3. There were some really significant wins for the Democrats in the Senate: Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer held their seats in close races, and Patty Murray has a slight lead in her still undecided race in WA. Michael Bennett's race is CO is too razor-thin to call but could still win. They also won the closely watched races in West Virginia and Delaware.
4. And some very significant losses in the Senate: Russ Feingold in a decisive defeat and Blanche Lincoln, as expected. They were sort of bookends: Feingold the stubborn progressive who stuck to his principles, and Lincoln who angered the Dems by voting against party in some close votes but wound up not pleasing the other side either in a very conservative state. And there were the losses in Pennsylvania (Joe Sestak) and Illinois (Obama's old seat), both of which looked like possible wins early in the evening.
5. One group was especially vulnerable: the Blue Dog Democrats. This was a group of moderates/conservatives who won in districts that usually elect Republicans. It was Rahm Emanuel's strategy as head of the re-election committee in the House in 2002 to encourage conservates to run as Democrats in those districts; their wins in 2002 gave the Dems control of the House, but they were maybe more trouble than they were worth, voting against health care reform. Easy come, easy go. Of the 46 up for re-election, 23 lost their seats, reverting to the Republicans that usually represent those districts.
6. But so were progressives: Russ Feingold in the Senate; Alan Grayson, Tom Periello, and Mary Joe Kilroy in the House.
7. Being gay seemed to be a non-factor in this election cycle: Barney Frank won in a hotly contested race, as did Tammy Baldwin. Patrick Murphy who, though not-gay became known as the Iraqi veteran who championed gay rights in the House, lost. But Lexington, KY elected a gay mayor over the incumbent. I guess the economy and "government take-over" eclipse everything. What a fine day when being gay has become a non-issue politically.
8. Nathan Deal is the next governor of Georgia. What can I say?
(a) he was the Republican choice, and this is a very Republican state;
(b) the voters are afraid of a Democrat promising change;
(c) they just don't care about a few ethical lapses.
It's a sad day, but I don't think he will be terrible; he just won't be very effective in the job at a critical time economically.
9. The morning after, somehow I just don't feel so bad about it all, after all. Maybe it's the relief of finally having this awful and awfully expensive election over. But it's more than that. There is something cathartic about it. Even though I wanted every Democrat to win, I was fed up with the gridlock, frustrated with them all that they couldn't seem to break the impasses, disappointed in Obama's inability to convey his message. The people have spoken, and the message was clear: this is not working; do something different.
So now we start over. Maybe David Brooks will prove prophetic and the Republicans will now take a more responsible stance and actually work with Obama to get some things done.
One thing is clear: the Tea Party did have a huge impact, but they didn't take over Washington. The GOP leaders are not going to let them run wild. The want to use their fervor but channel it into what's possible.
The bottom line: it has been proven, once again, that the American people like a divided government. So now the Democrats control the Presidency and the Senate, and the Republicans control the House. Maybe that's not a bad thing.
Ralph
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Another significant Democratic win: Rep. John Yarmuth who was a heavily targeted incumbent who won re-election in the very Republican state of Kentucky. This was one of the wins early in the evening, along with the Dem Senate wins in Delaware and West Virginia, that suggested it might not be so bad for the Democrats. If only that optimism had been right !
ReplyDeleteRe #7 above: I've just read that voting for gay rights was a decisive electoral death-sentence for the three Iowa Supreme Court justices who were up for re-election and were part of the unanimous decision to allow gay marriage in Iowa.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this is a small sample and too diverse and isolated to mark a trend, but you could say from this election: being gay is no detriment; but being a straight supporter of gay rights is.
We'll have to watch for further evidence of this.
The morning after, somehow I just don't feel so bad about it all, after all. Maybe it's the relief of finally having this awful and awfully expensive election over. But it's more than that. There is something cathartic about it.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much relief I feel that it's finally over. In your other post, you say "it's the economy." That's right - beyond right. Obama miscalculated how bad it is, according to Arianna. I expect it was more than that - that he never conceived that "the economy" would be his to reign in. It surprised him as much as it surprised the rest of us - at least me. From here, I can't see how we missed it. But then [2 years ago], I was clueless. One thing for sure. The Republicans aren't going to "fix it." It's still Obama's to fix...
Add Michael Bennett as another significant Senate win. Colorado's race has been called in his favor now.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Republicans won't fix the economy in the next 2 years either, so maybe we'll see another swing in 2012.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it will be a perilous time for the Democrats in the Senate. I don't have the numbers at hand, but there will be about twice as many Democratic senators up for re-election as there will be Republicans.