The Election

So yesterday marked the mid-term elections of 2010. As predicted by just about everyone - Republicans, Democrats, Tea-partiers, pundits, et al., the Republicans took back the House of Representatives, but narrowly missed out on recapturing the Senate. It was a landslide of sorts.

Here in the reddest of red states we became even redder. Virtually every state office is now held by Republicans from Governor to assessor. And the lowest majority was for the Governors race where the Republican candidate won by a mere 60-40 percentage. Take that you evil liberals/progressives/democrats!!

On the National scene, numerous Tea Party candidates won, but fortunately, we were spared by not having the wackiest of the wacky winning. The Witchcraft girl from Delaware who was unaware of the provisions of the First amendment lost, as did Sharon Anngle in Nevada. Those two would've had some trouble explaining their votes to people in the Senate, let alone their constituents.

Now, of course, it appears Mr. Man Tan will become Speaker of the House replacing Nancy Pelosi, the most hated of all Democrats by the Republicans (well, maybe not, after all there is a President named Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, and a Senate Majority leader named Harry Reid).

The question on my mind today is how the Republicans will view this election. Will they see it as a mandate for Republican Policy defeated so soundly just 2 years ago? Will they see it as a repudiation of Barrack Obama? If so, I suspect they will govern badly.

My belief is that this election was more about people being fed up with gridlock. I think our fellow citizens would simply like the two parties to finally quit spending so much time fighting each other and for once, put their energies together and do something jointly FOR the citizens of their country. Helluva concept, isn't it?

That was how Obama was elected - Hope and Change. And I think he really tried. But when the opposing party takes a position of "Just say no" to each and every thing that he proposes, "Hope" quickly fades, as does the ability to change. The biggest fault I see with Obama is he lost his ability - for whatever reason - to communicate to the American people after he became President.

The Republicans, on the other hand, have mastered the art of Public Relations and marketing. How else can you explain the fact that lower middle class people have bought into supporting tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners while their own earnings have dropped over the past decade? How else can you justify that this same class of citizens generally don't support financial reform? Or, while their health benefits are being cut, or eliminated by the corporations they work for (if they still have a job) they've been convinced that the health care reform that was passed is bad? Better yet, how can they believe that tax cuts for corporations - the same ones that send jobs overseas to save payroll - is a good thing?

And, of course, then there is the rising of the Tea Party. This has come about - supposedly - because of the TARP and stimulus programs enacted by W. and Obama in an effort to save a world wide collapse of the economy. According to the top economists, these programs averted TOTAL collapse. Had they NOT done so, a depression would have occurred that would have made the first Great depression look like childs play.

The Tea Party people claim they want to take their country back. From Whom? Do they have a clue about anything except raw anger? They don't want to pay taxes. OK, I understand that, but what about the services they get from the taxes that are paid? They are sure quick to support a strong defense. Do they really want to eliminate Social Security? Medicare? Gimme a break. Think before you speak. Slogans are nice, but don't vote for people based on them.

Well, I'm starting to just rant now, so I better end. But Okay, Republicans, the ball is back in your court after a VERY short absence. Though you didn't do very good with it when you had it, now it's your turn again.

Old Fart Mike