Post-Election Thoughts

[n david]

Remember all the talk in 2012 about how the Republicans were done for the next decade. The Republicans even fell for it and published a long thesis on what the Republican Party needed to do. The reports of Republican demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Now I'm reading the same kind of doom and gloom for Democrats. Fear not, Democrats, if this mid-term says anything, it says voters are fickle...and turnout matters. We'll see the numbers in the next week or so, but I would bet turnout was lower than the 2010 mid-terms, and definitely lower than the 2012 Presidential election.

Five things:

1) Glad both Charlie Crist and Scott Brown lost. I know I should want Brown to win since Shaheen is terrible. But these guys were fakes. Phonies. Crist was a Republican before he became a Democrat. Who's he fooling? Brown moved to New Hampshire and ran because he thought it was his best chance to win again. So while I'm disappointed Shaheen won, I'm glad voters weren't fooled by these guys.

2) Yes, I'm happy the Republicans have the majority in the Senate and House; what I'm not happy about is having McConnell as Senate Majority Leader and the orange crybaby, Boehner, as House Speaker. Nothing says "we're the party of old, white guys" like having these two in charge. Just months ago, there was talk of Boehner being replaced; yet, here he is still in charge.

3) I don't buy the "we have a mandate" talk, and I never have. IMO, the voters didn't give the Republicans a mandate last night. If anything, the Republicans were given some rope and a bit of slack. Voters will be watching to see if the Republicans are really willing to work with obama the next 18 months. If not, they'll slip the rope over their collective necks and hang them with it come 2016.

4) This morning, I heard a clip of Senator Jeff Flake giving a speech last night at some victory celebration. He said something about how it's time to "end the gridlock." Hilarious. Look, politics is politics. It will be interesting to see what the Democrats do now that they are in the minority. Remember, it was Reid and the Democrats who used the "nuclear option" in order to move some things without Republicans being able to oppose it. And it was the Democrats who complained that the Republicans were stalling, hindering, blocking or causing gridlock in Congress. Will the Democrats now be the "Party of No?" Of course they will. It's all politics. Reid will suddenly remember how evil and unAmerican the nuclear option is, and how wonderful and constitutional the filibuster is.

5) The ball is in the Republicans hands. Honestly, I have no faith that they'll get anything done. IMO, they're going to screw up and fumble the ball for the 2016 election. They have to show the voters that they are serious about getting the economy and jobs back; that they will do something on Immigration which involves more than just border security; that they will offer plans and bills to improve healthcare, education and small business. What I don't want is the Republicans to spend the next 18 months pursuing a personal vendetta against obama and Eric Holder.

They will win or lose the 2016 election based on their action or inaction these next 18 months.