There was “mudslide” in the 2010 midterm election, and the democrats failed to show up. Young people voting in 2008 were 22 million strong and in 2010 election, there were only 9 million. When all the political pundits and experts predict that the Republicans will win big, and there is no major campaign to change the course of the election, there is a problem with the leadership in the losing party.
In the House of Representatives, there were 100 candidates up for re-election and the final results were 64 Republican won in their districts. The Republicans will become the majority party with 243, and John Boehner will become the Speaker of the House. The political dynamics and landscape in the country has shifted to the right with a conservative ideology.
In this election, the majority of voters was older, conservative and mobilized with special interest money. The goal of the conservative ideology is to only let President Obama be a one term president. These conservatives are angry, frustrated, and they want to reduce spending.
The Tea Party has energized the Republican Party and 30 of the new members in the Congress identify with this radical element and movement. During this session of Congress, many are predicting that there will be gridlock and very little will get accomplished.
The Democrats were able to hold on to their majority in the Senate by a slim margin of 51 Democrats, and 47 Republicans, with 2 independent who caucus with the Democrats. There are now 30 Republican governors and 19 Democratic governors, and 1 still undecided. When anyone looks at the country’s map in almost every state the color is red, which indicates that the Republicans are now in control.
President Obama held a press conference the next day after the election and stated, “It was a tough night and we must find common ground.” It is extremely hard for me to believe that the new radical element of the Republican Party is ready to partner and collaborate with the President.
It is my understanding that the first priority with the new Congress is to repeal the Health Care reform bill. This was the biggest win for the Republicans since the election of 1928, and they believe that they have a mandate from the electorate to repudiate the President’s agenda. No one can speculate what will be the initial move that the new Republican Congress will make but Health Care is high on the list.
The new Congress has unprecedented power and they will challenge the President and his administration. It will be interesting to watch the President and how he operates with his House of Representatives Republican.
Many feel that the President is out of touch with the grassroots citizen, and he is the reason for the loss of the Democrats. Many say the President is an elitist, who thinks that Harvard colleagues are his preference, when he makes a nomination for a high level position. Also many African Americans feel that the President does not identify with his culture, and failed to get the vote out.
The apathy evident in the 2010 election is a direct result from the leadership. The President is the leader of his party and the blame of its results rest solely on his shoulders, and he took “personal responsibility.” To win in 2012 the President must mobilize his base; get the African American, Hispanics, youth, and independents out to vote.
If there is no improvement with the unemployment numbers and the economy does not improve, the voter will vote the president out in 2012. The new Congress will be busy fighting the Obama agenda, and it will be a miracle if anything gets done.
There is a major shift in the politics in this country and get ready for a rollercoaster ride!
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