reflections on the elections...

[Townsend]

THOSE were the biggest teabaggers? Gee, I thought Rand Paul and Marco Rubio were up there.

They'll be assimilated.

[Conan71]

THOSE were the biggest teabaggers? Gee, I thought Rand Paul and Marco Rubio were up there.

Now that's awesome!

[Red Arrow]

If they don't get their way, they'll start throwing tantrums and holding their breath...

If a teapartier holds their breath until they turn blue, do they automatically become a democrat?

[Conan71]

If a teapartier holds their breath until they turn blue, do they automatically become a democrat?

Ah, that would explain things that make you say: "Only a brain-dead person would think that way"

[we vs us]

I think the Tea Party's actual results were pretty meager but they had an enormous effect on the tenor of the election.  They really provided some focusing themes (anti-incumbency; anti-government spending) for a period that might otherwise consist of free-floating economic anxiety.  This is why Palin -- despite the fact that her handpicked candidates mostly floundered -- still leaves this cycle a winner.  Her people mostly lost but her ideas mostly won.  

FWIW, I don't believe the old line GOP was particularly either anti-government spending or anti-incumbency in 2009.  They had to roll towards where the energy was.  

[guido911]

We don't know if Miller failed yet or not.

Guido, watching the national channels last night, I saw a sampling of victory parties.  Certainly someone should celebrate a victory, however, doing an end zone dance and proclaiming the end of Obama tyranny (a composite paraphrase from several) is not the kind of rhetoric to ease the partisan divide in this country.  I'm hearing rhetoric today that voters gave Republicans a mandate to overturn the policies of the last two years.  Let me be real clear: no one has a "mandate".  People are desperate to get people in office who will cut spending and rein in an unsustainable, overly-intrusive government.

You cannot leave 1/2 the voters (or more) out of the discussion, otherwise we will be thrown into the chaos of overly left and overly right agendas every two years and a gridlock of trying to undo what the last Congress or Admin did.  There's got to be a move to real bi-partisanship and moderate solutions.  This is what I see as the real problem, maybe it's because I'm a moderate I see it this way. 

Let's face it though, overly conservative or overly liberal agendas are doing nothing but creating a bigger divide.

I actually agree with the need for some humility, just not to the point where a victorious candidate cannot have at least 24 hours to take a deep breath and enjoy the fruits of all their campaigning. As for the mandate, I still do not know what that really means since each voter (I am guessing here) has their own particular issue they want addressed. In my case, it's no secret I am staunchly pro-life and I do not believe the election results necessarily mean that abortion on demand will end. That said, I do believe the overriding issue that doomed the dems and Obama is the economy, and in that regard, I believe the repubs were given the reins to that cart for now.

[Townsend]

FWIW, I don't believe the old line GOP was particularly either anti-government spending or anti-incumbency in 2009.  They had to roll towards where the energy was.  

I'm really interested to see what they'll do once they have the opportunity to work.  The next two years of just blocking everything they can won't really let them shine.

[Cats Cats Cats]

We don't know if Miller failed yet or not.

Guido, watching the national channels last night, I saw a sampling of victory parties.  Certainly someone should celebrate a victory, however, doing an end zone dance and proclaiming the end of Obama tyranny (a composite paraphrase from several) is not the kind of rhetoric to ease the partisan divide in this country.  I'm hearing rhetoric today that voters gave Republicans a mandate to overturn the policies of the last two years.  Let me be real clear: no one has a "mandate".  People are desperate to get people in office who will cut spending and rein in an unsustainable, overly-intrusive government.

You cannot leave 1/2 the voters (or more) out of the discussion, otherwise we will be thrown into the chaos of overly left and overly right agendas every two years and a gridlock of trying to undo what the last Congress or Admin did.  There's got to be a move to real bi-partisanship and moderate solutions.  This is what I see as the real problem, maybe it's because I'm a moderate I see it this way. 

Let's face it though, overly conservative or overly liberal agendas are doing nothing but creating a bigger divide.

Basically politics is turning into the same thing as over correcting a car.  They swerve right, swerve left, swerve right again.  The center/middle isn't covered by politics.  Its either way over here or way over there.

[guido911]

I think the Tea Party's actual results were pretty meager but they had an enormous effect on the tenor of the election.  They really provided some focusing themes (anti-incumbency; anti-government spending) for a period that might otherwise consist of free-floating economic anxiety.  This is why Palin -- despite the fact that her handpicked candidates mostly floundered -- still leaves this cycle a winner.  Her people mostly lost but her ideas mostly won.  

FWIW, I don't believe the old line GOP was particularly either anti-government spending or anti-incumbency in 2009.  They had to roll towards where the energy was.  

Their impact was felt beyond the general election. Tea Party activists also ousted numerous "RINOs" in primaries which set up candidates such as O'Donnell, Rubio, Angle, and Miller.

[Cats Cats Cats]

I actually agree with the need for some humility, just not to the point where a victorious candidate cannot have at least 24 hours to take a deep breath and enjoy the fruits of all their campaigning. As for the mandate, I still do not know what that really means since each voter (I am guessing here) has their own particular issue they want addressed. In my case, it's no secret I am staunchly pro-life and I do not believe the election results necessarily mean that abortion on demand will end. That said, I do believe the overriding issue that doomed the dems and Obama is the economy, and in that regard, I believe the repubs were given the reins to that cart for now.

Or to further Obama's metaphor.  They drove the car into the ditch, Obama stopped on the side of the road to try to help out while the Republican's enjoyed their slurpee.  Then after he put the boards under the tires so the wheels quit spinning in the mud.  The republicans decided they can take it from there.  Hopefully they don't put us (and by us I mean the entire world economy) in a ditch again.  

[patric]

Now that I have had a day to absorb the results and go through the seven steps of grief...

I think the voters have just become impatient and want immediate change. They gave the democrats two years and want to give someone else a chance.

2 years from now when we are reminded the other party can't walk on water, the pendulum will swing back.
In the greater scheme of things, yesterday's election probably re-elected Obama.

[guido911]

Or to further Obama's metaphor.  They drove the car into the ditch, Obama stopped on the side of the road to try to help out while the Republican's enjoyed their slurpee.  Then after he put the boards under the tires so the wheels quit spinning in the mud.  The republicans decided they can take it from there.  Hopefully they don't put us (and by us I mean the entire world economy) in a ditch again.  

Oh, Obama saved us and I guess the American people who turned out yesterday are just freakin ingrates. OR, could it be, that Obama blew up the car in the ditch. In any case, Obama's use of the word "slurpee" all the time really creeped me out.
edited due to lack of tact.

[Cats Cats Cats]

Oh, Obama saved us and I guess the American people who turned out yesterday are just freakin ingrates. OR, could it be, that Obama blew up the car in the ditch while getting a slurpee.

Guido, you belong on the tulsaworld forums.

[Conan71]

Basically politics is turning into the same thing as over correcting a car.  They swerve right, swerve left, swerve right again.  The center/middle isn't covered by politics.  Its either way over here or way over there.

That's a very good way to put it.

[nathanm]

THOSE were the biggest teabaggers? Gee, I thought Rand Paul and Marco Rubio were up there.

Teabaggers are not Libertarians. Paul claims to be a teabagger so he gets their support. He's a libertarian just like pops. That said, the voters did probably see him as a teabagger, so you are right that they did manage get a couple of their high profile candidates in. They just lost more than they won.

wevus is right, however, that they did manage to set the tone of the whole thing, with plenty of help from Koch's money, of course. I'm sure he considers it money well spent to have gotten another Paul elected and the dialogue moved even further to the right (well past Republicans historically) even if the rest of his slate didn't fare so well. It's amazing what one can do in two years with a whole lot of money in a down economy. You gotta respect the guy, even if you think he's ruining the country.