2010 Election Reflection

Barack Obama

Barry has had his ass handed to him, as predicted. While some very attractive goals for conservatives were not realized (i.e., Reid won; a majority in the Senate was not achieved), what we witnessed was truly a historic “shellacking” of the Democratic Party and their overreaching agenda. Based on what I heard from Barry after the election, I am convinced he still doesn’t get it, and that any attempts to actually appear to move to the center and adjust his tenor and direction will be half hearted feints really just meant to attempt to delude the common man that does not pay as much attention to politics as some of us junkies do…

Barry’s comments clearly indicated to me that he did not truly hear what the American public was saying when they put 61+ more republicans/conservatives into the House of Representatives. Barry’s comments:

“It’s a matter of persuading people, and giving them confidence, and bringing them together, and setting a tone and making an argument that people can understand,” Obama said.

No, Barry. You did plenty to “persuade” people. You spent a year and a half trying to persuade people about health care. That’s enough time. They just didn’t want it. And you didn’t listen. Instead, you wanted to get your ideological health care plan through, which is something the majority of America CLEARLY did not want, and on that, you did NOT listen. You brought no-one together, excepting those who thought exactly like you, and those you could buy with sweetheart deals in the Senate. You set a tone which was diametrically opposed to what you promised or proposed during your lofty messiah-like campaign. And as far as needing to make an argument that people can understand? Are you kidding me? You, the great orator, with the bully pulpit, and millions of dollars, press conferences, and flowery speech writers, could not make an argument people could understand? Seriously? You might as well be saying “American’s are just not smart enough to get it…”

No- the problem there was not that your argument was posed in a way that people could not understand… it was that they DID understand it, and DID NOT LIKE IT. Period.

Barry’s theme of cleverly costumed denial continues:

(Reuters) Obama said he didn’t do a good enough job explaining the need for government spending on bank and auto bailouts and the economic stimulus package.

(Obama) “People looked at that and they said, “Boy, this feels as if there’s a huge expansion of government,” Obama said.

“What I didn’t effectively, I think, drive home, because we were in such a rush to get this stuff done, is that we were … taking these steps not because of some theory that we wanted to expand government. It was because we had an emergency situation and we wanted to make sure the economy didn’t go off a cliff.”

Here Barry is trying to make it appear as though he was just soooo busy to “get this stuff done” (man, I bet he wished he had a teleprompter at that point), but then goes on to blame the concept of citizens complaining about the expansion of government based on the premise that he gave bailouts to banks and auto manufacturers. That may be part of what Americans are concerned about, but the bigger concern over government expansion is not even mentioned or acknoledged – HEALTH CARE  REFORM.

And every other comment Barry has made since the election has reflected on everything BUT health care reform. He is seeming to try to look contrite, acknowledging to some degree that he was not listening, etc., but he never says a WORD about being wrong about health care, or ties health care to any of the concerns American’s are or were concerned about, or voting on…

All of Barry’s comments since the election, regarding the election message, avoid healthcare altogether. He says keywords like “cut spending” and “focus on jobs” and “bi-partisan”, yet he does not seem to understand that the health care bill did not cut spending, did not focus on jobs, and was not bi-partisan. In other words, he is saying “I will NOT in ANY way acknowledge that the Health Care Reform bill is a PERFECT example of what your MESSAGE was about on election day… You might have been mad, angry, but it wasn’t about health care reform.”

Do you see the irony, the denial, I am talking about? And of course, he frames all of this with the phrase “move forward”… As in, Americans want us to move forward, not look back… at things like that nasty partisan health care bill that spends trillions we don’t have and doesn’t create jobs that we spent a year and a half on instead of a year and a half working on creating jobs…

The election was about one thing- Obama’s policies, and most glaring of those is Health Care Reform. But you will never hear the left acknowledge this, no-no, not once…

Clearly, though, the best news here is that Barry’s legs have been cut from under him. The overreaching, left leaning, dangerous agenda which would have been pursued by him and his ilk is now dead in its tracks. This alone is the most important element of the 2010 election, and I think the results speak for themselves— America wanted them to STOP.

It’s the Economy, Stupid

Democrat pundits, and Democrats themselves, are singing the mantra that this was all about the economy, and not policy. This is as well a form of denial that shows that the left, or more clearly, the far left, is not either actually listening; is not capable of rational logical, deductive reasoning, purposefully ignoring the facts; or is intent on pushing an ideological message fraught with spin in order to save face. I suspect it is mostly the intent to deceive as best they can to save face, but, alas, Americans are smart enough to filter through their misdirection.

The saying should read “It’s not just about the economy, and if you think it was, you are stupid…”

This election was about a one party government ramming through legislation that we did not want and could not afford while they were ignoring the bigger more important picture- job creation. Hell- they didn’t even apparently have time to reaffirm Bush tax policy, which should have and would have been easy to do. No, they wanted their holy grail, health care reform, because they KNEW their window of opportunity was closing, fast.

Nancy Pelosi

Well, she doesn’t seem to know when to say “Uncle”. Congress’s most hated woman just can’t take a hint, but that may turn out to be good for Boehner, conservatives, tea partiers and the like. Nancy wants her gavel back, albeit it a minority gavel, much much smaller than that one she beat America over the head with when the Health Care Heist was completed. Her theory? She wants to be sure to try to defend what she/they (the left) have “accomplished”. I say “accomplished” with parenthetical connotation because I am tired of hearing about how ANYBODY that was a Democrat and in office since Barry was elected was “highly effective”.

Seriously, you have to put this into context. You had a large majority in the house, a filibuster proof Senate, and the White House… and you want to actually talk about accomplishment as though it was heroic, akin to Sisyphus actually finally pushing that rock up the hill? I would liken what Democrats did more to An NFL team marching down the field to score a touchdown when the defense had only 5 people on the field.

What the Democrats accomplished was “historic”, but certainly not monumental in its scope considering the fact they could have just about passed anything they wanted… Until Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy’s seat, at which point they rammed full speed ahead circumventing rules and good common sense and ethical practice in order to pass a bill that was never intended to be passed as it was (without committee review, floor debate, and amendment in the house).

No- no heroes in this tale. Just people picking lofty fruit that was made much much lower due to their majorities. Shame on them.

And of course, those actions are/were the genesis of the Tea Party movement.

Additionally, Nancy might find a little opposition within her own party. Time will tell.

Governors and State Congressional Switches

The perhaps untold story could be the Governorships and State Congressional makeups. The GOP/conservatives picked up 9 governorships and 19 state legislative chambers. Truly, short term, taking the house of representatives will have a more obvious and powerful, immediate impact on our country, but the longer term effects of these governorships and state legislative chambers could be another “quiet” tsunami that will be more apparent in 2012 and perhaps beyond.

Why?

We just had the 2010 Census. After a Census, congressional districting is modified. The governor in most states has a hand in drawing those lines, and so do the state legislative chambers. This backlash against Obama and his party’s policies this first two years of Barry’s presidency is likely to cut them a great deal more whence the new districting gets underway.

Governors play a great part in “electability” of a party in their state, as they (the governor) appoint many many people in a wide variety of positions and agencies which help smooth the way for their party to have an advantage campaigning in that state, raising funds, etc…

And the lines, as they are redrawn, can of course be done so in a manner which helps weaken the territory for one party, and strengthen it for others.

No, the power the right gained on Tuesday is not limited to house and senate seats, and the full effects of this election will not be felt for some time. In fact, this is another way that this election eclipses the 1994 republican wave, as the ’94 election did not have the power potential we have just discussed regarding redistricting.

What We’re Left With

Barry’s going to have to learn to govern, or he is done. He is going to have to step down from his lofty, kiss my ass, my way or the highway, I know best attitude. He will have to abandon his insult laden rhetoric borne with condescension and duplicity, where he says one day we need to act and work together, and the next day, you’ll have to “ride in the back”.

Can he do it? I do not think he can, actually. I don’t think he has the skill.

And here’s something ironic for you to ponder, which will maybe make it even harder for him…

This election removed many from the Democratic party in the halls of congress. And Barry has said he “got the message” (but his words show he clearly has not). Do you think we will now see a more bi-partisan, centrist congress and President?

Doubt it. Why? Guess who is left in congress from the democratic party? The FAR left. Yup… It is mostly those who have insurmountable power due to gerrymandering that are the untouchables in the U.S. Congress. People like Pelosi and Barney Frank all seemed to do fine, although Frank had a fight he normally never has to experience. The centrist Democrats were picked off like little metal ducks at a carnival booth.

What is left of the Democratic representation is now more heavily biased left than it was. Thank God they are now the minority.