Election Night Thoughts...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Election night is always fun. Especially "historic" elections. Some have billed the 2014 midterm as historic. Takes me back to 2010, another historic midterm. Looking back I guess we all know how that one has turned out.

I understand the GOP s poised to "take back" the Senate. Many think that would be a good thing. Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the perspective you've aquired over the years.

Divided government has a certain quaint attraction. At least for me anyway. No longer does divided government imply compromise after heated debate. You know, the kind of compromise and undertanding that ultimately works for the people and by extention the nation. Nope, we have reached a higher level in political evolution. It is called leadership by obfuscation and obstruction.

Like I said, I like the idea of divided government. As It Is Supposed To Work prior to the present day Tea Party phenomenon.

Very recently I got to thinking. Some say that is a dangerous thing. I don't know about that, except for this one time in 1975. But that is a story for a different day. Anyway, since the Republicans have done such an exceptional job of obfuscating and obstructing maybe it it is time they get the Senate back. I mean then they can really show their stuff and take all that energy spent obfuscating and obstructing and turn it to governing. That would be a nice change, right? I mean they would have to accept responsibility for legislative government and its success or failure. I think.

On the other hand Republicans have gotten so good at obfuscation and obstruction that they just might end up obstructing themselves. I mean with the various factions of the Republican party... the Tea Party and the Moderates (or establisment republicans) arguing amongst themselves it may be slow going. Just like the last six years.

At any rate after all that I'm back to square one. Thinking we need to keep divided government. It works well in Massachusetts. Oh, that's right, Massachusetts has retained an exemplary level of Common Sense.

Via: Memeorandum

UPDATE: This just breaking.

UPDATE TWO: Some spin from The Hill.

"There's no doubt that, when you look at the Senate races, because of the fact only a third of the Senate is up at any given time, it tends to be a little bit arbitrary which seats are really going to be contested and which aren't," Obama said. "So, for example, in this election cycle, this is probably the worst possible group of states for Democrats since Dwight Eisenhower."
"There are a lot of states that are being contested where they just tend to tilt Republican, and Democrats are competitive, but they just tend to tilt that way," Obama said.

The White House is insisting that Tuesday's contest should not be read as a referendum on the president, pointing partially to an unfavorable map to explain why Republicans are poised to seize control of the Senate.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that a "vast majority" of close Senate races were taking place in states Obama did not win in 2012, and Earnest argued, "the electorate is different this time than it is in a traditional presidential election.”

“It would not be wise to draw as broad a conclusion about the outcome of this election as you would from a national presidential election, simply by virtue of the map and the states where this contest is taking place,” Earnest said.

UPDATE THREE: The Jon Stewart take.

UPDATE FOUR: Americans are very dissatisfied with their leaders according to exit polls, CNN.

Washington (CNN) -- A majority of Americans are dissatisfied or angry with President Barack Obama's administration and GOP leaders, according to exit polls released Tuesday and analyzed by CNN.

And about 8 in 10 Americans disapprove of how Congress is handling its job, according to a survey of voters outside of polling places on Election Day.

Nearly six in 10 voters are either dissatisfied or angry with both the White House and Republican leaders in Congress. Less than a third of Americans are satisfied with the Obama administration and GOP leaders.

And heading into the voting booth, seven in ten Americans said they were concerned about economic conditions.

Most voters had a negative view of both parties, with the Democratic Party barely edging out the GOP to pull a positive view from 44% of voters compared to 40% for the Republican Party.