Post-Mid-Term

Before the election, Lou Dobbs said something I found interesting. “While the name of the party in charge may change from Republican to Democrat, it's really only a branding issue. And just as my friend James Mtume says, it's still the same bird, just a different wing. And believe me, middle-class America will still be getting the bird.”

It appears that the Democrats have won control of the House, and maybe the Senate, depending on the final results from Virginia. It is clear that we were not real pleased with the Republicans. What’s not so clear is what will happen next.

Let me break things down for you.

The Democrats are in a tricky spot now. Now that they’ve managed to get some power, everyone will be watching to see what they do with it in the next two years. They’ve mainly run on anti-Bush and anti-Republican sentiments, and now they will be judged to see if they are capable of anything better. Unfortunately for the left wing of the party, it was mostly moderate Dems that took new seats, the so-called Blue Dogs. That, with organized Republican resistance and a Bush veto, will limit their ability to do anything too radical. And not much will change in the next two years. It’s going to be difficult for them to keep their momentum, especially once the issue of removing Republican control is gone.

In all reality, this election helped the Republicans more than the Democrats. It cleared out some dead weight in the party. More importantly, it gave voters a chance to vent before the 2008 election. Now the Repubs can say they’ve changed, they’ve cleared out the corruption. And it should be pretty easy to fire up the conservative base for 08.

To be clear, I don’t support Democrats any more than I do Republicans. But I do support a balance of power. So I was happy with that. I am also happy because Stage 1 of my plan is now complete. American voters chose to reject Republicans and voted in a large number of moderate candidates. Stage 2 will come with the 08 primaries, as both parties try to gain/regain power by going further to the left/right. This leads to Stage 3, when the moderates split from both wings and form a moderate party.

It’s possible that the moderates of one or both of the parties will hold off the wingers. Doubtful, but possible.

Wisconsin voters, I’d like to say you disappointed me. Then again, you did just what I expected you to do.

In general, you voted against Republicans, because you are tired of what has gone on in Washington, DC. Then you voted for the referendums, because you are still conservative hicks.