NOW WHAT? Are We going to play the blame the Blacks, Latinos, Whites, Gays, Repubs, Dems, the wars, the economy, my dog ate the ballot, and President Obama game straight through 2012?
Democrats House Republicans House
Current-256 Current-179
Results-184 Results- 239
Dem Senate Repub Senate
Current– 57 Current- 41
Results– 49 Results-46
Dem Governor Repub Governor
Current- 26 Current-24
Results- 15 Results- 27
For more in-depth review of the balance of power, you can read more here:
Now that the Republican Party has gained a majority of seats in the House, and the Democratic Party has held onto their slim majority in the Senate with a Democratic President, NOW WHAT?
Because if our election system is working, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that Republicans out spent and out voted the Democrats in this election. Democrats stayed away from the polls, and you all know who you are.
What I’d like to know is what are the Republicans going to do now that they have the House majority and a new speaker of the House. What will the Tea Party Republicans do now that they are gaining seats in our government and continue to get media attention? Will folks continue unmasking their bigotry, hate, and call for proof of our president’s birth certificate?
What I will be watching out for is the strategies and not just the lame tactics of the Republicans as they work with the Democrats and President Obama NOW.
Will it be more of the same as promised by Mitch McConnell., which is more obstruction, more calls for shrinking government, tax cuts for the wealthy 2%, deregulation of our financial system, more war spending, repeal our health care reform, de-fund education and state infrastructure?
3 Chics wants to hear from you conservative Republicans too.
And let’s not leave out the Democrats, oh heavens no! Will the Democrats continue to give our president luke-warm to zero support on his agenda? You know who you are! Don’t make me list you here. (Maybe our commenters will) Will the professional progressive left continue whining, moaning and groaning about DADT, DOMA, public options!, sorry ass black folks who shuck & jive for 15 minutes of TV fame?
What I want to know is what are Americans going to do with these election results, because acording to the election results, “The American people” have spoken.
Whenever I keep hearing the pundances, and the pols say “The American People have spoken,” I want to believe that they mean ALL AMERICANS, but my spidery senses tell me otherwise.
How will the Republicans govern now?
I’m through pointing fingers of blame. Everyone is responsible for their own thoughts, words and deeds.
What say you folks? How are you going to move forward in light of the midterm election results?
Whenever I keep hearing the pundances, and the pols say “The American People have spoken,” I want to believe that they mean ALL AMERICANS, but my spidery senses tell me otherwise.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Jackpot!
They aren’t speaking about Black Americans. See, in their world, we don’t count. When the pundits speak of the working class, soccer moms, etc, they’re not speaking of Black people, they speaking about WHITE people. It’s their world, we just live in it.
soɟoɯ
LOL
Michael Moore need to go jump off a cliff! He wants someone to primary the President. Nasty looking slob.
We know the media is not going to speak favorably of President Obama, NONE of them. It doesn’t serve them or their corporate masters well.. We need to keep getting the word out via phone, canvasing, emails, blogging, etc. FUCK THE MEDIA!
Val on the Professional Left:
http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2010/11/wednesday-open-thread-117/#comment-93605519
The PL is a bunch of whiners who bitched, moaned and created faux outrage over every little thing (Michael Moore included) and made the collective decision to sit out this election until a day or two before yesterday. They did not support any GOTV efforts, HuffPo, DailyKos, the msm ignored all the Presidents rallies over the last few weeks and chose instead to focus on things like the Stewart rally and Lady GaGa. Blogs, (even some of the black ones) chose to follow the msm script verbatim and then watched from the sidelines while the folks they were supposed to be supporting (i.e. Grayson) got their asses severely kicked.
Tell it, Val! Again & Again! Hammer it home!
Please remember the total media BLACKOUT of his rally of of over 35,0000 supporters. The media is the ENEMY.
November 03, 2010 05:30 PM
Latino Voters Deliver the Senate to Democrats
By karoli
Harry Reid’s comeback can be attributed to a strong campaign, feet on the ground, and Sharron Angle’s bizarre policy ideas, but more than anything else, he should be thanking Latino voters today. From America’s Voice Online:
Based on election eve polling of Latino voters by Latino Decisions, it is clear that Latino voters provided the margin of difference in a number of key races. Check out some of these interesting figures:
•In the Nevada Senate race, Harry Reid’s Latino margin over Sharron Angle was 90% – 8%. According to exit polls, Latino turnout was up from 12% of the electorate in the 2006 mid-terms to 15% in 2010.
•In the California Senate race, Barbara Boxer’s Latino margin over Carly Fiorina was 86% – 14%. Latino turnout was up from 19% of the electorate in 2006 to 22% of the electorate in 2010.
•In the Colorado Senate race, Michael Bennet’s Latino margin over Ken Buck was 81% – 19%. Latino turnout was up from 9% of the electorate in 2006 to 13% in 2010.
•In the California governor’s race, Jerry Brown’s Latino margin over Meg Whitman was 86% – 13%.
•In the Colorado governor’s race , John Hickenlooper’s Latino margin over Tom Tancredo and Dan Maes was 77% – 14% – 9%
Among all the calls for the President to be chastened and humble, this is probably a stronger message: Fight for Latinos, Democrats. Fight hard. Immigration reform, the DREAM Act, and jobs. Fight.
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/latino-voters-deliver-senate-democrats-0
An Open Letter to the White Right, On the Occasion of Your Recent, Successful Temper Tantrum
Posted on November 3, 2010
http://www.timwise.org/2010/11/an-open-letter-to-the-white-right-on-the-occasion-of-your-recent-successful-temper-tantrum/#more-753
Hardball is using my logo and title. WHAT NOW? Don’t tell me these folks don’t read our blogs.
Whaaat?!
The GOP is gonna have to put up or shutup!!
***********************
“In 2012, the President and the 112th Congress will face a voting public that seems to have less tolerance for failure. That knowledge should create a special urgency for the new Republican House Majority. In the modern era, the Democrats controlled the House for 48 of the 50 years from 1944 to 1994 (with the exception 1947-48); Republicans then enjoyed a twelve-year run (1995-2006). Now Democrats have been thrown out of the House after just four years (2007-10) but the margin of Republican control is small enough to suggest that new majority could lose control in 2012 if the American public concludes they failed to produce results. With Independents having shown their willingness to move back and forth to support candidates of one party or the other over the last few election cycles, the leaders of the party that connects first with them by demonstrating that their party can get things done will go into the 2012 election enjoying a substantial advantage.
The 24-hour media cycle, the power of the Internet to deliver information directly to voters, and the rise of social media have contributed to make voters more knowledgeable and active, at the same time their attention span appears to be shorter. Hence, a likely demand for legislative results that will be louder, creating an incentive for Congress to deliver more immediate results. Voters aren’t interested in five-year plans. They want results now. Republicans thus would be wise to run the House with the knowledge they will need to point to some fundamental successes by 2012 or risk losing control to President Obama, who will blame Republicans for policy failures and a lack of solutions to fundamental societal challenges.
In this environment, the Republican leadership will face particularly difficult challenges. In the House, presumed Speaker Boehner will preside over a far more liberal Democratic minority (owing to losses of Blue Dogs in particular), while managing a far more conservative conference of his own. Moreover, many in his caucus with strong support from the tea party have developed a strong national cable television following and have used a variety of media outlets successfully to develop support for repealing health care, cutting the deficit, and refusing to compromise on anything with the President. The new majority may thus be much more difficult to lead. At the same time, by calling for repeal of health care or refusing to increase the debt limit early in 2011 and thus potentially setting up a major confrontation with the President, they may be handing the President an opportunity much like the one President Clinton seized when challenged by then-Speaker Gingrich.”
Representative Boehner would be the first Speaker since former Speaker Tom Foley (D-WA) to have previously served as a committee chairman. (Foley chaired the Agriculture Committee; Boehner the Education and Labor Committee.) In fact, he would be the first Republican Speaker who previously served as a committee chair since Representative Joe Cannon (R-IL), who led the House from 1903 to 1911. Unlike Speaker Gingrich, he will not abolish any committees. Moreover, he is likely to defer to committee and subcommittee chairs, who will have greater autonomy in drafting legislation.
ALL the Republicans will put up is more OBSTRUCTION. They want President Obama to fail. How do we work with this and the corporate owned media?
“The 2012 Presidential election will be about Barack Obama. He can’t remain above the fray. He needs to engage. In voting yesterday, the public expressed their displeasure with his stewardship of the economy and his legislative priorities. His reelection will hinge on these challenges: (1) rebuilding personal approval and admiration for the job he has done as President; (2) altering public perception about the central achievements of his first two years in office, especially the public’s perception of the stimulus legislation and healthcare reform; (3) creating a track record of measures that materially contribute to an economic recovery; and (4) passing popular legislation that would allow the President to show he has adjusted his ambitions to meet the needs of the voters.
The President will face further challenges as a result of Gubernatorial and other state legislature elections yesterday. Republicans took over the Governor’s mansions in key swing states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Iowa, and the GOP picked up House seats yesterday in every one of those states but Iowa. More significantly, Republicans appear to have picked up at least 19 statehouse chambers, including statehouses that have had one-party rule for more than 100 years (Alabama and North Carolina), marking a shift of hundreds of state legislators. Republicans will use those state-level gains in the congressional redistricting process to try and lock in long-term some of the sixty-plus new House seats won last night and put still other seats in play for 2012.
More importantly, those swing states will now be tougher challenges for President Obama in 2012 because Republican turnout operations will be helped by control of the Governor’s mansion and statehouses.
As he seeks to address these issues and these electoral changes, the President will face an enormous challenge in addressing both the budget deficit and the need to stimulate the economy in the near term. Beyond what he can do personally to re-connect with voters, he needs to help them understand how the world is changing as China’s economic power continues to grow and the dollar is threatened as a reserve currency for the world.
Creating jobs through green energy initiatives, for example, may provide a way to demonstrate that good days still lie ahead, that the United States still can make things in factories by people who have good-paying jobs, but only if the United States seizes the initiative.
In any event, the President’s success will ultimately depend in large measure on whether and to what extent the economy recovers. And other factors beyond his control could have a real impact. Beyond the war in Afghanistan, developments in the Middle East, in particular in Iran, and ongoing terrorist threats, could have a profound impact. President Obama and his Administration have invested enormous resources into marshalling support for sanctions that have continued to isolate Iran, while also pursuing policies to support Middle East peace efforts. Unfortunately, external events have a way of altering the best-laid plans.”
Is POTUS more Trumanesque or Clintonian? I bet on the former.
*************
“Faced with the loss of control of Congress, two of President Obama’s predecessors chose fundamentally different approaches—one chose confrontation, the other compromise. They both were reelected two years later. After Democrats lost control of the House and the Senate in 1946, President Harry S. Truman spent the next two years running against the “do nothing” Congress and was reelected in 1948. Almost 50 years later, after Democrats lost control of Congress in 1994, President Bill Clinton eventually dropped his more ambitious and controversial plans, such as health care reform, and instead worked with Republicans over the next two years on a more modest legislative agenda that appealed to middle-class Americans. But before doing so, he first seized an opportunity and stared down the new House Republican leadership over shutting down the federal government (including, most helpfully for him, federal parks, which made the potential impact real for the American public). As part of a makeover, Clinton adopted four tactics: (1) he built policy initiatives around a strategy of “triangulation” that politically positioned the White House between the extremes of both parties; (2) he adopted a more fiscally conservative tone, message and proposals; (3) he sought to achieve consensus on “small-ball” bipartisan legislative proposals that connected with the American public (e.g., welfare reform, school uniforms) rather than complex and controversial measures (e.g., healthcare); and (4) he used his Executive power to implement other elements of his agenda through Executive Orders and regulations (e.g., firearms control) when he could not get Congress to act. He then cruised to reelection in 1996.”
A different perspective from former Clinton Labor Secretary, Robert Reich
Why Obama Should Learn the Lesson of 1936, not 1996
http://robertreich.org/post/1457186913
Interesting…PBO certainly needs stronger message to override the media. What are your thoughts?
When are we going to read about the Democrats who lost last night? Feingold, Grayson, Strickland? When are we going to read about the Dems who lost? PBO is still in office. Maybe these folks need the time off to think about why they lost, hmmm?
Those wh0 loss are NOT our concerned. We have to move forward with the winners!!
Obama’s a Lock in 2012
by Peter Beinart
October 6, 2010 | 10:54pm
Sure, things look grim for the Dems this fall. But the base will rally, the economy will turn up, and the GOP will shoot itself in the foot—ensuring the president a second term.
Arnold Schwarzenegger made headlines this week by declaring that “Obama will get a second term in office,” especially if Republicans win the House. You’ve got to hand it to the grand Teuton. Even when he says something blindingly obvious, he makes news.
Of course Barack Obama is likely to be reelected. For starters, American presidents usually get reelected. In the last 75 years, incumbents have lost a grand total of three times: in 1976, 1980, and 1992. And what did Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush all have in common? They had serious primary challenges within their own party (from Ronald Reagan, Ted Kennedy, and Pat Buchanan, respectively). The last president who lost reelection without a major primary challenge was Herbert Hoover in 1932.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-10-06/why-obama-will-win-a-second-term/full/?obref=obnetwork
2007
Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama
“I don’t like people trying to take advantage of that [outreach]. This is why actually if you watch my political interactions. I am always best as a counter-puncher. You know, somebody comes at me I will knock them out. If not, I will try to understand their point of view and that actually serves me well. I give people the benefit of the doubt; I try to understand their point of view — if I perceive that they try to take advantage of that then I will crush them.”
Here’s what the GOP plans to do
G.O.P. Leaders Vow to Repeal Health Care Law
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and JEFF ZELENY
Published: November 3, 2010
Fresh off their sweeping victories in the midterm elections, Congressional Republican leaders on Wednesday said that they would use their new majority in the House and bolstered ranks in the Senate to pursue a vision of smaller government and lower spending, as well as the continuation of the Bush-era tax cuts, which are due to expire at the end of the year.
At a news conference at the Capitol, the likely House speaker, Representative John A. Boehner, and the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, invited President Obama to work with them on these and other goals. But they also quickly adopted an aggressive posture on some issues certain to antagonize Democrats, including a vow to repeal the big new health care law.
Mr. Obama, at his own news conference in the East Room of the White House, called the election results “humbling,” but he also attributed the far-reaching Republican victories largely to the public’s frustration over the slow economic recovery. “What they were expressing great frustration about is that we haven’t made enough progress on the economy,” he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/us/politics/04elect.html
Breaking News Alert: Michael Bennet (D) defeats Ken Buck (R) in Colorado Senate race
November 3, 2010 4:17:12 PM
—————————————-
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet has beaten his tea-party-backed challenger, Republican Ken Buck, according to the Associated Press.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/HXJVEI/S3UPUG/JSRVTU/1YYXZ1/OOXAI/GX/h
For more information, visit washingtonpost.com
WHooPEE!!
Um,, looks like it is time to retire the prayer circle thread, no?
Ummm.. Naw, can never have enough prayer…. We’ll leave it for another week.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
My suggestions for post-election reading for Democrats
http://oldhickorysweblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-suggestions-for-post-election.html
The problem with repeal is that there’s no 2/3s majority to override the inevitable veto of it. So even talking about it is pointless.
I think Boehner and the president should meet, and publicly. That would be a good start before the nasty turn comes.
Republicans have always had viable ideas (some more so than others), but the Dems (including Obama) never felt the need to listen. I’m hoping my side doesn’t make the same mistake.
Coby,
I wasn’t even going to get in this conversation but that’s a lie about the President never felt the need to listen. Who are you trying to kid here? The President bent over backwards trying to work with republicans. They obstructed at every turn because they didn’t want to work with a black President.You really have your nerve! You’re blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other.
LOL! c’ mon, Coby. Npw don’t go telling us bedtime fairy tales in broad day light. PBO has tried repeatedly to reach bi-partisan compromise, but the Republicans wanted it their way or NO way=OBSTRUCTION.
The President presented a jobs bill and the mofo republicans rejected it. Coby better go somewhere with the bullshit meme. I’m not in the mood for it today.
I hear you, SG2. 3 Chics knows the deal. We know that some whites care not willing to accept true leadership leadership from the black president. And rest assured, he knows this.
We’re not going back, remember. So hold your head up and keep supporting our POTUS. Keep our eyes on the Repubs/Teabaggers, because they willl have to answer for their actions too.
Of course it’s a lie, Coby knows it, you know it, the media knows it and I know it. The media wanted PBO to crack with their slimy, smug questions, they wanted him to cry for the white folks, but NOPE! This is not about white folks, or black folks, it is about AMERICANS, ALL AMERICANS.
White people will never get that, because at the end of the day, it’s got to be all about them and their whiteness. It’s all they got to cling too.
X 10!!
What the hell was Savannah Guthrie thinking when she asked such a dumb ass question? What the hell is she looking for? A sound bite? GTFOOH! Journalism has gone to hell in a handbasket.
Remember one of our very first post on 3 Chics? http://3chicspolitico.com/2010/08/19/smiling-faces-tell-lies/
How will the Republicans govern now? We need to keep the heat on these mofos, because we know they don’t want to work with this president, and have announced that they want him to fail.
Going to lunch, I’ll post the video of the president’s speech when it’s available.
Jake Tapper is carrying water for the RE-thugs. The Bush tax cuts, no compromise, mofo, none! And Jakey boy want the POTUS to weep and moan. He feels bad, but, nope, you don’t get a crying jag to make you and the rest of the white media feel good. GTFOH!
Are the Republicans willing to bring viable alternatives to the table and compromise with President Obama? This is the question I want asked and answered by John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, et.al.
The president sounds like he still has the best interest of All Americans at heart. But it is likely that all white folks hear is his agenda is a” black agenda.” Wonder where they got that idea from, hmmm?
President Obama is taking responsibility for his administration’s role in getting his policies inacted. Asking for Republicans job ideas that will help the greater whole.
Hey, Colby. Good to see you. So you know this, that the GOP House will def repeal the HCR bill? And if we can expect any bi-partisan cooperation from both parties, not likely, from where I sit.
And just so we’re clear, the 2012 election season is in full swing as of TODAY!
Thanks for your input, though.
(and please, call me Coby)
Here’s what 2011 will look like:
Jan.-June: After sending the President’s budget back, the House Republicans and the new Rs in the Senate spend the first few months fighting over the best way to make the healthcare bill go away. They finally settle on repealing it (but after the individual mandate-which holds the entire bill together-is struck down). Repeal doesn’t work because around, oh, May, someone realizes “hey, we have a majority, but not a 2/3 one…” Meanwhile…
June-July: Every single departmental budget is voted down, because no one provided the 5% cut that the House Rs said was the minimum. The government shutdown starts to like it will become reality, until…
August: …when everyone goes home for recess, and the Left returns the favor of the 2009 healthcare town halls. Except the Republicans actually listen-to an extent-and start offering compromises.
September-the government gets funded, with a 2-3% cut in all departments, DoD included. The far right and the defense hawks (myself included) go ballistic, but independents and moderates say “ok, they’re at least trying to get something done.”
October-Election Day is spent in a relative truce. DADT gets modified to allow gays to serve, but not receive any additional benefits (sending the Left ballistic). Independents and moderates come to live with the government as it stands…
…until the ’12 presidential campaign starts, and everyone loses their minds all over again.
That’s the most optimistic scenario I’ve got…
The POYUS is calling on Boehner, Pelosi, and him to meet and discuss how to move forward for ALL Americans. What is your take on this plan, Coby?
News Conference with President Obama
Today at 1 p.m. EDT, President Obama will hold a news conference in the East Room.
Watch live at
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/live
The President is acknowledging America’s frsutrations with the slow economic growth as a factor in the Dem losses.
Samantha Guthrie’s ? as to whether the POTUS is getting it is pure NONSENSE!
The nerve of some white folks, they can’t handle it, when they don’t have control or power.
I heard her. Damn stupid heffa. What a bullshit question. I could smack her.
• Three Senate Races Too Close to Call
A day after voters headed to the polls, three key Senate races remain too close to call. In Colorado and Washington, the incumbent Democratic senators are clinging to tiny leads with most of the precincts reporting, according to the AP. In Alaska, the AP tally shows Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski leading her two opponents in an unconventional bid to win a write-in campaign after she lost the Republican primary.