BloggeRhythms

In a lackluster meeting with the press yesterday afternoon, the incumbent president offered his explanation of the Republican landslide giving them absolute control of Congress. The problem. he said, was that most of the usually reliable Democrat base chose not to vote. Therefore, to him, it wasn’t really a meaningful win because only a third of qualified voters participated, nullifying the importance of the results.

 

While his delivery of his opinion seemed quite glib and the vote results of little interest to him, he disregarded the implications clearly made by the elections outcome which are directly in conflict with his verbiage.

 

Although Democrats invested millions of dollars in an expansive effort to persuade young and nonwhite voters, who do not usually participate in midterm elections, to head to the polls they still didn’t show up in sufficient numbers. There’s no question turnout among core Democratic groups was lower in 2014 than it was in 2012 or even 2010. Furthermore, Democrats also lost in states where turnout surpassed 2010, “according to an Upshot analysis of preliminary returns and voter turnout data.”

 

And that brings me to today’s point, which is that the decision not to vote is an expression of preference too. Because, when these same Democrats were inspired by the incumbent’s words, promises and rhetoric, they arrived at the polls in droves. They swept him into office twice, delivering the Senate too both times.

 

However, things have changed in those same voters minds, whereas most of the promises made to them haven’t really materialized as presented. And therefore, not only didn’t disappointed Democrats flock to the polls, they stayed home holding their noses. Yet they clearly understood that by doing that, the despised Republicans were getting a boost toward the record wins they accomplished.

 

A couple of other items turned out to be quite interesting as well. It’s estimated that California hedge fund titan Tom Steyer’s invested $74-million of his own, trying to persuade voters to select global-warming advocates in congressional elections. However, not only didn’t the money help, one of the first agenda item’s for new Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell is approval for completing the Keystone XL pipeline.   

 

Outgoing Majority Leader, Harry Reid, got some very bad blowback too. Because he changed the rules that allowed the minority party to require 60 votes to confirm nominees in order to make it harder for Republicans. But now that they have control, the rules would help them put ‘committed constitutionalists’ on the bench if the White House changes hands in 2016.

 

That’s why Art Carney on the old Jackie Gleason show, when playing Ed Norton who worked in a city sewer, always said that you should always be nice to the people you meet on the way down, because they’re same one’s you’ll meet on the way up.

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios