-
There was a little bit for everyone but an ominous warning for the establishment in the election results Tuesday as voters went to the polls and tossed out big spenders, turned on negative campaigns, and sent a clear and concise message to the rest of the elected officials that accountability will be demanded of their votes to increase the deficit, increase spending and ignore the people's priorities.
Those priorities? The economy, deficit spending and jobs according to 90% of the people voting in New Jersey and 85% of the voters in Virginia.
Now according to the White House Obama continues to display an amazing disregard for the public and for common sense as they said he was too busy to watch election results but not too busy to watch the Chicago Bulls basketball team on TV. His wife Michelle demonstrated her interest in the election results by taking the kids to a Miley Cyrus concert. The Obama family detachment from people seems to be getting worse.
Just last week our sportsman president was too busy campaigning for the eventual losers to take part in one of the most revered events in America, the World Series, where he could have thrown out the first pitch. A series between two of the most storied cities and baseball franchises with record ratings would have appealed to any sports buff but not our president. No, he sent his wife and the wife of the vice-president to the opening game of the series in NYC in the first World Series game played in the new Yankee stadium. A very dumb move by the White House staff.
The election winners: Chris Christie won the governor's race in New Jersey overcoming a spending avalanche by his Goldman Sachs opponent, millions of dollars in negative advertising by Corzine, five campaign appearances by the president in a state where his popularity remains very high, an opponents campaign taken over by the Obama White House to make sure the locals didn't screw it up, and the presence of an Independent on the ballot splitting the anti-Corzine vote.
Christie stayed out of the mud slinging and made light of the fat attacks by the Democrats. He stayed focused on the economy and jobs when the opposition message was lost in the flood of red ink being generated in our capitol. And he withstood the withering attacks and money being spent by the Washington special interests including national politicians, unions, Wall Street friends of the Democrats and the multitude of liberal causes hell bent on telling us what is good for us.
Governor-elect Robert McDonnell led a Republican sweep of all the statewide elections in Virginia, as his opponent fell to defeat with a weak campaign, lack of an economic program and undefined relationship with Obama. Though Obama campaigned for the Democrat and $10 million was pumped into the race by Democratic national committees Obama's dismal 48% approval and 51% disapproval in Virginia neutralized any benefit from the presidential efforts.
The winners: Obama won in his popularity rating as New Jersey showed him with a 57% approval rating. However, since the Democratic incumbent got only 45% support it means Obama has no control over his fans as 13% of the Obama supporters voted for the Republican or Independent, not Obama's pick.
In Virginia Obama's favorable rating dropped to 48% with 51% unfavorable, the same as the most recent Rasmussen national numbers. His nationwide numbers have settled at 48% favorable, down from his high of 69% after his election, a 21% collapse in the polls.
The losers: Obama's agenda for change was rejected across the board with no Obama issue gaining more than a low 40% approval and all had higher negative ratings than positive. The economy and taxes dominated the state agendas with health care, energy and others far behind. As confidence in Obama's handling of the economy has been in a freefall it does not bode well for the president.
Virtually all action taken on the economy by Obama and the Democratic congress is contrary to the public mood in as much as it has aided Wall Street but not Main Street, has not helped with consumer credit, credit card fees and interest rates, and has cost $250,000 to create every public sector job under the stimulus, jobs that will disappear as soon as the federal money runs out.
Confusion over the issue of the War in Afghanistan and the floundering policy of Obama, his inability to make a decision that impacts on the safety of our soldiers, his failure to fulfill promises regarding Guantanamo, Iraq and the Middle East have all contributed to a collapse of support for his foreign initiatives. However, foreign affairs had no impact on the election.
The bigger losers: Congress and leaders Pelosi and Reid who have demonstrated they are pursuing exactly the opposite priorities as the public wants. They are out of touch and obsessed with their own agenda regardless of the change wanted by the public. Unbeknownst to them, health care and the energy cap and trade bills, their two bills designed to make the congress and industry advocates wealthy, are the very budget busters the public demands be stopped.
If the congressional leadership continues their course of forcing their priorities down the throats of Americans they will see their own careers and those of many incumbents fade into oblivion, the graveyard for those who claim to protect the public trust while stealing our future blind. The mood of the voter is angry and the target of their anger is the Washington and Wall Street establishments.
Politicians and political parties can be part of the institutional problem or part of the solution but they cannot be both. Right now the national political parties, Democrat and Republican alike, are in the crosshairs of the public anger. If they fail to address the deficit, to stop social spending, and to eliminate the climate of lobbyists, campaign funding and politicians for sale dominating the corrupt Washington scene, they will be history.
The biggest winner was the independence of the Independents and the solidifying of the base of about 20% of the registered vote who now constitute the new independent economic conservatives. With no party ties this block of independent voters is growing stronger with every election. Attempts to control them by social conservatives failed though there is strong conservative support for social issues. The evolving Independent opposes a litmus test for philosophical loyalty and shares a common bond of opposing deficit spending, increasing the national debt and expanding the size of government.
The biggest loser was the news media and their incessant analysis of the election. As the media continues to take sides and push the Democratic or Republican agenda the entire Washington and Wall Street establishments from the White House to Congress, the lobbyists to contributors, special interests to the corrupt continue to treat our nation's government as their own playground. Where are the media watchdogs? Are they too busy sharing in the spoils?
-
