Painting the Map Red
Last night's US Midterm Elections kept me up until well after my bedtime. I am somewhat of a politics junky, and even putting aside my strong political views and the desire to see them implemented in practice, I enjoy the nitty-gritty of the political process itself. In my more dispassionate moments I view the political maneuvering almost like a very elaborate game of chess, albeit one that is played on an enormous chessboard without even knowing all the pieces and with rules that are not always what they seem to be. Growing up in a totalitarian one-party state I especially appreciate the freedom that is given to all the citizens of a democracy to exercise their rights to vote in accordance to their conscience, without fear or intimidation. That's why I am extremely happy to see anyone vote, even people who I know will be voting for the candidates and causes that could not be further from my own. Since I am still not a US citizen, I am not able to express my political preferences through the election process, but I do my best to voice my views and make them known to anyone who is willing to listen. I consider myself fortunate in that regard, as I have many friends who value my insights and opinions, and I would like to thank all of them for all the valuable feedback that they have given me.
For a political junky like me election night is somewhat of a cross between Super Bowl and the Christmas Eve. Even though the country has been polled to exhaustion over the past few weeks, there is still enough of uncertainty to keep me glued to the television for hours at the time. Thanks to the high-level expertise of the political commentators on Fox News, I was able to glean many new insights throughout the night. It was really interesting seeing a whopping and resounding victory for the Republicans in the US House of the Representatives, a highest gain in the number of seats in almost eighty years. Unfortunately, the US Senate gains have not been that dramatic, but considering that only about thirty six seats had been in play, the total gain of six is still pretty remarkable. The message, to all who are willing to listen, is very clear: voters are very angry with the direction in which the US is going, especially with President Obama's reckless and misguided liberal agenda. The level of anger clearly goes well beyond the dissatisfaction with the economy.
Unfortunately, based on his speech today, Obama still seems refuse to hear the message. He acknowledged that he was disappointed with the electoral results, but resolutely refused to take any personal responsibility for them. Unlike Clinton who felt everyone's pain and was able to move to the center in 1994, Obama wants everyone to feel his pain and keep following him wherever he intends to go. Obama has made a few offers of cosmetic changes in his agenda, and repeated the mantra of "bipartisanship," but so far there have been no indications that he is either willing or capable of changing his own approach to governing. This man's hubris is starting to acquire legendary proportions.
On a personal note, I feel excited that my own state of Indian has turned very red last night. Indian now has a Republican governor, both senators, majority of representatives, and the state legislature. This is the kind of state I can believe in.