America goes red following midterm elections, Republicans seize Congress
Political pundits are having a pep rally. One reason is the GOP won key gubernatorial races, including Maryland, Connecticut Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Arkansas this past election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. Connecticut, Maryland and especially President Barack Obama’s home state, Illinois, are true blue upsets. But, Pennsylvania gets a Democrat for governor.
Another reason is the GOP now controls Congress, which hasn’t happened since World War II. This stunning shift in the balance of control has Democrats losing seven Senate seats in the chamber and handing over the power to Republicans. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is out as Senate Majority Leader and six-term Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will likely take his place.
During midterm campaigns, many Democrats disconnected from President Obama, a strategy this writer personally believes lacks authenticity and is disingenuous. The result at the time of this writing, 52 Republicans occupy seats in the Senate compared to 45 Democrats. Take into account, you only need 51 seats to control but you must procure 56 votes to move agendas forward. We’ll see who crosses party lines during this term to make things happen. Keep your fingers crossed, but don’t hold your breath.
Women have a few firsts to celebrate. There are officially 100 women in Congress. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, becomes the first woman ever to represent Iowa in Congress. Utah’s Ludmya Bourdeau “Mia” Love becomes the first female African American Republican to be elected to the House.
What does this mean for America?
Taking into account this seismic shift in power, we must conclude that voters simply aren’t happy and are not optimistic. They’ve expressed their dissatisfaction and frustration with apathy, by not showing up to the polls, or they switched parties this election.
Republicans have the keys to the House and the questions voters must ask are, will I be invited to the party? Can I even come in for a snack at the table where immigration reform, health care are still at issue?
Upset voters must hold the elected officials accountable. The blue Democratic stronghold turns Republican red. One thing we have to be grateful for is during President Obama’s second term, which has been stressful for Americans, is the passing of the minimum wage increase. Democrats will have to prove themselves over the next couple of years to win the presidency in 2016.
In other news, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., legalize marijuana.
