Did the Democrats deserve the backlash they received during this year’s midterm elections? Why or why not?
There is the general sentiment that the midterm elections are a referendum on the performance of the administration during its first two years. However, the political scourging that was the midterms is more a referendum of the economy. Many arguments will be made on both sides regarding the wisdom or voracity of the governing economics that has taken place during Obama’s first two years. The fact is, the current administration made several political moves without thinking of external factors (i.e. timing, backlash, etc.) and these mistakes have created rifts not only between parties, but also within the Democratic Party itself. This has left the administration open to bitter criticisms from Republicans, which was answered with strict policies of noncooperation within the Democratic Party. We are now left with less of a two-party system and more of a political staring contest. The question now is: who blinks for the welfare of Americans first?” – Tim Hendricks, Superior, Colo
“Of course they didn’t. This country’s electorate is short-sighted and simple. They want to be provided for but they don’t want to pay taxes. This election was a referendum on the awful state of the economy, circumstances created by the Bush administration that we are still paying for today. According to Pew data, Republicans are more reviled than Democrats by the lot of Americans. This election said one thing to Washington: ‘We are unhappy.’” – Geno Mehalik, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
“I do not believe that the country is backlashing Democrats for being Democrats – I believe there were a lot of other factors at work. It is very tempting for someone like me to blame the ‘mean Republicans’ who obviously decided when they lost the presidential election that they would prefer to see the country divided and destitute than to cooperate with a young black liberal president. However, that is not the whole story. It appears that some journalists and thought leaders were correct in saying that no president can be truly great in our current environment. Others said, as much as they admire Barack Obama’s determination to get some good things done, which he DID, he hurt his standing and that of his friends by not paying more attention to the image he was getting and by not going on record loudly and frequently with a desire to listen to the people – ALL PEOPLE” – Yvonne Rohrbacher, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
