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Posted on 11/04/2014 11:52:56 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Republicans stormed to victory in US midterm elections, thumping rival Democrats to clinch control of both houses of Congress and assuring a fractious final two years of Barack Obama's presidency.
Riding a wave of voter frustration with Washington incumbents and the unpopular policies of the Obama administration, Republicans seized at least seven seats from Senate Democrats to claim total congressional control for the first time since 2006.
"The American people have put their trust in the Republican Party," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said shortly after the Democratic implosion.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate's top Republican, brushed aside the toughest challenge to his Kentucky seat in 30 years and was slated to replace Harry Reid as Senate majority leader.
"This experiment in big government has lasted long enough. It's time to go in a new direction," McConnell boomed to supporters in his victory speech.
But he sounded a conciliatory note as well, adding that while he and the president rarely see eye to eye, "we do have an obligation to work together on issues where we can agree."
Reid, stung by losing his powerful leadership role, congratulated McConnell but also called for cooperation.
"The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together," Reid said.
Republicans have held the 435-seat House of Representatives since 2010, and they kept it safely in hand Tuesday.
In a bipartisan achievement, for the first time ever more than 100 women were projected to win House seats.
But compounding Democratic woes, projections showed the GOP could actually gain an impressive 14 to 18 House seats, giving Republicans their largest majority since 1946.
Republicans also cleaned up in key governors' races, earning re-election in Florida, Wisconsin and Kansas and stunning Democrats by winning governorships in blue Maryland and Massachusetts.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The one race that turned out really bad for pubs was Lee Terry in Nebraska. Burlington Northern and Warren Buffett won that one. It will also give dems that tie breaking electoral vote in 2016 and help stop the pipeline.
Pubs lost their way. The national dems just poured money into that race. A back bencher Rep who doesn’t chair any committee and has no real power in the party. They target him. Terry stuck his foot in his mouth and really got beat up
Please note:
When the same thing happened in 2006, when the Democrats took control of both houses with a Republican President (Bush ‘43) it was a great event.
Eight years later with the political parties reversed it is a disaster?
Hmmm. Any one still wondering why the LMSM is going down the drain?
Its a disaster for the One.
He has the reverse Midas Touch.
That’s okay - Barry will play some golf, take a few vacations, and check out the bath houses and be back to his usual tyrannical self in no time.
I think it’s Steny Hoyer.
The democrats (socialists) spent $3 billion dollars and lost the races and the news media gave the democrats $100 billion in free ads disguised as news
No kidding.
I see on Wikipedia that he came within 6% of losing in the primary despite outspending his challenger 20-to-1. And, he’s a member of the RINO Main Street partnership.
Too bad the tea party couldn’t have dealt with him in the primary.
The Congress holds two cards to control Obama’s illegal executive orders, the ability to impeach and the ability to control the purse strings.
I may be wrong, but I think only another president could reverse his executive orders. PLEASE, someone tell me there are more remedies. I’m asking here.
Slows things down. I see no reversals.
We need the $4,000,000,000,000 federal government cut by 80% (= $800 billion in case you were wondering - still to big but it’s a start).
We need Obamacare repealed and SOMEBODY explaining and preaching that socialized medicine is a disastrous failure and the ANSWER is putting medical care and healthcare back on its right footing in the FREE MARKET ECONOMY where it properly belongs.
Will this bunch so that? I’d be surprised. But that’s what we need.
Unless something really unexpected happens, none of this will take place - instead it will be a slower burn instead of the wildfire the Dems have had going.
No, as always, this is like Lucy holding the football to get Charlie Brown to run for the kick so she can pull the ball away at the last second and can watch Charlie Brown go flailing through the air. Every four years. Enough already.
It would appear to me that if there is to be any political salvation, at this point in time it will be coming from a state that’s had enough and has the guts to cut off federal funds for the sake of liberty and the promise of free-market prosperity.
The main stream media lost big too. The American people have declared them irrelevant liars.
Obama looks quite White in that pic.
The first item on the Republican Senate’s agenda should be to change the filibuster rules. After the orgy of lame duck appointments that we are all going to see Reid push through the Senate over the next two months it should be easy to argue that these rule changes are for the purpose of real filibuster reform.
1. Reinstate the filibuster for all judicial appointments. Lifetime judicial appointments are too important to be approved by only 50 Senators and the Vice President.
Leave executive branch appointments as they are. They will all be gone when the next president is elected and if any Republican Senators break ranks to approve far left wing Obama executive appointments then we can target them in the next primaries. Besides, Obama is going to fill every important executive vacancy with far left wing appointments during the lame duck session.
This is a page from Reid’s playbook. Only change the filibuster rules that you care about. Reid did not abolish filibusters for Supreme Court nominations. Why not? Because there were no Supreme Court vacancies. I guarantee if a Supreme Court seat came open and Republicans made any attempt to filibuster Obama’s far left wing replacement then Reid would have then unilaterally abolished the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations as well.
2. Abolish the legislative filibuster or at the very least require a “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” talk-until-you-drop style filibuster for legislation.
The Republican controlled Senate can then pass all of the legislation that has already passed the Republican controlled House that Reid would never allow to even come to the floor for a vote. Sure Obama will veto everything and it will be unlikely that enough Democrat Senators will break ranks to override his veto, but Obama can spend the next two years obstructing progress.
No. 1 is a no brainer. If the Republicans fail to do this then they are insane. Obama’s far left wing judicial appointments will be legislating from the bench for the next 30 years. 40 Senators should have the power to to block any one of them.
No. 2 should also be a no brainer, but it is doubtful that McConnell will have the balls. The only argument against it is that it will be used against the Republicans whenever the Democrats regain control of the Senate someday. That is a stupid, bullsh!t argument.
That was the same argument used to stop the Republican controlled Senate from using the so-called “nuclear option” when the Democrats were filibustering all of Bush’s judicial appointments. So the Republicans caved. Guess what? Reid did not hesitate to do it when it suited the Democrat controlled Senate.
The Democrats will do whatever they want to do when they regain control of the Senate. It does not matter what the Republicans do or do not do to the Democrats.
So take a page from Reid’s playbook and use raw political power to halt the Democrats and stop caring what sort of precedent it will set.
It's like modern warfare -- Congress has nuclear options (impeachment and the power of the purse/gov't shutdown), but not very effective smaller options, to fight a lawless president.
As long as the Senate Dems continue to support Obama, it would be difficult to rein him in. I see two reasons for hope though:
1. Democratic Senators, like all politicians, put personal survival above all else. I don't think they want an all-out political war that would drag them down, and they just saw some of their colleagues go down last night.
2. Obama, for all his radicalism, is first and foremost lazy. He's never done a day's work in his life. I'm sure he would like to destroy us and our traditional American values, but not if it requires him actually doing the work. So if the Democratic Sentators won't carry the water for him, he'll settle for more golf.
I think these two factors will lead to a reining in of Obama, but if not, fasten your seat belts.
Living in the District, I don’t think Terry is that bad a RINO as those out of the state believe. He actually was endorsed by Tea Party Express.
He is for border security and no amnesty (not popular in North or especially popular in South Omaha). He is against abortion and gay marriage. He is pretty conservative in economics. He is pro defense. He is pro pipe line. (not well liked by Warren Buffet)
Dems finally ran a very popular local politician on both sides. Very personally popular, he actually is a really nice guy. Ashford is a party switcher. He has won local elections as a Republican, a Democrat, and non-partisan. He is very visible around Omaha and Douglas County. I think Ashford won as much as Terry lost. With Buffett money, he won.
Remember Pickett (I think the Yankees had something to do with it)
Mitch McConnell...needs to be reminded..he’s a big part of BIG GOVERNMENT!!
Harry needs to run off back to his mormon mob..and stay away from politics.
“The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together,” Reid said. “Unlike the message from voters when we won the senate. They wanted us to fight the republicans every step of the way.”
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