The election results are in from New York, New Jersey and Virginia. So what do they mean? Well, it depends on who is doing the analyzing. In a real shocker, the mainstream networks are emphasizing the Democrat's win in NY. They are touting the fact that Joe Biden spent 10 minutes there talking to 150 people, while Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Fred Thompson stumped to huge crowds...yet the Dems won.
But they are not talking about New Jersey and Virginia, which were Republican sweeps. Now, you can hear about these on that Fair and Balanced Fox News. And in their defense, they do have their Democrat analysts on trying to downplay the whole thing. According to the Democrats, New Jersey was poorly run by John Corzine (the dem) and that was the only reason for the defeat. Now they don't want to talk about how New Jersey has been a political mess for years, yet the dems have always been in control. They also do not want to mention how President Obama campaigned there for Corzine 3 times in the last week, and recorded those thrilling robo-calls asking for support. In the robo-call, he calls Corzine his "good friend". Wow...if someone is my good friend, I don't chalk up their loss to "doing a pitiful job".
As for Virginia, it's a little more interesting. The Republicans won easily...Govenor, Lt. Govenor, attorney general. Now the Dems (in a real reach here) are saying that Virginia traditionally picks against the party in power in these mid term elections. What they are not saying is that one year ago, the President won Virginia by 6 points...and yesterday they lost by double digits. That is a huge swing in one year. Now the reasons behind this remain unclear.
The most interesting analysis of the night came from that Frank Luntz guy on Fox. He is the fellow who puts together focus groups and asks their opinions. The Virginia focus group was fascinating. Out of about 20 people, 3/4 voted for the Republican. The rest were African-Americans who were very defensive about what the loss said about Obama. A few people said they were trying to send Obama and the congress a message. One guy was trying to send Nancy Pelosi a message. But most of them were just concerned for the future of Virginia and thought that the republican would be a better choice.
I cannot watch the mainstream media on days like today. Their bias is so blatant that any real news is impossible. I also get disgusted with Fox, though. When they come on with the headlines at 7:00am, and there is no mention of NY going to the dems...the bias is no less disappointing. Now granted, if you hang in there, they will bring on some people from both sides to discuss it...but the presentation is transparent.
A good friend of mine likes Glenn Beck. She points out to me that he does a great job finding and presenting things that the major news networks ignore. Because of how much I respect and agree with her opinions, I try to watch him occasionally. But I find him to be so nasty and sarcastic...and toxic...that any real information he offers gets lost in his presentation. He is a bit like the National Enquirer...chances are there is some truth in what he is saying, but since 80% of it is over-stated, you don't know what to believe. Yesterday, Little One and I were watching his show while eating dinner. After a few minutes, she said, "I don't understand what he is saying, but he is mean."...........My sentiments exactly.
Anyway, the 2010 elections should be interesting. Regardless of how laissez-faire the White House tries to act today about their losses, you can bet they are nervous. And on the flip side, even Limbaugh and Beck are going to have a hard time explaining why the NY seat that has historically been republican suddenly flipped. Maybe is was Joe Biden's amazing speaking skills after all. (That was a joke.) The point is, these are volatile, un-nerving times.
On another note, Harry Reid said the healt hcare bill will probably not be passed this year. Fox News said this is a major blow to the President. Well, I hope not. I hope he sees this as a plea from the country to slow down and attack the problem in a more measured way. Let's fix what needs to be fixed and leave the rest alone.
Ok, that's it for today. I know, I know...too much politics the last couple of days....But that's life right? A little of this and a little of that. Tonight I will be packing and preparing for the big Zoo trip. Tomorrow night, I will be sleeping (or most likely not sleeping) in a sleeping bag in a room with 50 kids, 10 parents, 2 teachers and a principal....God help me...
Until tomorrow, when I promise not to discuss any politics.....
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