Tweet
From NBC online
What last night's elections told us
Two points about last night’s elections: 1) This is no longer 2010; and 2) Voters say, “Don’t go too far”… Bryant wins in MS, and Beshear wins in KY.
By NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower
*** This is no longer 2010: So what do we make of last night’s election results across the country? Our initial takeaway is that they suggest this is no longer 2010 (or even 2009), when Republican enthusiasm -- fueled by the Tea Party -- helped the GOP win up and down the ballot. In Ohio last night, Democrats and organized labor overturned Gov. John Kasich’s (R) anti-collective-bargaining law. In New Jersey, Democrats expanded their majority in the state legislature, despite Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) active campaigning for the GOP. And even in Virginia, where Republicans could still win control of the state Senate (with the deciding race separated by just 86 votes), the GOP gains were much smaller than expected. But if last night’s results suggested that this is no longer 2010, it’s also no longer 2008, when Democrats held the political upper hand. If anything, we’re looking at a political environment -- one year before the 2012 presidential election -- that’s a jump ball and could be decided by the slimmest of margins (like that Virginia state Senate race).
*** And voters say: “Don’t go too far”: But there’s another way to look at last night’s results, especially when you add the surprising defeat of that anti-abortion/”personhood” amendment in Mississippi, the likely recall of anti-illegal-immigration Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce (R), the two Ohio ballot measures, and the rejection of a Maine law ending same-day voter registration: Voters punished elected officials for going too far. They might not be happy with public-sector unions, but they don't support taking away their collective-bargaining rights (especially for first-responders). They might be against abortion in Mississippi, but don’t want to potentially outlaw things like birth control. They might be troubled by illegal immigration, but they don’t want their elected officials to look like they are targeting a specific community. They might believe government should do something about health care, but they don't want to be forced to buy insurance. And they might be concerned about the idea of voter fraud, but they don't want to lose rights they had. Politicians may be pushing absolutes, but voters are sending a different message
What last night's elections told us
Two points about last night’s elections: 1) This is no longer 2010; and 2) Voters say, “Don’t go too far”… Bryant wins in MS, and Beshear wins in KY.
By NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower
*** This is no longer 2010: So what do we make of last night’s election results across the country? Our initial takeaway is that they suggest this is no longer 2010 (or even 2009), when Republican enthusiasm -- fueled by the Tea Party -- helped the GOP win up and down the ballot. In Ohio last night, Democrats and organized labor overturned Gov. John Kasich’s (R) anti-collective-bargaining law. In New Jersey, Democrats expanded their majority in the state legislature, despite Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) active campaigning for the GOP. And even in Virginia, where Republicans could still win control of the state Senate (with the deciding race separated by just 86 votes), the GOP gains were much smaller than expected. But if last night’s results suggested that this is no longer 2010, it’s also no longer 2008, when Democrats held the political upper hand. If anything, we’re looking at a political environment -- one year before the 2012 presidential election -- that’s a jump ball and could be decided by the slimmest of margins (like that Virginia state Senate race).
*** And voters say: “Don’t go too far”: But there’s another way to look at last night’s results, especially when you add the surprising defeat of that anti-abortion/”personhood” amendment in Mississippi, the likely recall of anti-illegal-immigration Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce (R), the two Ohio ballot measures, and the rejection of a Maine law ending same-day voter registration: Voters punished elected officials for going too far. They might not be happy with public-sector unions, but they don't support taking away their collective-bargaining rights (especially for first-responders). They might be against abortion in Mississippi, but don’t want to potentially outlaw things like birth control. They might be troubled by illegal immigration, but they don’t want their elected officials to look like they are targeting a specific community. They might believe government should do something about health care, but they don't want to be forced to buy insurance. And they might be concerned about the idea of voter fraud, but they don't want to lose rights they had. Politicians may be pushing absolutes, but voters are sending a different message
Comment