Republicans had a very nice election day 2014. They a hold majority in the House and Senate and the Supreme Court is predominately Conservative. They swept the state elections as well.
I’ll get to what this means after we discuss what it does not mean.
To get a better understanding of why the sweep, first keep in mind that 2/3 of Americans did not vote in this election and more money was spent in a non-presidential election year than has ever been spent in any election at any time.
As we look back at who controlled the state legislatures back in 2010 after a new census, the voting districts are re-drawn and tend to favor those who get to draw them. Add to it the fact of limiting voter turn-out with I.D.’s required to vote limiting the lower income folks from turning out. I know those of you have a image in your mind of who these folks are that have a hard time getting a state issued I.D. to be eligible to vote but I want to expand that image to include those that have recently lost their job, house and hope and are predominately white and were middle class folks and did vote but now finding shelter and food take a priority in their lives. Not getting a drivers license for a car they do not own anymore.
So it should have been expected that the Republicans would do very well. It would have been bigger news if they had not.
Do they have a mandate?
On what ? Repealing “Obama Care” 9 times and want to go for 18 times. They can’t do that strategy anymore. There will need to be substance. They will actually need to go to work and not grand-stand only.
That brings us to what it really means to J.Q. Public. Because now with a Republican majority in both houses of Congress, they actually need to produce legislation of their own to present to the President for final approval. They can no longer block or hinder everything that is presented or just be against everything the President wants.
They actually need to legislate or they are going to look quite silly. And I suspect if anyone actually reads the meaning of the legislation they manage to put forward, it would be a good guess that it has many other meanings other than the ones explained to the public. Remember the 2 credit card act reforms the Republicans passes that took virtually all rights a individual and states had in regulating this at all and gave all the power to the Credit Card Co’s. (first the stripped away the right of the state to regulate the interest rate, then they took the limits off). Some reform. So, I bet we will see more of that kind of smoke and mirrors.
Can they do it ?
It’s pretty doubtful that the Republicans can even get enough votes in their own majority to produce any legislation of any substance because of the far right within the party (tea party types) and so the fight begins but not with the President, but within the Republican party.
All in all, I see the Republicans who hold skewed majorities in most districts in the U.S., loosing by as much as they gained in the 2016 election, and with everything they have twisted in their favor, that will be a big deal !
I can see the Republicans trying to take credit for a improving economy that will really surface because of increased oil production at home lowers the trade defecate and lower oil prices improve every aspect of the economy.
Neither party can really take credit for it. But they will try.