As promised, we're finishing our 2010 pre-election commentary today with a look at things from the political left. If you missed our look at the race from the saner side of the political right, check out yesterday's Daily Commentary - AFTER you GO VOTE.
Contrary to the screaming "political pundit perpetual panic conflictinators" on cable TV, election day doesn't look nearly as bad as it could be for the Democratic Party.
We're under no delusions. The Democrats will likely lose the majority in the House of Representatives, and hold onto a slim majority in the U.S. Senate. As we said yesterday, it's a mid-term election. A swing back in the opposite direction is normal after the landslide win by Democrats two years ago.
Are some of us disappointed in the likely results of today's elections? Sure - although we and many others think it will likely be later in the week, or possibly later in the month before the results are 100% final. But the results of today's voting will not, in any serious way, prove to be a referendum on the policies of the Obama Administration.
Even Senate Minority leader McConnell admitted Monday that "there is no poll data showing the public is in love with [Republicans]." If ever there was an understatement, that is it.
Looking at REGISTERED voters across the country, Americans favor Democrats and Democratic-backed progressive ideas by small but sizable margins of around five percent. The idea that there has been too much of a "liberal overreach" by one of the more moderate progressive Democratic leaders in recent history is not only laughable, but provably wrong.
There are FAR more Democrats angry that the President's policies weren't bigger, more progressive and more effective than they were.
The Stimulus was a perfect example of this. Every economist worth spit has said that the stimulus did, in fact, work. Some of the best have made the case that it should have been much larger. Writer Kevin Drum makes the observation that throughout history, the most progressive - and most popular - government programs like those of the New Deal and Great Society eras, have happened in very short bursts of time.
As we also pointed out yesterday, even if Republicans win the House, as they're likely to do, fulfilling their promises of getting rid of health care insurance reform and eliminating controls of Wall Street will be nearly impossible.
No matter who wins today - or whenever the elections are finally finished with being recounted and sued over - the facts will likely be what we've predicted before. There will be very slim majorities for either party in the House and Senate, and in most state races too.
When it's all said and done, our President - the President of ALL Americans - will still be Barack Obama.
And the sun will come out on Wednesday, no matter who wins.
Now if you still haven't gotten around to it, go vote.
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