While the results of last night’s midterm elections did not deliver everything that the Republicans asked for, they delivered enough. Republicans received more than the number of seats necessary to achieve a House majority, their numbers in the Senate have become respectable again (with the Democrats’ ability to break a filibuster now completely out the window), and they made significant gains in statehouses, and state legislatures. Any pretense that the Republican party is just a Southern political force is now completely gone, with Republicans now a powerful presence not just in the Southwest, but also in the Midwest as well, and with Republicans having achieved something of a beachhead in the Northeast.
In many ways, the election results are even more disastrous than the Obama Administration might have feared. The Republicans have taken control of one chamber of Congress, but not of both, which means that they cannot be said to have taken partial ownership of the federal government. This gives Republicans a place at the bargaining table, but does not remove the pressure on Senate Democrats and the White House to govern. From the base of operations they now have in the House, Republicans are able to more easily advance policy proposals, while at the same time slowing down, or stopping objectionable legislation. Additionally, the ability of majority House Republicans to command a bigger megaphone will allow them to put forth a platform designed to win hearts and minds in advance of the 2012 elections.
