The American mid-term elections have handed the Democrats a massive slap in the face, and have reinvigorated the conservative movement. The grassroots Tea Party movement has triumphed in spectacular fashion, and President Obama and his party has been handed a humiliating drubbing.
With 37 of the 50 governorships up for grabs, all the House of Representative seats (435 in total), 37 of the 100 Senate seats, and a number of initiatives to be decided, the results so far have been quite pleasing for the conservatives. While it is still too early to call the entire outcome, it appears that certainly the House is now back in Republican control.
It looks like some 60 seats will be picked up by the Republicans there, which is a very handy tsunami indeed. This means, among other things, that arch secular leftist Nancy Pelosi will be booted out of the speaker’s seat. That alone should bring great joy to the hearts of so many conservatives.
Thus the free ride which Obama has enjoyed for his first two years in office has now come to a decisive end. He will now have to learn about real bipartisan politics, and much of his agenda will now be curtailed or greatly challenged. It will be a much different political landscape from now on.
And this election also means that grassroots conservatism, as in the Tea Party movement, is the wave of the future, while establishment Republicans, or RINOs (Republican in name only) are a vanishing breed. Conservatives are tired about the way so many Republican leaders have lost touch with mainstream Republican voters.
Thus it is not just the Democratic Party which is facing major change here, but the Republican Party as well. The groundswell of conservative sentiment is sweeping the country, and those out of touch with this can expect to see voter backlash big time.
Writing just before the elections, Thomas Sowell explained what was at stake: “Most elections are about particular policies, particular scandals or particular personalities. But these issues don’t mean as much this year – not because they are not important, but because this election is a crossroads election, one that can decide what path this country will take for many years to come. Runaway ‘stimulus’ spending, high unemployment and ObamaCare are all legitimate and important issues. It is just that freedom and survival are more important….
“The headstrong, know-it-all willfulness of this administration, which threatens our freedom at home, also threatens our survival in the international jungle, because Obama seems determined to do nothing that will stop Iran from going nuclear.
“The Obama administration goes through all sorts of charades at the U.N. and signs international agreements on sanctions that have been watered down to the point where they are not about to bring Iran’s nuclear weapons program to a halt. The purpose is not to stop Iran but to stop the American people from realizing what Obama is doing or not doing.
“We have a strange man in the White House. This election is a crossroads, because either his power will be curbed by depriving him of his huge Congressional majorities or he will continue on a road that jeopardizes both our freedom and our survival.”
Carrie Lukas also wrote just before the Tuesday elections what this was all about: “The 2008 election was a cult of personality. Voters were swept up in electing someone they saw as a superhero, an icon. This election is all about ideas. Rather, this election is about one central idea: That America is teetering on the edge of transforming into a country fundamentally different from the one today’s voters were born into. That this last Congress boldly strode toward changing the relationship between citizen and state, leaving the American people more dependent on government and advancing government’s control over the economy. That the country must be pulled back from the precipice.
“Newly politically-active Americans have taken to demonstrating because they see such urgency in the current situation. If this Administration is allowed to continue its march toward bigger, more intrusive government – in fact, if America isn’t quickly dragged several steps back away from bigger government – then we will be consigned to a permanently less free, less prosperous, less innovative country.
“Our taxes will be higher. Our national debt will continue to balloon. The private sector will be chipped away and replaced with larger bureaucracies and government-provided services. Americans don’t want this. Many support the concept of a government safety net for those truly in need, but recognize that our government has long since abandoned that mission, instead seeking to foster a dependent middle class. And Americans know that such dependency comes with a high price, as innovation, individual initiative and personal control melt under government’s warm embrace.
“Americans don’t want a government that treats them like children. They don’t want cradle-to-grave care from Washington bureaucrats. They want a government that does its job – and only its actual job as articulated by the Constitution – well. They want independence.”
In the hours and days to come the exact numbers will become available. But at this early stage it looks like Obama and his Democrats are in big trouble. That is good news for so many long-suffering Americans. And it is good news the world over. Conservatism is not dead yet.
Good news indeed – hope deferred makes the heart sick; healing can now start to take place! Obama never articulated what his brand of ‘hope’ & ‘change’ was, it really was about the cult of celebrity – for such a smart, Harvard Professor, he comes across as a puff piece – but what do you expect when the 5 greatest Uni’s in the world (1.Harvard 2.Yale 3.Oxford 4.Cambridge and 5.Princeton), all started out as strongly Christian – are just mouthpieces for rampant secular humanism that teaches that man is ‘god’ and he know best. Great days indeed for the whole world!
Neil Innes, NT
Neil,
Good post, but I must differ on one point: Obama was never any “puff piece”. If you read David Freddoso”s “The Case against Barack Obama”, published just prior to the Democratic Convention in 2008 he makes it clear that Obama was (i) a socialist radical steeped in Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and all the treasonous tripe that’s in that revolting manual, and (ii) a down-the-line Chicago political thug, for whom “the Chicago way” was part of his DNA. As I kept saying at the time (2008), “Al Capone without the tommy gun”.
It is now clear that the “fundamental transformation” he announced was NOT what people had in mind when they elected him, but what he meant by that was radically turning America into a socialist state. The American people at the Congressional level have repudiated that agenda, but there is still along way to go. The Senate needs to be retaken by conservatives in 2012, and likewise the White House.
Let me state my preference, even if I can have no say in the actual process:
SARAH PALIN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2012!!!
Murray R Adamthwaite
Hi Murray, perhaps a better word is ‘vacuous’ – I think Obama just assumes that all in Academia land believe as he does, he is aloof and lacks humour, I know best! I think the elites chose Obama because he was more a certainty than Hilary Clinton, but they would be ruing their decision now – I am pro Palin & Bachmann, but don’t think that the Republican Party will let her run. Hope I’m wrong.
Neil Innes, NT
Thanks guys
I think I could get excited about a Sarah Palin/Michele Bachmann ticket for the Republicans.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Well done America for seeing Obama as the phony Muslim homosexual-appeaser that he is.
If only the UK went the same way. Even the conservatives are liberals these days!
Barbara Murray-Leach, UK
Hi Bill
This has nothing to do with your article, but as the elections are coming up I need some advice.
Originally I was going to vote for the liberals until I found that Ted Baillue voted for the abortion legislation (abortion up till birth).
Can you give some advice on who to vote for?
I hope I am not asking something inappropriate. If you can’t answer I will understand.
Anne van Tilburg
Thanks Anne
In Victoria we have the same problem as in many other parts of Australia – a weak and in many ways un-conservative opposition. And Ted Baillieu offers little by way of conservative (pro-life, pro-family, and pro-faith) values.
Having said that, however, Labor has as its official policy, abortion on demand, which the Coalition does not. And there tends to be more pro-life candidates in the Coalition than in Labor. So for these and other reasons, those concerned about abortion should still prefer the Coalition well above Labor. But bear in mind some of the smaller pro-life parties such as the CDP, FF, and the DLP.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Hi Bill,
But I’d recommend doing more than just bearing in mind the smaller pro-life parties.
It is, in fact, critical for Christians to vote for these parties FIRST. Otherwise the voter’s intention to favour Christian policies is not recorded and hence not taken into account by the media or other parties.
And because a transferable voting system is used in all Australian elections, voting for a minor party first does not diminish your vote for your favoured major party in any way.
So there is no excuse whatsoever for a Christian not to put the Christian minor parties first, followed by their preferred major party.
I think one thing that many of us Non-Americans fail to comprehend is that their National debt is really outrageous (true not compared to Japan, & the PIGS). They have some really serious structural problems fiscally. It really is going to take bipartisan polices to get them out of their problem. Problem is most western governments & citizens are addicted to debt.
For an idea of just how bad the problem is in the US, check out .
Also consider this, add up the American fiscal condition:
76 million Baby Boomers about to retire
+ Life expectancies increasing
+ A Social Security Administration that’s now paying out more than it’s taking in
+ The Social Security Trust Fund holding nothing but $2.6 trillion in US debt
+ A national debt over $13 trillion
+ The worst US economy since the Great Depression
+ Unemployment near generational highs
+ Stagnant wages for over a decade
+ Average personal savings rate of 6% of disposable income
+ Minimal interest rates on those savings
+ Home prices (most people’s largest investment) down 20% from their peak
+ Stock indexes (and most private retirement funds) down 25% from their peak
+ Rising energy and healthcare costs
Anne, Phone and contact Ted Baillue’s office, ask to speak with him personally. Let him know that you were shocked at what he voted for. Confront him. MP’s value and like to know what people think. Your voice will represent 1000 others.
Mrs Judith Bond
I have thought a lot about the same question, Ann. After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided I will never again vote for a political party which supports abortion, even if not on demand. The issue is too important to overlook.
There are parties as mentioned above which are pro-life. From now on, they will get my vote.
Lucy Zubova
Thanks guys
Here is some interesting info: “The largest single constituency in the electorate in the 2010 midterm elections was self-identified evangelicals, who comprised 29% of the vote and cast an astonishing 78% of their ballots for Republican candidates.” http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1660315402.html
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
One thing I know for sure – that it is only a matter of time, before moral bankruptcy is followed by financial bankruptcy.
Ian Brearley
Not directly related, but I was struck by the contrast between the headline of an article on the ABC: Ask Hillary and the sermon series running at my church at the moment: Ask Anything.
So we have the Secretary of State of the USA coming to Australia and we have the chance to “ask her anything”. And we have God, of whom we can also ask anything. Hmmm… which would I choose? A human being, or God?
It just reminded me of the limits of human government and power and that no government, however good, can achieve the kind of society we look forward to – because it acts from the outside. Only God, by changing us from the inside, can ultimately achieve change for the better on this earth.
Good news indeed – hope deferred makes the heart sick; healing can now start to take place! Obama never articulated what his brand of ‘hope’ & ‘change’ was, it really was about the cult of celebrity – for such a smart, Harvard Professor, he comes across as a puff piece – but what do you expect when the 5 greatest Uni’s in the world (1.Harvard 2.Yale 3.Oxford 4.Cambridge and 5.Princeton), all started out as strongly Christian – are just mouthpieces for rampant secular humanism that teaches that man is ‘god’ and he know best. Great days indeed for the whole world!
Neil Innes, NT
Neil,
Good post, but I must differ on one point: Obama was never any “puff piece”. If you read David Freddoso”s “The Case against Barack Obama”, published just prior to the Democratic Convention in 2008 he makes it clear that Obama was (i) a socialist radical steeped in Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and all the treasonous tripe that’s in that revolting manual, and (ii) a down-the-line Chicago political thug, for whom “the Chicago way” was part of his DNA. As I kept saying at the time (2008), “Al Capone without the tommy gun”.
It is now clear that the “fundamental transformation” he announced was NOT what people had in mind when they elected him, but what he meant by that was radically turning America into a socialist state. The American people at the Congressional level have repudiated that agenda, but there is still along way to go. The Senate needs to be retaken by conservatives in 2012, and likewise the White House.
Let me state my preference, even if I can have no say in the actual process:
SARAH PALIN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2012!!!
Murray R Adamthwaite
Hi Murray, perhaps a better word is ‘vacuous’ – I think Obama just assumes that all in Academia land believe as he does, he is aloof and lacks humour, I know best! I think the elites chose Obama because he was more a certainty than Hilary Clinton, but they would be ruing their decision now – I am pro Palin & Bachmann, but don’t think that the Republican Party will let her run. Hope I’m wrong.
Neil Innes, NT
Thanks guys
I think I could get excited about a Sarah Palin/Michele Bachmann ticket for the Republicans.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Well done America for seeing Obama as the phony Muslim homosexual-appeaser that he is.
If only the UK went the same way. Even the conservatives are liberals these days!
Barbara Murray-Leach, UK
Hi Bill
This has nothing to do with your article, but as the elections are coming up I need some advice.
Originally I was going to vote for the liberals until I found that Ted Baillue voted for the abortion legislation (abortion up till birth).
Can you give some advice on who to vote for?
I hope I am not asking something inappropriate. If you can’t answer I will understand.
Anne van Tilburg
Thanks Anne
In Victoria we have the same problem as in many other parts of Australia – a weak and in many ways un-conservative opposition. And Ted Baillieu offers little by way of conservative (pro-life, pro-family, and pro-faith) values.
Having said that, however, Labor has as its official policy, abortion on demand, which the Coalition does not. And there tends to be more pro-life candidates in the Coalition than in Labor. So for these and other reasons, those concerned about abortion should still prefer the Coalition well above Labor. But bear in mind some of the smaller pro-life parties such as the CDP, FF, and the DLP.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Hi Bill,
But I’d recommend doing more than just bearing in mind the smaller pro-life parties.
It is, in fact, critical for Christians to vote for these parties FIRST. Otherwise the voter’s intention to favour Christian policies is not recorded and hence not taken into account by the media or other parties.
And because a transferable voting system is used in all Australian elections, voting for a minor party first does not diminish your vote for your favoured major party in any way.
So there is no excuse whatsoever for a Christian not to put the Christian minor parties first, followed by their preferred major party.
Mansel Rogerson
Thanks guys
I offer more commentary on how to think about the US election results here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/11/03/the-us-conservative-landslide/
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
I think one thing that many of us Non-Americans fail to comprehend is that their National debt is really outrageous (true not compared to Japan, & the PIGS). They have some really serious structural problems fiscally. It really is going to take bipartisan polices to get them out of their problem. Problem is most western governments & citizens are addicted to debt.
For an idea of just how bad the problem is in the US, check out .
Also consider this, add up the American fiscal condition:
76 million Baby Boomers about to retire
+ Life expectancies increasing
+ A Social Security Administration that’s now paying out more than it’s taking in
+ The Social Security Trust Fund holding nothing but $2.6 trillion in US debt
+ A national debt over $13 trillion
+ The worst US economy since the Great Depression
+ Unemployment near generational highs
+ Stagnant wages for over a decade
+ Average personal savings rate of 6% of disposable income
+ Minimal interest rates on those savings
+ Home prices (most people’s largest investment) down 20% from their peak
+ Stock indexes (and most private retirement funds) down 25% from their peak
+ Rising energy and healthcare costs
source: http://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/whats-really-in-the-social-security-trust-fund/2010/09/30/
Paul Armstead
Anne, Phone and contact Ted Baillue’s office, ask to speak with him personally. Let him know that you were shocked at what he voted for. Confront him. MP’s value and like to know what people think. Your voice will represent 1000 others.
Mrs Judith Bond
I have thought a lot about the same question, Ann. After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided I will never again vote for a political party which supports abortion, even if not on demand. The issue is too important to overlook.
There are parties as mentioned above which are pro-life. From now on, they will get my vote.
Lucy Zubova
Thanks guys
Here is some interesting info: “The largest single constituency in the electorate in the 2010 midterm elections was self-identified evangelicals, who comprised 29% of the vote and cast an astonishing 78% of their ballots for Republican candidates.”
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1660315402.html
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
One thing I know for sure – that it is only a matter of time, before moral bankruptcy is followed by financial bankruptcy.
Ian Brearley
Not directly related, but I was struck by the contrast between the headline of an article on the ABC: Ask Hillary and the sermon series running at my church at the moment: Ask Anything.
So we have the Secretary of State of the USA coming to Australia and we have the chance to “ask her anything”. And we have God, of whom we can also ask anything. Hmmm… which would I choose? A human being, or God?
It just reminded me of the limits of human government and power and that no government, however good, can achieve the kind of society we look forward to – because it acts from the outside. Only God, by changing us from the inside, can ultimately achieve change for the better on this earth.
David Keen