JOIN USThe electoral reversals suffered by Democrats in mid-term elections could seriously undermine President Barack Obama’s reforms agenda. Although the Democrats have retained control of the Senate, they have lost the House of Representatives to the Republicans. Widespread economic discontent is said to be behind the Democrat losses.
The election was seen as an important barometer of public sentiment two years after Obama was elected president and the results would worry the Democrats.
The Grand Old Party (GOP) has not only wrested control of the House but also they have expanded their presence in the Senate. Republicans have staged a remarkable resurgence four years after they lost the House and the Senate to the Democrats and two years after they were ousted from the White House as well.
Republicans are in a position now to block President Obama’s campaign promises on climate change, immigration reform and trade union rights. Worse, they will try to reverse the president’s healthcare and financial reform bills. This is a pity as the healthcare reforms were one of the main achievements of Obama’s first two years at the helm, a laudable first step taken by his administration to clean the country’s appalling healthcare system.
Many have interpreted the election results as a mandate against Obama’s reform agenda. It is not. Democrats lost several of their traditional supporters as they were seen to have not gone far enough on the reform agenda. The healthcare bill for instance was seen by many die-hard Obama supporters as falling short.
This cost the Democrats dearly. Obama must resist the temptation to dilute his reform agenda. He must accelerate the effort to reach out to Republicans to ensure better bipartisan support. If Republicans have done well it is because they have got across their messages to the voters more effectively than did the Democrats.
Republicans must not allow their upbeat mood to turn aggressive and obstructionist. They may try to shutdown government by blocking the funds. While this will put Obama’s action plan for the coming year on a leash, it will also empower the Tea Party movement within the Republicans.
Republican moderates would therefore do well to realise that the GOP’s long term interests are better served by working with Democrats rather than giving in to Tea Party extremism. Allowing Tea Party thinking to spread its tentacles will mean that this group of extreme conservative upstarts could play a role in choosing the Republican presidential candidate for 2012.