Posted by
Steve on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 1:36:03 PM
Yesterday there was a referendum on the Obama administration. Two special elections were held to fill House seats that were vacant. They were in NY-09 and NV-02. NY-09 became vacant when Anthony Weiner resigned over his sexting scandal. NV-02 became vacant when the person occupying that seat was appointed to fill the Senate seat from Nevada after John Ensign resigned.
To say that NY-09 was a “safe” Democrat seat is an understatement. The district had not elected a Republican since 1922. About 40% of the district is Jewish and most of the rest is heavily Democrat. The district’s voter registration is 3-1 Democrat. But, Obama only carried the district in 2008 by 11%. The Jewish voters in the district are becoming distressed over Obama’s stance on Israel. The Democrat candidate was an Orthodox Jew who had tons of political experience in other levels of government. The Republican candidate was a political newcomer and businessman. The Democrats were anxious to secure this victory so they put lots of money into the race. They sent in the big artillery, like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to secure all the votes possible. The Republican was outspent, but kept up the drum beat that Barack Obama was running us into the sewer. In the end, the message defeated the money and prestige. The Republican won with approximately a 53-46% lead. That is significant considering how many obstacles he had to overcome.
In Nevada, the job to secure the victory was much easier, though not without its difficulty. The district had been trending Democrat over the last couple elections. Harry Reid saw it as an opportunity to pick up a House seat, so he poured lots of his money and time into the race. Harry Reid is a big power broker in Nevada, so that counts for a lot. The district covers a lot of territory, but not many people. It touches both Las Vegas and Reno, in order to pick up the number of people necessary to get enough voters. But, it basically covers the northeast corner of Nevada, encompassing about 80%+ of the state. The district had been represented by a Republican. In the end, the Democrat money and effort failed and the Republican won by a 58-36% margin.
Both campaigns from the Republican standpoint were very similar. They both targeted Barack Obama as their main target. They made the Democrat candidate defend the record that Obama is racking up in Washington. In the end, the Democrat could not defend the record to the satisfaction of the voters in those two districts.
Today, Democrat leaders are saying that the votes in these two districts are not representative of the mood of the country. I beg to differ. I believe that the voters in these two districts perfectly match the mood of the country. Democrat office holders better learn their lesson from these elections. You cannot defend Barack Obama or his policies. If you voted for his policies, you are going to be road kill in the next election. Voters are upset with the direction this country is going and no amount of storytelling is going to get them to believe that a pig is a horse. Voters are more informed on the issues of the day than at any time in my life. That is a good thing because it will be difficult for any politician to lie to the public and get away with it. You Tube has been great in informing the public when politicians are telling stories.
Are these two special elections a harbinger of what is to come in November 2012? Maybe they are. The reason I cannot be definitive is that a week is a lifetime in politics. Events can change things on a dime. If the November 2012 election were held today, there would be little chance that Obama would be re-elected. The problem is that the election is about 14 months away. A lot can happen in that time to change things. One thing is clear from these two special elections, the Democrat smear machine is less effective than at any time in my life. That is a great development. That is because an informed public is less likely to believe the lies spread by the Democrat smear machine.