Obviously it's too much to ask to be all-around happy with the results of an election, especially when it includes such pivotal races on the federal, state, and local levels. The first thing that came to mind when MSNBC announced Obama as president-elect was "wow, this is the first time I've voted for someone and they've won!" I actually voted with the majority of Americans!
Of course, the Tennessean had to slap me in the face Wednesday morning. Newsflash: Republicans have taken control of both Houses of Tennessee's state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. My reaction can be summarized in the following way...
Oh..... shit. As the TN GOP states:
“The election of a Republican majority in the General Assembly is historic in its own right, and even more so given the strong Democratic tide across much of the country,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “Our victories send a national message that Republican values still resonate with mainstream America. The power of a consistent conservative Republican message - low taxes, small government and respect for life - once again demonstrated its power to attract a majority.”
And yes, I'll just let you know right now that the no-moderates-allowed TN Repubs have confirmed their plan to strip Tennessee's women of their reproductive rights. That's what they mean by "respect for life"... unless you screw up and they condemn you to death.
Soooo... Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana were the only states to vote more Republican in 2008 than in previous years.
I understand that, 1) TN does not have the diversity of Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, etc., 2) TN is still mostly rural, and 3) and Obama didn't give TN a hint of attention, but why exactly did Democrats fail statewide?!! Did the TN Democratic Party not spend enough of its resources on these races? Did Obama take Democrats' attention away from the elections that were actually winnable here? Were the candidates sub-par? Granted, in Williamson County, I didn't even have the option of voting for any Democrats besides Barack and Congressman Marsha's opponent, but still... this is ridiculous.
...And therefore Republicans will redraw TN's congressional districts in 2010. I'd expect it to look similar to the current map below, although the gerrymandering will reverse the 5D/4R split.
Thank God Gov. Bredesen will be around until then.In other crazy right-wing news, Rep. Blackburn is now focused on climbing the remaining Republican ranks. Word is that she's looking to chair the Republican Study Committee... "a group of over 110 House Republicans organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives."
This means take all regulations off the economy and put them on society.
Marsha also has a profound op-ed on RealClearPolitics telling Republicans what their path forward should be....
The core lyric of my favorite country song is "When you're in a hole, stop diggin'." That also sums up the message voters have given Republicans.
Tuesday night, our party suffered a resounding electoral defeat. President-elect Obama and his congressional partners deserve our sincere congratulations on their victory. As the country catches its breath, the conservative movement must regroup and set upon a course to prevent November 4th from repeating itself in two years.
The great question now is "how?" As a party we have added to Americans' frustration with the gulf between our message and our methods. We have become lazy in our assertions and half-hearted in our actions. It isn't good enough to evoke "Ronald Reagan" without bothering to explain how and why the ideas he articulated 30 years ago are the best framework to solve today's problems.
House Republicans are now the "last men standing" to fight for conservative values. It is up to us to articulate what a conservative believes and how a conservative behaves. In this, we cannot oppose for opposition's sake, but find the imperative to stand up and fight when we have the better idea for a stronger America.
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I actually cut out all of the parts bashing liberals.
