Election Day is almost upon us. And since it is the mid-term elections, a lot is at stake (needless to say). Republicans are looking to take control of the Senate, and in all likelihood will maintain control of the House of Representatives. Should they do so, then it will be a repeat of twenty years ago (when Republicans took control of Congress during the Clinton Administration). There are many state and local elections going on, as well (e.g. thirty-six states and three territories will be having their gubernatorial elections). Here in Kentucky, Republicans are looking to take control of the General Assembly (the Republicans control the Senate, while the Democrats control the House of Representatives).
But let’s focus on the Congressional elections (and their impact). Odds are Republicans will have a majority in both houses of Congress. Unless of course, the Democrats manage to pull off a series of dirty tricks (i.e. voter fraud, busing). Actually, they already have–the “calibration errors” in Illinois and Maryland.
Will the Black Panthers be hanging out at any polling stations and try to intimidate people into voting Democratic? And while we’re on the topic of the Black Panthers, I wonder how many people caved in to their intimidation tactics. And how do the Black Panthers know how people actually voted? Is someone on the inside feeding them information (with the calibration issue, maybe the precinct captains are able to know how everyone voted)? Are they able to read the minds of voters?
Now, let’s suppose Republicans do take control of Congress. What will Obama do? The word is he will try to push a series of bills through the lame duck Congress in order to advance his liberal agenda. Whether or not the House of Representatives can stall such bills (should he try such a tactic) is yet to be seen.
And when the 114th Congress meets in January, what strategy do they have in mind to stop (or at least slow down) Obama’s agenda? Could they be able to repeal any legislation of the Obama era (e.g. Obamacare) even if it means having to override any vetoes (presuming they have the required two-thirds majority in both houses)? Is another government shutdown on the horizon? Or could a Republican Congress become ambitious and pursue impeachment of Obama (and subsequently, removal from office).
The House of Representatives could impeach Obama if it chose to do so, but it is unclear if the Senate will have the two-thirds majority to remove him from office. Regardless of the possibilities, one thing is clear–if Republicans wind up having control of Congress, then they need to stand firm against the Obama Administration and do everything they can to halt his agenda. And that means no more compromises, no more caving in, no more flip-flopping, etc.
Don’t forget to vote this Tuesday, November 4. And make your voice is heard if there is voter fraud or anything or the sort going on in your neck of the woods.
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29456235@N04/3003883422/
