Reasons for Optimism

I am OK, very much OK, with last night’s results.

My big worry was that Republicans would secure a complete hold on Congress and therefore find themselves in the kill zone when our country inevitably hits a financial, economic and regulatory wall over the next two years. Here is how I see the results and why they augur well for 2012:

The four biggest electoral states (CA, TX, NY and FL) are now evenly balanced between blue and red, now that Florida has swung into the reliably conservative red category. Among the next-tier states, in terms of their importance to national elections, Ohio and Pennsylvania have swung reliably conservative red, with serious damage done to the true-blue Democrat strongholds of Illinois and Michigan. Among the next tier of states that I recall as being bell weathers for national elections, it looks as if formerly blue-purple Wisconsin and Kentucky have swung solidly into the red while the jury is still out on Virginia, New Jersey and Missouri. So, given next year’s redistricting, we should be in great shape going forward.

As for Illinois, California and New York: let there be justice in Democrats presiding over and taking full credit for the disasters they have created. The problems in these two states are far too deep for any change in administration to resolve – the Titanic is already butting up against the iceberg. Schwarzenegger tried and failed to change California. Chicago’s Mayor Daly, smart man that he is, decided to retire before the proverbial financial *.* hit the fan, as Chicago’s debt obligations are far too great for it to dig itself out (rumor has it that Daly is part of a consortium that is positioned to buy-out the lucrative McCormick Expo Center, when it is inevitably privatized to help pay down the debt Daly created).  Jerry Brown (CA) and Pat Quinn (IL) are just the buffoons to take their bows at their states’ collapse. Andrew Cuomo (NY)…we shall see.

At the Executive Branch level, I predict that Obama will double down on his Lefty/Liberal-Utopian agenda, become increasing petulant and vicious toward his opponents (the “enemy”), unleash a torrent of burdensome regulatory restrictions on the economy and citizenry, wield the veto promiscuously and damage our foreign policy no end (I still predict a war or major attack breaking out during his term). Let’s hope no more Supreme Court vacancies open during this period.

Let the light shine bright on Obama’s administration: there will be no way that they will be able to blame our country’s problems on a Republican-controlled House of Representatives….provided, of course, that the Republicans don’t blow it. Tea Party activism considered, I don’t think the Republicans will. In fact, we can now begin to see the matriculation of a very articulate, optimistic, “can do” class of Republican leaders (Christie, Rubio, Ryan, Palin, Bachman, Boehner, Kasich, Daniels, Cantor, Pawlenty) that should gel into a powerful presidential ticket with a clear and powerful message.

The problems of our country are so profound and so fundamental that I don’t believe we that we will be able to  fix them until we achieve a true mandate for change, one willing to reinvent Medicare/Obamacare, Social Security, pension obligations and taxation. I’m am optimistic that Obama’s next two years will get us to that point.
What say you?