Free Frosties, Obama's Reagan Initiative, and the Election of 1800: My Thoughts after Election Day



No, I don't hate Republicans by any means, but I think the fervor building up for the newest Harry Potter movie is getting to me.



            Well, I voted! Did you?

            I got myself a nifty little sticker, and a free t-shirt courtesy of my college. A few years ago, they gave us coupons for a free Frosty milkshake at Wendy’s, but hey, these are hard economic times for us all. No Frosty for me.

            But, I got a sticker and t-shirt! Fun times. Unfortunately, though, those were the only pluses in a day full of minuses: minuses, that is, for the Democrats. The Dems lost sixty seats in the House and six seats in the Senate, which means they’ve held onto the latter but lost control of the former. Certainly, Election Day didn’t ring out the Doomsday bells for the Democratic Party the way many pundits predicted it would, but – as they did lose the House – it means that the Dems and President Obama are in for one Congress-sized headache. The Republican Party is out for blood, and it will be interesting to see how Obama functions after this loss. In fact, I found a fascinating article from Lou Cannon at Politics Daily. It discusses how Obama can emulate Ronald Reagan’s reelection after he did miserably in his midterms. I encourage you to read it; the full article can be found here.

            And, alas, as the polls had predicted for quite some time, Carol did miserably in the election, and fell to Frank Guinta. She only got 42.7% of the vote, while Guinta won with 53.8%. The full election results for New Hampshire’s District 1 – as well as the entire country – can be found here on the New York Time’s website. Although it was glaringly obvious for some time that Guinta would win, I was still hoping that Shea-Porter would hold onto the seat for reasons I explained in my last post.

            Of course, since the election, one can see an obvious difference in the way each candidate feels about the results by looking at how quickly they have updated their websites; if at all. Naturally, Guinta was quick to put an obligatory statement on his website thanking voters and promising to fulfill the promises he made during the campaign. In stark contrast to Guinta’s jubilations (as of when I wrote this post) Carol hasn’t updated her campaign website or her official Congressional website since the election (not even a dejected Tweet, Carol?). In fact, the way that you look at the websites now, it’s like the election never even happened and Carol’s still a Congresswoman again! Hooray! Maybe that’s the way she wants it.

            Well, I think that’s all I have the energy to cover. Let’s face it: it had been an exhausting election cycle. Exhausting, vicious, stressful…and I’m not even a candidate! But I might have the perfect anecdote for all this. If you’re any kind of history buff, politics buff, or just appreciate a good laugh, then watch this clip. It lampoons how “dirty” this 2010 election cycle was supposed to be with the notoriously nasty election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Be warned: every ridiculous quote and accusation was really used! Enjoy.

The Final Countdown

            November 2^nd is less than a week away, people! For Frank and Carol, it’s the final countdown…a phrase that – let’s face it – always makes me think of G.O.B. Bluth from “Arrested Development.”

Politics are merely illusions, people! ILLUSIONS!

            But that’s another show.

            Well, we’ve had a major last-minute change in New Hampshire, blogosphere. The New York Times has officially changed District 1 from the happy yellow shade of a “Toss-up” district to the ambiguous pink of “leaning Republican.” Apparently, the Five-Thirty-Eight Model has given him an 89.7% chance of winning. Wait, hold that thought: I just refreshed the page and he now has a 90% chance of winning. In the two seconds since I wrote that last sentence, Frank Guinta went up .3%. Fellow Democrats, feel free to cry out in despair: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

            How has this happened? And why? Well, I’ll tell you why, and it’s gonna involve putting my two cents into the pot. After all – after covering this race for almost two months now – I feel that it’s only appropriate to – especially right before the election – contribute a bit of my personal opinion. So, in this post, I’m going to offer the two major reasons why I think that this shift towards Guinta has occurred.

            First of all, I think that Guinta’s projected success is not a true reflection of either his merits or Shea-Porter’s defects, but rather, is a reflection of the current political zeitgeist that has taken our country by storm. That is, a political zeitgeist that promotes extreme partisanship and intolerance, and the exact problem that Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity”  is attempting to highlight. This partisanship is not only polarizing, but ultimately harmful to the political process.

            Next, as gross gender inequalities continue to be prolific and rampant throughout our society, I think it’s very difficult for women to enter – and stay – in politics. It’s a near criminal reality, but one that female candidates must contend with every election cycle. Despite my personal political leanings, I certainly appreciate the efforts of all female candidates, from the annoying (*cough* Sarah Palin), to the possibly insane (*cough* Christine O’Donnell *cough cough*), as the odds are truly stacked against them.

            Well, that’s my little rant for today. I hope I didn’t scare you away with my quasi op-ed, but rather, gave you some points to consider before heading into the polls. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Carol in next week’s polls, but it’s not looking good.

A Time of Quiet Contemplation Before the Bloody Melee of Election Day

            I’m feeling contemplative this week, blogosphere. Whether it’s the peaceful chill in the fall air, or the fact that my brain has been wiped clean and numbed by the never-ending gamut of attack ads, I’m in the mood for looking back to review what we’ve covered so far, what has changed, and what has yet to come.



Think of wide, open spaces. No more political ads, just wide. Open. Spaces.



So, before the madness of the next two weeks begins, this post is going to do what the Guinta and Shea-Porter camps are probably doing as we speak: evaluating their campaigns and retooling it for the last leg of the race.

            Let’s see: we’ve talked about the primaries, attack ads, the importance of money, and policy positions. Certainly, advertising and money seem to take precedence over actual issues in campaigns these days, as discussing specific issues can alienate voters. Guinta and Shea-Porter have definitely stuck to this model, pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into endless ads and rallies that promote their candidate, but not much else.

            As far as where the race is right now, it’s – as I mentioned in the beginning – at the critical point where the campaigns need to carefully examine what is working for them, what isn’t, and how to streamline their major campaign messages. Both of the candidates will probably be creating a few final, powerful slogans to get their message through to voters right before Election Day. Simplest messages can absolutely be powerful, especially if it sticks in voters’ minds and speaks to some deep dissatisfaction with the incumbent and/or national political agenda.

            I’m not sure what’s to come, but I'm guessing that Guinta’s increasing lead in the polls does not bode well for Shea-Porter. Additionally, from what I have seen on Guinta’s versus Shea-Porter’s websites, it seems that Guinta is running a much more aggressive ad campaign as opposed to Shea-Porter. If he manages to convert enough voters with his advertising, it could spell disaster for Shea-Porter.

            Next week we’re gonna take a look at the final countdown before Election Day, and see if any exciting last minute changes take place! Keep holding your breath, District 1, because I think this is gonna be close!