The 2010 mid-term elections held last Tuesday, Nov. 2 turned out to be a tremendous success for the Republican Party as they gained 65 seats in the United States House of Representatives. This gives Republicans the house majority with a total of 239 seats leaving the Democrats with a total of 188 seats. There are still 8 seats in the House that are too close to call at the moment but should be decided soon. This could cause some problems and tension as this is the first time President Barack Obama has had a Republican swayed house of representatives since he has taken office.
Turnout for a midterm election usually is not that large of a crowd but this year with all of the problems that we are having including job creation, unemployment, and other legislation voters turned out to fight for what they believed in. 56% of eligible voters came out matching the 2006 mid-term elections. Clearly Americans are speaking out and showing their frustration as they vote out Democrats and seek to find Republicans now to make a difference. Many strategists and pollsters say that in 2012 a shift will occur back to the Democratic side, but others feel if Republicans can do good by Americans now then they will stay in place for a long time to come.
Times being the way that they are right now Americans want stability and jobs. More and more legislation has been coming out of the House and Senate since 2008 when Obama was elected. People feel that there should be a pause on trying to make new polices and statutes when we are in a time of need. Focusing most on getting people to work is what most Americans feel is the right thing to do. It does not seem that the Democrats have been listening, hence why this major shift has occurred.
Locally in Bloomsburg, a part of the 109th district, Republican David Millard took the crown as the incumbent. Dan Rae, a student a Bloomsburg University who was seeking election as the democratic candidate did not win. Students on campus came out to support him, but that did not seem to be enough to win over Millard.
But what does this big win for the Republicans mean for you? It can be confusing at times to understand how this will affect you as an individual. When the government attempts to pass a piece of legislation it is first brought to the House of Representatives. In the House of Representatives there are 435 members. All they need to pass a piece of legislation is a simple majority (218 votes). Right now if all the Republicans voted they would not need any democratic input for a law to move onto the senate. There are only 100 members of the senate. Republicans do not have a majority here making it more difficult for a law to pass once it reaches this step. Out of the 100 members it only takes 51 to turn a bill into a law and the Democrats right now hold 53 seats. It is very close but assuming all Democrats agree, they can pass a law without the consent of any Republicans in senate. With a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives and a majority of Democrats in the Senate many political analysts have been saying that the government will have a hard time passing any piece of legislation whatsoever.
Other notable events in the election include the presumptive candidate for Speaker of the House John Boehner. He will most likely replace current Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. John Boehner choked up at his rally telling Americans that things will get better. He said, “Across the country right now, we are witnessing a repudiation of Washington, a repudiation of big government and a repudiation of politicians who refuse to listen to the American people.” With the winning success of Republicans he finished by saying, “It’s clear tonight who the winners really are, and that’s the American people.”
