Should current totals hold, Chris Shays will be the only House Republican from New England in the 110th Congress. Democrats added seats in Vermont, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, and already controlled the fourteen seats in Rhode Island, Maine, and Massachusetts. America got bluer on Tuesday night. Specifically, Blue America became a deeper shade of blue.
Sure, the Democrats added key seats in Arizona, Kentucky, and Indiana. But they added multiple seats in California, Pennsylvania, and New York--all states that went for Kerry in 2004. Dems added House seats in nine of the nineteen states that they won in 2004 and in just ten of the thirty-one states that they lost.
On the one hand, of course a party will perform better in the states where it has performed well in the past. No surprise that Democrats cleaned GOP clocks in the northeast. On the other hand, when a party nearly ran the table in House seats in a region (the northeast) the last time around, and then squeezes the few remaining seats this time around, there's no where to go but enemy (red) territory. No matter how well the Democrats do in 2008, there's only one (perhaps two) seats that they can pick up in New England.
Put another way, Democrats picked up seats primarily in the places (blue states) where they had less opportunities for pick ups. The Democrats can barely improve on their near monopoly in the northeast. If they want to more deeply entrench their majority, they will need--in a geographic reorientation of Horace Greeley's advice--to go south, young man, go south. This presents a new set of problems for the Rosa DeLauros, Henry Waxmans, and Maxine Waterses that dominate the current caucus. Expanding and entrenching the Democratic majority necessarily dilutes the liberal majority within the Democratic caucus.
In an earlier era, Democrats chased Richard Shelby, Phil Gramm, and others from their party. Will the current Democrats chase Heath Shuler and James Webb from their party once those men start casting votes in Congress? If Democrats want to govern the United States, and not just New England, they will have to expand their tent and embrace their diversity. In other words, the Democrats will have to do what they have been lecturing Republicans to do.
There were more Green, Save the Whales, Peace Train, Animals are People Too, Family First, No Nukes alternative party candidates on the ballot in Massachusetts than there were Republicans. Scary place.
Thank you Dan for the honest anaysis.
Most news outlets are saying that the dem gains came in conservative districts. Its just not true.
George Bush just said the Democrats taking power means he's more likely to get his immigration plan passed!
Amnesty is coming!!!
With the Senate, AMNESTY IS COMING!!!
Boy that is a shock HeHe, I am sure everyone here is floored by surprise at that. What part of Bush's agenda exactly will be frustrated by the Dem takeover? Maybe judicial appointments? Certainly not his foreign policy or that one final achievement on the domestic front he has ardently pushed for for 6 years, complete destruction of national sovereignty through open borders. Instead of being a complete lame duck for the next two years he will in fact finally achieve that last elusive goal of his.
And the charade of two parties or of being a democratic republic goes on.
Well Bruce it sounds to me like you're advocating Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).
Yeah?
