The fallout of the elections

Purple America - the historic shift from Blue States to Red States

So much has been written about the historic surge in the ranks of Republican elected officials over this past week that I am finally distilling much of what it means to the nation in the coming two years. First of all, Mr. President, you are in deep doo doo, but you already know that. The pollsters were predicting a Republican backlash fueled by the Tea Party movement and a country not at all happy with the present state of the economy. Even they were surprised at the unbelievable turn of events that on reflection turned out to be a Republican rout. It is true that the previous administration - a two-term Republican one at that - left the country in the midst of one of its most perilous economic times. The words economic shambles come to mind here. There is little doubt that the overspending to which the Tea Party populists are complaining began in the Bush administration as the housing crisis spiraled out of control and, like a house of cards falling down, began to trigger failures at banks and investment houses on Wall Street and around the country. The hundreds of billions of bailout money were first justified in the Bush administration, so it will be interesting to see how the incoming class of Republican freshmen and incumbents will turn against the trend they started. It is not unlike Captain Renault in "Casablanca" accepting his winnings after pronouncing how "I'm shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on in here!" The President and his Democratic supporters have themselves to blame for the public relations mess they are in, but it seems they are the victims of their own success. With majorities in both houses of Congress they had the luxury of being able to do pretty much whatever they wanted. Much of what this mid-term election will be viewed as is a reaction to Democratic hubris. Americans have traditionally reacted to those in power by voting against them when they feel they have gotten too big for their britches. The "shellacking" the Obama administration took on Tuesday should be a wake up call that unless the President prepares to become more moderate and conciliatory with Republicans in Congress, he may be the first one-term President since George Herbert Walker Bush. The change that was promised two years ago has finally come full circle. A Republican controlled Senate will be a thorn in the President's side, but Speaker-apparent Boehner should be cautioned that angry Americans will turn as quickly against Republicans should they see little progress on the Hill in the creation of new jobs and shoring up of the economy. The Tea Party movement is, after all, a populist movement and it can swing as easily back to the Democrats or establish a meaningful third party in the middle should it find neither is being especially helpful or lacking in bold leadership. Does this mean Sarah Palin in the presumptive Republican frontrunner for the nation's highest office in two years? Probably so. In a majority of the races she made endorsements, her candidates won. She has some fairly powerful friends on her side now. Has she garnered the strength and political knowhow to pull a presidential campaign off? Time will tell. But then again, for now time is on her side.

Some things I've missed

A "44" for the President from Drew Brees

©Carrie Devorah (all rights reserved)

It's been nearly three weeks since I started on my epic adventure to attend the National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America. It was in every sense of the word an adventure and, with the exception of one Scouter who passed away in his sleep a couple of nights before the affair ended on August 4, the safest Jamboree ever. Given the extremely high temperatures that prevailed over the course of the 13 days I was there when the thermometers would hover over 100 degrees Farenheit with high relative humidity. Being from New Orleans I am accustomed to periods of such weather, but the sanctuary of an air-conditioned building or the promise of an automobile with working environmental controls always made the hardship easier to endure. In Virginia at Fort A. P. Hill, there was little in the way of air conditioning and there was no respite from the heat except for constant intake of cold water to lower one's core temperature and to compensate for the loss of body water from perspiration. There were a few Scouts who succumbed to heat exhaustion and were revived in the short term, but in the end most of those in attendance (Scouts, staffers and visitors) made the most of what turned out to be a very busy and well-planned ten-day event. In the interim, though, I missed a few things in New Orleans. The first one is the apparent end of the British Petroleum leak in the Gulf of Mexico, which has met with positive reaction across the board. Anthony Bean's production of "The Wiz," which starred New Orleans Soul Queen Irma Thomas and a cast of mostly kids went on without me as did Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre's final production of "The Music Man" starring Chris Carey. On my way home from the Jamboree I stopped in Washington, D.C. to check out a few of the sites there. I knew that the NFL World Champion New Orleans Saints would be there on Monday morning to meet with President Obama, but I could not stay away that much longer. (Oh, if I only could.) Nevertheless, I did get an excellent shot from the affair from Washington Press Corps member Carrie Devorah. It shows Saints quarterback, Superbowl MVP and Madden 11 coverboy Drew Brees presenting a Saints jersey bearing the number 44 to President Obama. Fans will recall that the Saints won the 44th Superbowl (XLIV) this past February 7 and political scientists will point out that Barack Obama is our nation's 44th leader. Very appropriate indeed. Saints fans the world over should thank Carrie for her excellent photographic skills and her generosity in sharing with me.