2009 Election Lessons…or Not?

November 4, 3:36 PMSF Political Buzz ExaminerShikha Hamilton

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We all know the results of last night’s elections: Republicans = good; Dems = not so good. But as a relentless political junkie, I sat all night flipping between CNN and FOX, listening, to ad nauseam (but also to my pleasure), the CNN liberal and the FOX conservative so-called “pundits,” explain away what happened, why and who should care. If any of you were watching, you know, it went on for hours and hours.

As usual, the CNN bunch were defending Obama that last night’s Democrat losses, had nothing to do with Obama (despite his campaigning for candidates) and they kicked butt in one hotly contest congressional seat (woo hoo!).  And our folks at FOX, did what is always expected of them - bash the Democrats and claim a new day is dawning for the Republicans. Yada, yada, yada - I’m bored.

So without claiming to be the kind of experts the “guys” on CNN and FOX** claim to be, here’s my humble take on last night’s elections:

Last night’s elections were not a referendum on Obama’s policies, or that of the Democrats. They were, however, a referendum on how quickly the Dems got so lazy and failed to turn out voters. Simple as that. The Dems are notorious for this. They get you all fired up for an upcoming election and as soon as it is over, they dump you like a bad first date. And that one hotly contested congressional seat in New York that all the Dems are so proud of and trashing the Republicans over for sending the likes of Sarah Palin? Not a true win. Just do the math: If the Republicans didn’t have a split vote, they would have easily won. End of story.

So what are the lessons, if any, from last night?

Democrats and Obama: You may have done a good job courting us last year, but you stopped answering our call, so now the thrill is gone. If you want to keep us, you have to stay in our lives and give us more than lip service.

Republicans: Don’t settle for false hope, create real hope and you might get us excited - all the way to the ballot box.

**I only watch CNN and FOX for a balanced biased diet of politics. MSNBC is way too biased for my taste!