There just wasn't enough time to predict the House races. It took long
enough to research 37 Senate and 37 Gubernatorial races and give
predictions; figuring out how 435 U.S. Representatives might fare
would have required taking a full day off work.
The magic number is 218, folks. Pre-election numbers show a total
makeup of 256 Democrats and 179 Republicans. The GOP has only
39 seats to win in Congress before they take over. This is, as of this
writing, totally do-able and totally expected. I predict a Republican
takeover in Congress and that Democrats will just barely hold on to
the Senate.
I'm at peace with the whole thing.
People aren't always ready for change. And as we've seen, many
people fear it. But change doesn't go away. We are changing for the
better. Even though a large, scared group of voters may succeed at
blocking liberal and progressive ideals, they will fail at blocking
progress itself. Happens every time.
Do I absolutely love the Democratic leadership these days? Hell no.
Do I feel like I, as a Gay Man, have been backed over with a bus and
hit with a 2X4 by the President of the United States? Yes. But am I
abandoning the ship altogether? Am I starting to see some kind of
Republican wisdom? Absolutely not.
I, for one, refuse to go back to the days when the word 'terror' was all
we heard from our chief executive. I will not stand silently by and
allow my country to be taken over by those who would have us fenced
in like cattle or reduced to second-class citizenship. I will not allow
the Palins, Gingriches, Bachmanns and Bushes of the World to tell me
I'm 'un-American' simply because I'm open to learning more from
and giving out big ol' doses of respect to other cultures.
My party loses tonight for sure. And the discouragement of Democrats
all over might prompt more than one happily smug Tea Partier to say,
"America--love it or leave it." My response would be a little something
like this:
"Well, I love America too. And I'm sure as hell not leaving it to you."
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