A message for the middle (Rep. Diana DeGette)

[donheld]

By Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) - 11/16/10 12:08 PM ET

In the days since Nov. 2, pundits, the public, and of course the politicians themselves have spent much time analyzing the Democratic losses. These discussions will continue long after the lawn signs are packed in storage and the new Congress starts in Washington. But the American people have shown they have a clear set of priorities as they navigate these challenging times, and many of them did not believe Democrats shared those priorities or had been working to address them.

The general dissatisfaction with government was not limited to the Democrats – a Newsweek poll conducted before the election demonstrated that only 31 percent of Americans approved of Republicans in Congress, versus 41 percent who approved of Democrats. Clearly, the central message of the 2010 midterm elections was that the country wanted to voice its displeasure with government in general – not, as many of the pundits would have us believe, with a single political party.

Nowhere was this more clear than in my home state of Colorado, which will boast a five - four Democrat to Republican split in our delegation to the 112th Congress. Driven by independents, Colorado voters elected four Republicans and three Democrats to the U.S. House, as well as a Democratic Governor and a Democratic Senator. While national factors likely played a role in the results, Colorado voters nonetheless exhibited a nuanced understanding and appreciation of the unique dynamics involved in individual races.

Across the nation, for the third straight election cycle, independent voters split overwhelmingly against the party in power; their votes indicative of a collective frustration with a political system they feel consistently caters to the edges of the political spectrum. Independents comprise more than a third of voters in the U.S. and yet these voters consistently repudiate the status quo, indicating they feel their concerns are often lost amidst the partisan clamor emanating from inside the beltway.


http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/129409-a-message-for-the-middle-rep-diana-degette

[DonCoquixote]

1. Big Lie

Most so called "independents" are Right wing...Obama's mistake was catering to them hoping they would support him, sadly, they have not.