Nov
7
New Jersey and Virginia Elections in 2009: What Realignment?
I may not always totally agree with Charles Krauthammer, but I respect him immensely and think he is one of the sharpest minds on the Right side of the aisle in American political commentary. And, I think he makes some good observations in today’s op-ed piece in the Washington Post.
To sum up, “the most important effect of Tuesday’s elections is historical. It demolishes the great realignment myth of 2008…. The Obama coattails of 2008 are gone. The expansion of the electorate, the excitement of the young, came in uniquely propitious Democratic circumstances and amid unparalleled enthusiasm for electing the first African American president. November ’08 was one shot, one time, never to be replicated. Nor was November ’09 a realignment. It was a return to the norm — and definitive confirmation that 2008 was one of the great flukes in American political history. ”
For an opposing view from the Left, try this op-ed column from Ruy Teixeira in the New York Times from a couple days ago.
Do Republican victories in these two key states represent anything significant? Are they an accurate barometer for our nation at large? Are they reliable indicators of what to expect in the elections of 2010 and 2012?
Personally, I am greatly encouraged. But, there is a lot of water yet to pass under the bridge (does that make sense?) before those elections take place. And, as history has shown, a LOT can happen to change people’s views, expectations, and the course of events in just a few weeks’ (let alone months’ or years’) time. We shall see…
