In this midterm election special on today's "Meet The Press," it's easy to see why all the key Senate races are so tight, and that's because of the obvious conundrum the American people find themselves in. They are unhappy with the predominately Democratic incumbents, but they see that the Republican leadership alternative isn't any better.
From Chuck Todd's interview clips of likely voters around the country, the predominating theme is that the American people want more moderate leaders, ones that can compromise with the best interest of people in mind to ultimately move the country forward. However, what the American people also know is that neither party offers such candidates. The reason that these candidates don't exist in larger numbers [read: not all political leaders fit into this negative box] is because they are more beholden to donors and special interests than they are to their constituents in their respective districts. None of this is a mystery to the American people so they feel stuck, hence close races.
Because of this evident frustration, it's not surprising that the Cook Political Report's Amy Walter assessed the midterms as one of anti-incumbency, and that falls on the Democrats given they have control over the executive office and the Senate. (The House districts, by the way, are so completely gerrymandered that no one's even giving those races any attention. Don't get us started.) In the interview with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Mr. Todd brought up that Senator Paul once said that the Republican brands 'sucks.' But here's what sucks more with regard to these midterms and that is the Democratic candidates, with the exception of Michelle Nunn in Georgia, is that they have run away from President Obama's policies - their Democratic party leader. If your a Democrat defending your seat and you voted with the president, own it and make the argument for it. It shows principle and conviction, which are two qualities voters respond to. That doesn't mean you have to agree with Mr. Obama on every issue, but distancing yourself so far away, essentially making yourself Republican-light, shows no guts.
For the Republicans' part, they're capitalizing to the max on all the political negativity they've created. So much so that they will take control of the U.S. Senate with easy wins in Kentucky, Iowa, Arkansas and Colorado; and run-off wins in Georgia and Louisiana. All of this obvious stuff - as Charlie Cook explained that these are all really home games for the Republicans.
However, even in lieu of the consensus opinion of all the guests on the program the Senator Pat Roberts' campaign in Kansas was the worst, we wouldn't be surprised if Independent Greg Orman couldn't seal the deal and win. Asking for people's votes (aka 'their trust') while never clearly stating your positions on anything, as Mr. Orman does (or does not as the case may be), will catch up to you, and it's not too late; call it the cold-feet factor.
(We also think that Rick Scott in Florida's Gubernatorial race will prevail, as crazy as that sounds given Mr. Scott's poor performance as governor.)
Senator Paul, during his interview with Mr. Todd, provided a window into the future as to how Republicans will act as a result of these wins. First and foremost, there will be a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare in its totality, which the president will surely veto. Again, no surprise here but it will be interesting to see how this plays out politically. Our feeling is that the American people won't like it because not only are they weary of wars oversees but they're also exhausted from the 'wars' at home.
The Kentucky Senator does talk a really good game when it comes to sounding reasonable and conciliatory toward people who disagree with him, but his unwillingness to compromise is as firm as the rest of his party's. In addition to his statements about Obamacare, Senator Paul also talked about voting rights, advocating for early voting. He didn't disagree with the Republican position of requiring voter I.D. cards, but just the tactic of leading with it as a campaign issue. What good is being able to vote early if you don't have a I.D.? Let's face it, all voter I.D. laws do is disenfranchise voters. In today's elections in the United States, to commit the kind of wide scale fraud to actually effect a result would take millions of dollars - something that would hardly go unnoticed, don't you think?
And of course this disenfranchisement disproportionately affects minorities and the poor who tend to vote more Democratic. Though given this truth, it did sound like a bit of desperation on the part of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) when she said the South is bad for African-Americans and women, playing on the sympathies of people to attain their votes. Senator Landrieu has always been perceived as someone who is more interested in her own self-interest, hence self-preservation so when Senator Paul says falsely that most African-Americans feel taken for granted by the Democratic party, it seems plausible.
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Lastly, we'd like to comment on Mr. Todd's interview with Kaci Hickox, the American healthcare worker who was quarantined in Newark upon her return from West African where she was working to combat the Ebola virus crisis.
It was an important interview because it gave Americans a chance to hear from Ms. Hickox and see that she is like every other American. And like many Americans, she showed the compassion and commitment to helping others. As a healthcare worker who understands the disease better than most, coupled with the desire to live, she demonstrated that she is responsible in self monitoring her health. She had it absolutely correct that we should approaching this problem with the lens of science instead of the prism of politics.
And if you're in Maine, you should consider two things leading up to your trip to the voting booth. One, consider Ms. Hickox's action and service as heroic. Also, consider that your governor, running for re-election, would like to arbitrarily take away the personal liberty of an American citizen while personally attacking that person's character and is using empty rhetoric to play upon your fears.
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!
Panel 1: Charlie Cook and Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Fred Yang, Democratic Pollster; Bill McInturff, Republican Pollster
Panel 2: Michael Steele, fmr. Chair of Republican National Committee; Robert Gibbs, fmr. White House Press Secretary; Andrea Mitchell, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent NBC News; Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe."
kaci kickox - ebola nurse
from maine
talking about science and not politicas
paul lapage - gov.
villated every promise she made so far
self -quarantine - community has been through a lot
will no go into town -
population centers - different rules? no - kaci
presidential politcas already oat the midterms
contemplators club
no one's in a hurry
gibbs - more entused about republicans
lose a book tour - andera -
has to be authentic
rand paul - republican front runner - michael steele
joe - not going to win -
jeb or christ
mitt romney -
john kasich -
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