What Caught My Eye Today

Midterm Elections - With most of the results in from last week's U.S. midterm elections, political pundits have shifted their focus from predictions to analyses. Personally, I think the results spoke for themselves...the Democratic party had a bad night and the Republican party had a good night. But let's have the experts have their say shall we? Voters shook up Congress in Tuesday's midterm election, stripping control of the House from Democrats to put Republicans in charge, and narrowing the Democratic majority in the Senate to just a few votes. After picking up more than 60 seats, the GOP now has its biggest House majority since 1946. What does the GOP landslide of 2010 mean? Here are five takes:

1. This was a vote against Obama. This is the third election in a row in which Americans have "kicked a political party out of power." The GOP will only face the same rebuke in two years unless they see that what voters really dislike is "overreaching" by either party.
   I have to agree with this one, in the same way that many of the votes that Obama got in 2008 could be viewed as votes against the previous administration. Not exactly a glowing endorsement of the GOP, but hey, a win is a win.
2. The Tea Party is for real.What was once a loose-knit "coalition of grass-roots libertarians and disaffected Republicans" is now a bona fide political force. Republicans could have won easily. So the Democrats have the Tea Party to thank for their enduring Senate majority.
   Ironic isn't it that the best friends the Democrats had in this election are the guys who are most ideologically opposed to them. Any way you look at it, moderates are quickly becoming an endangered species in Washington.
3. It really is the economy, stupid. Americans predictably took their fears about the economy into the voting booth. This was a horrible year "to be an incumbent of the ruling party," and there wasn't much Democrats could have done to change the math.
   The analysts really went out on a limb here. Of course, it's the economy! If you look a bit more closely at all of these analyses, they all pretty much point to the lousy economic conditions. What continues to fascinate me is that people continue to try and put the blame on one person or one party. This most recent economic downturn was most likely going to happen regardless of the policies put in place by President George W. Bush and likewise, the economy will eventually recover regardless of what President Barack Obama does. Sure, there are things that can be done to help or hinder the recovery, but the economy is going to bounce back...and eventually tank again....and eventually rebound (you see where I am going with this).
4. The fight over health-care reform has just begun. Democrats got burned over their health care bill. Exit polls found that 48% of voters want the reform law repealed. The GOP won't be able to "stop the law" outright, but with control of House committees they can raise a stink and drag the administration to Capitol Hill to "defend the law."
   This is an interesting analysis as well. No doubt that Democrats took a major hit on health care reform, but the same thing happened when Social Security created back in 1935. Some historians contend the Social Security Act was the cause of the Roosevelt Recession of 1937. Could you imagine a world without Social Security today? Well, actually...if you are my age, you better start warming up to the idea.
5. Voters do not know what they want. Voters are mad and scared and confused — about the economy, the atmosphere in Washington, and more. Two years after Bill Clinton's Democrats took their drubbing in 1994, everyone was declaring him dead--Clinton won re-election in a rout. If the economy turns around by 2012, Obama could be saved by "the swing," too.
   I take issue with this one. I know exactly what I want. Congress needs to learn what it means to compromise to achieve the greater good for the people that it represents. I fail to see how statements like the primary goal of the Senate minority leader is to make sure Obama does not get elected to a second term is going to help make my life any better.

Potpourri - You know me. My attention can be drawn to the most arcane factoids.

• Salaries - The President of the United States earns an annual salary of $400,000. By comparison, the Vice President earns $231,000; the Speaker of the House and Chief Supreme Court Justice both earn $223,500; and the Senate Majority and Minority leaders earn $193,400
  I suppose, depending on your perspective, these guys are either way overpaid or way underpaid. Either way, I don't see myself going into politics anytime soon.
• Apple - A $1,000 investment in Apple Stock 10 years ago would be worth $32,280 today, making it the best performing stock of the past decade.
  And if monkeys flew out of my butt ten years ago, I'd have made a killing on the carnival circuit.
• Business - From January 2009, when President Obama took office, through June 2010, corporate profits increased 62%, the strongest 18-month rise since the 1920s.
  Interesting that one of the criticisms of Barack Obama is that he is anti-business.

Baseball - Way to go, Giants! If it's all the same to you guys, let's not wait another 6 decades for the next World Series title. The Chicago Cubs have this "futility" thing down to a science already.

Veterans - Way to go, veterans! For all that you have done for your nation, everyday should be Veterans Day. I'm just saying.