The voters sent the President a strong and cogent message in the midterm elections.

[dawg]

And all of us should try to understand that message and take it to heart.

But before all of you strong Obama supporters start chiming in to tell me why I'm full of crap, please realize that the headline of my OP doesn't specifically refer to President Obama, or even to this specific midterm election.

You see, President Bush's Republicans got spanked in the midterm elections of his second term as well. It resulted in Rep. Pelosi being elevated to Speaker and it put the brakes on Republican dreams of "entitlement" reform.

Likewise, President Reagan's Republicans really got their asses handed to them in the midterms of his second term. Republicans lost more Senate seats then than we did now, even though we had an incredibly bad map this time around.

Before Reagan, there was Nixon. He really shouldn't count though, because he had to resign in disgrace during his second term. (His party lost seats in 1974 anyway.)

Likewise, Johnson chose not to run for re-election in 1968. His second term came after only a partial first term when he assumed the Presidency after JFK's assassination. LBJ's Presidency didn't fit the typical two-term mold. (But his party lost seats in 1966 anyway.)

Before that there was Eisenhower, a popular war hero and the only Republican in relatively recent memory about which Democrats have a few nice things to say. His Republican party faced a bloodbath in the midterm elections of his second term.

The American voters have sent us a clear and cogent message, and we should take it to heart.

What is the message you ask? It's simple: "We aren't 100% rational. Don't expect us to be."

American voters blame the President, any President, for everything that goes wrong in our country and the world as a whole. Many will show up to vote *against* the President. Many of the President's supporters probably won't show up, because *he* isn't on the ballot. You can't vote *for* him, you can only vote *against* him. And that's what we do in this country. Again and again and again.

[frazzled]

1. That's the damned truth

But it won't stop people from trying to attach some overarching, platitudinous theory to the outcome(s) of this election.

[dawg]

5. There are lessons to be learned from the election, but they don't pertain to policy or ...

the issues. Moving the party further to the right isn't the answer. Purging the centrists and moving the party further to the left isn't the answer either.

Instead, we need to be realistic about the electorate, and we need to come up with a consistent and coherent national strategy based on where we happen to be in the presidential cycle.

[BlueCaliDem]

2. "We aren't 100% rational. Don't expect us to be." EXACTLY.

Sad, isn't it?

[IdiocracyTheNewNorm]

3. We cannot fix stupid, America must be full of people into BDS&M becasue pain is what they voted for

So give it to them, it is what they wanted.

Perhaps they will learn, then again maybe not.

[dawg]

4. They chose "Generic Republican" over President Obama.

The Republicans would probably win nearly every Presidential election if only they could nominate Generic Republican. Unfortunately for them, they are stuck with the Mitt Romneys and John McCains (and worse) that their party actually has to offer.