Michael Barone in dailyherald: Ironically, Americans say they want change, but they just voted to keep the status quo.
Are we living in an era of political contentment? Most Americans would answer that question with a bellowing"No!" But there's a case to be made that American voters, for all their negative talk, actually don't want a set of public policies markedly different from what we have today.
Some 25 House incumbents, 13 Republicans and 12 Democrats were defeated in November or in primaries. But redistricting following the 2020 Census was a factor in 14 cases, and four cases were defeats of Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump after Jan. 6. Overall, it's hard to see how the voters could have done a better job of cementing in place the policy status quo.
by signing up you agree to our terms of service In that same period, voters, most of whom had living memories of the Great Depression and World War II, reelected by landslide margins presidents who appeared to produce peace and prosperity. Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and Nixon in 1972 won with 61% of the vote, and Ronald Reagan in 1984 won with 59%.
In that context, Donald Trump's 47% of the popular vote in 2020, while certainly not the landslide win he claimed, was not a landslide rejection either -- it was actually slightly higher than his 46% four years before. The outcome was different because Hillary Clinton lost three of the four closest states in 2016, whereas Trump lost the three closest in 2020.
Republicans suffered off-year losses as well, of majorities in both houses in 2006 and of their House majority in 2018. Their problem seemed to be less ideological overreach than a sense of turmoil. Bush's Republicans suffered from scenes of disorder in the streets of New Orleans and Baghdad. Trump's Republicans suffered from stories about disorder in the West Wing and Mar-a-Lago.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Syndicated columnist Veronique de Rugy: Will this year's lame-duck session bring back a bad idea?Syndicated columnist Veronique de Rugy: Democrats have lost the House of Representatives and, along with it, the chance to pass more of their preferred policies in 2023.
Read more »
Andrew Dominik Blames ‘Blonde’ Backlash on Americans Wanting Marilyn Monroe Portrayed as “Empowered Woman”The director also said he was 'really pleased' the film starring Ana de Armas had 'offended so many people.'
Read more »
Hearing aids are now cheaper and easier to buy for hard-of-hearing AmericansFormerly, hearing aids required a prescription and came with a high price tag — now, Americans over age 18 who have mild-to-moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids over the counter in drugstores.
Read more »
The 5 biggest financial regrets of older Americans37% of Americans wished they had worked longer before retiring, according to a recent poll of 1,764 Americans over the age of 50.
Read more »
Here's Why Liberal Americans Say They Don't Want To Date Conservatives″‘It’s just politics’ line showcases an utter lack of understanding or caring, neither of which are good.”
Read more »
OneTen, National Student Clearinghouse team up on employment of Black Americans - Phoenix Business JournalOneTen currently works with over 70 companies across industries, including many household names such as Bank of America Corp., Deloitte LLP, Walmart Inc., Nike Inc. and General Motors Corp.
Read more »