Worst Case: Republicans win 100 House seats and control 51 Senate Seats... what next?

[BrentWil]

In life, I always think out the worst case before thinking about a decision. With that in mind, I propose the same here. We have a worst case election result tomorrow. We lose 100 house seats and the GOP does run the table on the Senate and gets its 51 votes. What do we do then? How does Obama Govern for two years? What is the best path towards victory in 2012? How do America's down-trodden survive the next 2 years with a government that is inoperative? How do we we handle this worse case?

[librarycard]

1. How do America's down-trodden survive the next 2 years

with a government that is inoperative?

[BrentWil]

8. Good question..

Added to OP. It is about people, not staying in power.

[Kalyke]

25. I'm hoping Europe would let some of us immigrate

based on living conditions in the United States.

Can we make the case that we're being oppressed and NEED to move to a reasonable country?

[Brickbat]

2. Well, I'll have to get up on Wednesday and get the kids to school. Then I should probably shower.

I'm a little behind on a project that's due in a few weeks, so I should do some work on that. The living room could stand a dust and a vacuum, so maybe in the afternoon I'll get around to some chores. If it's nice out, maybe I'll exercise.

I'm tired of thinking about "paths to victory." I'm starting to believe that it's all about "winning the next round" and not making things better for the people. So I'm going to refocus my efforts on a microcosmic scale, I think; my school board, my township board, my local reps.

[BrentWil]

10. That is a good point...

It is about people.. real people. These elections do effect real people, but we shouldn't lose focus on local communities in favor of a political game.

[vi5]

16. Excellent post...

I want to make a concerted effort to do this. I'm tired of investing so much of my time, my energy, my stress, my brain, my everything into what is essentially a large incumbent protection racket, with the occassional shiny new object thrown in to keep us interested.

"Oh look at this bold newcomer! They'll really change how things get done. Please continue to be engaged in the outcomes or it will discourage these fresh faces from running for office"....remember Webb and Tester? haven't heard much from or about either of them on the national stage/scale have we? Yet however many years ago they were the bold new face of the national Democratic party.

I'm just tired. Tired of "the next round". Tired of any real change being continually kicked down the road with new promises blocking the way.

I have a life to lead and I'm tired of not doing it as well or as much as I should be because of how much time I spend poring over political minutiae and stressing over every bit of movement.

[lumberjack_jeff]

41. I agree. I've concluded that no one at the federal level is motivated by the welfare of the people.

[leftstreet]

3. What big plans did the Democrats have that Republicans will thwart?

Was there a WPA jobs program on the table?

Single payer healthcare?

Slashing the military budget in half?

:shrug:

This is all much ado about nothing

Besides, I suspect the Democrats will retain the majority.
As much as that probably irritates the party leadership

[Brickbat]

4. Yup. I didn't see much movement or excitement in these last two years;

the next two are probably going to be about the same.

[elocs]

7. You know, I actually did expect Obama to initially offer a WPA jobs program

to put millions of Americans back to work doing something, giving them some kind of hope they could count on.

[leftstreet]

12. Apparently Wall Street got all the 'green jobs'

[HereSince1628]

5. You and my S.O. ! You guys are making me NUTZ!!!!!!!!n/t

[Common Sense Party]

6. Obama wears out the veto pen for two years, and nothing gets done.

[rucky]

31. That would be the best case scenario.

The worst case would be that something does get done.

[Common Sense Party]

36. That would only happen if Dems cave to Repukes.

The Pukes won't have the votes in the Senate, and can't override the veto.

[Naturyl]

38. What makes you think Obama will wear out the veto pen?

He doesn't exactly have a stellar record of standing firm against Repukes so far.

He might wear out the Dirt Devil cleaning the dust off the veto pen instead...

[SheilaT]

9. All of those totally unqualifed

tea-baggers who will now hold office will discover the reality of being in office. It's nothing like they think it is.

Things will get worse, much worse for the vast majority of the country, since the vast majority of us are not in the top 2 percent of earners. Although basic math is not something most tea-baggers have much of a grasp of. Perhaps as taxes get cut, as more and more people lose their health care, maybe, just maybe they'll come to their senses.

But I'm not holding my breath.

[KamaAina]

11. What next? Plenty of hockey and Timbits.

:scared:

[Skink]

13. A Palin press conference.

[OHdem10]

14. They will take 50 to 55 House Seats.

This is terrible, but how many seats do the Dems hold at
this moment prior to the election??? It totally escapes
me.

[Tx4obama]

30. Dems currently have 255 seats in the House.

218 seats in the House is need for a 'majority'
http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house

Dems currently have 59 seats in the Senate
51 seats is needed for a 'majority' but we've been needing 60 votes in the senate on most of the votes due to the republicans filibusters
http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/senate

[MineralMan]

15. Pop in and ask that question if it happens.

I'll take some time then. Right now, there's other stuff going on.

[BrentWil]

17. Wouldn't I just bump this thread?

Hey, just thinking worse case. I highly doubt the above will happen.

[onenote]

18. we thank our lucky stars they don't have the votes to override a presidential veto

I think your "worst case" is probably significantly worse than it will be, but even assuming your worst case, we still have the presidency. From 1994 until today, 16 years, the repubs controlled the House and Senate for 12 years and the presidency for eight of those years. Yet the sun still came up and, after 12 years, we regained control of the House and SEnate and in 2008, we regained control of the WH. If you take the repub and Democratic majorities in the House and Senate over those 16 years and average them, you'll see that the numbers split almost exactly down the middle. That suggests that the political scientists who claim that the electorate is pretty evenly split actually know what they're talking about.

[BrentWil]

19. I agree with that...

It is just that right now is a bad time to have a government that can't do anything.

[doc03]

23. Are you sure? What about the Blue Dogs? n/t

[onenote]

27. I don't see the votes in the senate to get to an override

There are some conservative Democrats/independents in the senate, such as Nelson, Landrieu and Lieberman, but I don't see them getting to 67 with a bare majority of 51 repubs plus a couple of blue-doggish Democratic senators.

[doc03]

28. I hope you are right but there may be gains in the Blue Dog ranks

such as Joe Manchin if he wins.

[murielm99]

20. Then Obama will have to show us that he is a gunslinger.

Stephen King once said that Kennedy was our last President who was a gunslinger. I think King was right. I think Obama has it in him.

The reference is to the Dark Tower Series, not to any actual gunplay. I figure most DUers know that, but some people just like to argue.

[Zoeisright]

21. That will be the end of democracy and this country.

Economic crash, social destabilization, God only knows what else. It's not going to be pretty.

[BrentWil]

22. Don't think it will be that bad...

There have been other years that are alot worst then 2010.

[safeinOhio]

24. all it would mean is

a great election for the Democratic party in 2012.
:party:

be patient grasshopper.

[seabeyond]

26. meh... the whole world explodes and goes to hell tomorrow. THAT is wort case

aint gonna happen. either one.

[rucky]

29. If he vetoes everything, it's his fault.

If he doesn't veto anything, it's his fault.

If he only vetoes some things, then those things are his fault, except for the side that will blame him for all the things he doesn't veto.

[jmowreader]

32. If that happens, the Republicans will impeach Obama

Your scenario makes one HUGE assumption: a Republican flips one of the safe Democratic Senate seats; all the calculus of Republicans taking 10 Senate seats relied on a GOP pickup in Delaware, which almost certainly won't happen considering the Republicans are running Wendy, the Good Little Witch.

[BrentWil]

35. They would need to win

WV, CA and WA... not impossible... HIGHLY unlikely.

[GreenStormCloud]

40. Intratrade has her at 4.1. She's toast. N/T

[spanone]

33. more gridlock nothing changes

[Jack Rabbit]

34. What next? America goes the way of the Soviet Union

Of course, a GOP majority in the House may be all it will take to bring that about.

Some may think the world will reap the benefits of no more imperialist intervention in Latin America or the Middle East. True enough, but the country that brought the world the Bill of Rights and the rule of law and all the attending ideals will be no more. On balance, I like being an American and I'm going to miss my country.

[CommonSensePLZ]

37. Well, we survived 8 years of Bush..

Truth be told, I wish I could cheer for the republicans. I don't believe in 'strong party loyalty' and I feel kind of sorry for them, it would be nice to see them get some victory, if only not for how selfish and sore winners they are.

I hope Obama and the dems will work harder to fix the problems and not be too modest of their progress: Work on the deficit, jobs and no more of the right-wing supporters unfair supporters nonsense, like big companies refusing to hire to keep frustration with the dems should be fined and have that money go to unemployment! :P

[cliffordu]

39. Did we really survive?? Like a slomo train wreck, the effects will

be decades coming. I don't think the damage to our national discourse will ever be healed.

[ddeclue]

42. Let's focus on winning tomorrow and stop all the doomsaying..

I don't need no chicken littling right now..

[BrentWil]

43. No one is saying this is going to happen...

Just giving a worst case.