Questions and Elections

Republicans delighted in telling us, once the election results were in, that the American public was united in its repudiation of President Obama and the Democratic agenda. I seem to remember a similar tune being sung by other voice back in 2008...

But anyone with half the sense that was given a cabbage knows better than this. The Democrats took a drumming because they came to power during a crisis. This election cycle, the public had two questions for the Administration and Congress.

1. Are we there yet?
2. Can we see it from here?

Presidential and Congressional rhetoric aside, the answer to both of those questions was pretty clearly "no," to anyone who a) was a partisan for the other side or b) wasn't all that partisan. Despite their renewed hopes of the mythical Permanent Republican Majority, the GOP is going to have to answer those same two questions in 2012. They'd better be prepared to have better answers.