I'm not sure how last night's GSO election results fit into the pattern across the country, or how accurate the emerging narrative about the results from places like Maine, Ohio, and Mississippi really is.

That narrative has it that voters were unhappy with GOP agenda items that didn't directly address the lingering suckiness of the economy, and so they sent a message via the issues presented them.

Maybe, or maybe each high-profile issue has its own story. The Mississippi personhood amendment seems to have failed not because Mississippi is suddenly getting squishy on conservatism, but because people figured out it threatened a lot more than abortion rights. The Maine voter registration law may have just seemed like the right small-d-democratic thing to do.

In Ohio, the crushing defeat of an anti-union bill lines up more closely with the GOP Fail meme, and, closer to home, the stridency of Wake County school board members probably contributed to their fall.

Here in Greensboro, voters clearly didn't buy the savings-at-any-cost justification for the White Street plan, but then again that argument was never thoroughly vetted, and there was a significant backlash against the political style of the mini-majority as well.

So it was a bad night for Republicans in a lot of places, but not necessarily a good night for Democrats in all of those places, and even some clear Dem victories don't guarantee success in 2012.

People are pissed off at both parties, and rightly so.

Comments

[HRH]

"Here in Greensboro, voters clearly didn't buy the savings-at-any-cost justification for the White Street plan" - adding to that is that the whole process smelled from the outset, as later confirmed by revelations of vote switches and vendor contributions aka pay for play.

[pfknc]

The only trend I see is there are neither clear nor simple solutions to complex issues. So instead we have been offered 1 size fits all solutions to problems that don't address our primary concerns but rather target a philosophical debate whether it be MS's personhood, OH's union or ME's voter registration ballots. It's avoiding the core issues because we don't like the medicine. Very discouraging no courage only talking points.

[Fred Gregory]

Virginia ! Kinda big.

[Stephen]

What was it the Clinton campaign said to itself in 1992?

"it's the economy, stupid"

[David Boyd]

I thought most of those results were a good sign. Just because the voters want change doesn't mean that they'll accept just any change.

[justcorbly]

Tough to generalize about voters, but I do think people are clued in to the fact that both parties are exploiting our economic woes to push their pet agendas with voters, rather than attacking that problem head on.

[Ron]

The GOP is in trouble

Obama up big in Ohio

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/11/obama-up-big-in-ohio.html