As much of the rest of the country's House members fell to Republican candidates, some, egged on by Tea Party sensibilities, Maryland pretty conspicuously held firm to its Democratic, Blue state pattern. It was a long night, if you are a progressive, but, according to quite a few pundits and more experts, not all that unexpected, for a midterm. I noticed that early voting was big in Maryland, but still haven't seen reports on what percentages of eligible Maryland citizens voted. I'm anxious in particular to find out what proportion of the electorate came out by age group. Did Maryland's youth vote come out as they did in 2008, while around the rest of the country, they were, as Michael Moore opined on Democracy Now, worrying about their second or third job.
I know a lot more people without jobs, or with two and three jobs, today, than I ever have known in my lifetime. Unlike some, I remember that those job losses and hard times started under a Republican administration, and perhaps unlike some, I am engaged enough in the local political scene to understand that big change takes a lot of work and usually a lot of time. I didn't quite entertain a Fairy Tale notion that on his first day in office, President Obama would begin to unilaterally transform the country. I see in my local governments plenty of areas where the "Yes we CAN!" culture just has not arrived yet.
I mourn the passing of the era of our nation's first female Speaker of the House of Representatives -- and I admit that realization even brought a tear to my eyes.
I'm more convinced than ever now, that Campaign Finance reform is urgently and critically needed in the US.
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