My thoughts on the "big day"...

In the biggest Republican sweep of Congress since 1894, when the Dems lost 120 seats to the GOP near the end of the Long Depression, the US can now breathe a little easier. The big news, I think, is the shock this must have sent to the GOP "old guard"... not the Dems.

Pelosi was ready to loose the Speaker's position, and I am pretty sure Reid had his concession speech all polished and ready to go (even though he WON... nice job, Ryan). Some Dems just knew they had a loosing battle.

What I think shocked the nation was the effect that the "grass-roots" Tea Party movement had on the whole affair. Yes, Reid and Pelosi and Obama look like they got slapped in the face (and justly so), but so did the established GOP leadership.

With the majority of Palin's "endorsements" winning their runs in the House, but failing to take the Senate, Sarah can now look at her GOP detractors and say "Bite me". Rove, Steele, Tom Ridge... all called Palin's support of Tea Party candidates a drain on the GOP effort. However, enough Tea Party supporters have (seemingly) won to carry the message of the movement to the very pinnacle of political power in DC.

The lines were non-existant when I went to the township building where I vote, and of the four other voters there, the only one I knew was our Bund buddy, Mick. We stood outside after voting for a few minutes and smoked... but we didn't talk about the election at all. I think (knowing Mick the way I do) that he probably voted for a couple of Dems, at least... but they all lost here in NEPA.

PA now has a Republican Governor, a new Republican Senator, and two new (in my districts here close to the homestead) GOP Representatives. Wisconsin also had a GOP sweep... so the two states that I am most attached to will see some rather drastic changes in the coming months. In PA, we saw the GOP make big gains in the State House, too... so perhaps some much needed tax reductions will come down the pipe here and make the casino industry just a little bit more profitable to run than it was prior. I am hoping that the new GOP leadership in WI will also bring some much needed tax relief to that state... which desperately needs it.

With so many new GOP governors (and more possible winners still to be decided... IL, MN, ME, VT and OR haven't called the count yet), I also want to see those states with GOP executives take a much broader role in their own destiny... meaning greater and greater "self control" as opposed to "Federal control". I'd LOVE to see a 10th Amendment movement begin, wherein these States can finally get something resolved at a Federal level without waiting for a GOP super-majority in Congress (which might not ever happen).

This is a big opportunity, for both the US and the GOP... they really had better not squander it.