PARTISAN BICKERING

I absolutely despise partisan politics, albeit an ubiquitous component of U.S. legislation. The political culture in the United States is a war of attrition conducted by two rival parties bent on dominating the political landscape. The Democrats and Republicans vie for power in not only the House and Senate, but at the state level, too.

Sensationalist dialogue erupted in every news forum following the gubernatorial election results on Tuesday, November 3. The same story was regurgitated over and over, merely spewed out in a different manner more akin to the appropriate medium be it radio, television, or newspaper. Victory for the GOP in New Jersey and Virginia! A Democratic miracle happens in New York’s 23rd Congressional district! All the rage over how long Obama’s coat tails are. Meaningless babble to determine if the Democratic administration in the White House can extend its reach to the state legislature, or if the Republicans can regain power from the ground up.

The main point to take away from these reports is that the majority of Americans are more concerned with job security, unemployment, and economic stability than party affiliation. No matter if a state previously dominated by Republicans is now Democratically controlled, or vice versa. The issue universally represented in every state election still to come is that Americans expect their representatives to comply with their demands. As Charles Babington of the Associate Press writes in his Voters' memo to politicians, "We're angry and fearful, mostly about jobs and the economy. We want tangible solutions, not partisan bickering or intraparty spats. And we'll vote either party out of office if we don't think you're listening."