Now that the 2010 mid-term elections are over and (most of) the ballots have been counted, it’s worth a look to see what issues played the greatest role in the election and what that may tell us about 2012.

Of course there are a lot of issues, but from a conservative Republican standpoint, the most important ones to identify are those which played the greatest role in motivating voters to support massive Republican gains at all levels of governance – and what might do so again the next time they head to the polls.

The Economy

For good or ill, the economy is always an issue in any election. And when it’s bad, it hurts the party in power. The further we’ve come since the 2008 election, the more the economy is seen as being the responsibility of Democrats. The fact that unemployment has steadily increased for the two years they’ve been in power, (and after passage of their signature “stimulus” bills), puts them on the wrong side of public opinion.

Growth of government

Since taking power, Democrats have been on a steady quest (as usual) to increase the power and scope of government. From proposals to nationalize private enterprises to increased regulation and diminishment of consumer choices, people see the government getting bigger (faster) and their own control over their lives and their country getting smaller.

Of course the signature item in this category is ObamaCare. It is the prototypical liberal program: it’s massive, expensive and takes power away from individuals and state governments, in addition to being so large as to be completely opaque before it becomes law (and even well after). The result was a massive and sustained public rejection. Given that its size and scope ensures that it will have a personal impact on each and every American, it was taken as a personal assault to their control over their own lives and pocket-books. On Election Day, they reacted accordingly.  read more »

As far as I’m concerned, 2012 is much too far away for prognostication, for all the noise about Sarah Palin’s visit to Iowa. Jim certainly hasn’t outwardly indicated that he intends a run, by word or deed. Still, it’s a fascinating scenario to imagine.

Jim DeMint is a solid Conservative guy with down-to-earth values, and a willingness to stand tall despite the odds. He has scorched the hides of some of the Republican establishment by his very public and effective support for Tea Party Patriot candidates.

He’s probably catching hell in the cloak room from some of the effete of the party for soiling himself with the grass roots, who the party and politically-entitled look on as a rude impediment to maintaining business-as-usual, so that the party anointed may rule from afar, never having to actually soil their hands with the work of the people.

All the while, they are proclaiming to all and sundry how much they’ve sacrificed and how hard they’ve worked for the people. These Republican ‘elites’ really behave as though the world rotates around them. They also feel threatened by the strength and popularity of the Patriot movement. They also understand that the Tea Party and the Patriots could be their ticket to political irrelevance.

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