If elections have consequences what of this? In New Hampshire, Governor John Lynch squeaked out an unprecedented fourth term as governor. The state party went all out to protect him. But in the process they not only lost their majority in the State House and State Senate, the Republicans appear to have taken veto proof majorities in both of those houses and swept the five member State Executive council, which reviews state contracts and appointments.
Governor Lynch won his battle but lost the war. The democrats were so focused on keeping their pro-gay marriage tax and spend governor, that they reduced him to a figure head in the process.
Preliminary estimates of the shift are staggering. Prior to last night the State democrats held one US Senate Seat (and still do, Jeanne Shaheen is not do for her drubbing until 2014), both congressional seats, a majority on the 5-member Executive council, 224 Seats in the 400 seat State House and 14 seats in the 24 Seat state senate.
Waking up on November 3rd 2010, Republican Kelly Ayotte has crushed democrat Paul Hodes, and both congressional seats are now in Republican hands. At the state level, Republicans have swept the executive council taking all five seats. In the state house the tally appears to stand somewhere between 280 and 300 Republican seats. The State Senate should settle out at 16 Republican, 8 Democrat. All counts are not final but the majorities appear solid.
The state democrats thinking this is angry voter syndrome are ignoring history; truth be told, it is their brief tenure that appears to have been brought on by the angry voter. What we have today is more on par with New Hampshire history. But it speaks volumes about the rhetoric that there ever was a liberal ascendancy in the Granite state. Taken in a Darwinian context, it looks as if it was more like an evolutionary dead end.
So while John Lynch"enjoys" the bipartisan support that kept him in office, he may not enjoy the harsh reality that without bipartisan support in his legislative body none of his priorities will see the light of day. He may find himself whiling away the next 24 months examining the fabric on the office curtains, working on catching the rim of the waste paper basket with crumpled up policy aspiration sky-hooks, and if the Republicans so deem it, watching his appointments get rejected and his vetoes overturned at their discretion.
What is really unprecedented then, is that he is now (most likely) the weakest Governor in the entire nation and that that bipartisanship he’s been talking about, is no longer just a talking point. He can’t do anything without it.
Good Morning Pyrrhus. Hope you enjoy your ‘victory.’
