What Do You Think?

November 10, 2009

Editor's note: The Herald-Mail invites readers to answer poll questions on www.herald-mail.com. Readers also may submit comments when voting. A sampling of edited reader comments will run on The Herald-Mail's Opinion page on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

The question posted Friday was: Do you think the Republican Party's victories in the governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey reflect a growing dissatisfaction with the Obama administration?

Poll results:

Yes -- 636 votes (72 percent)

No -- 242 votes (28 percent)

o "We can argue this one forever, but the 2010 elections will show what a mistake this country felt it made in electing Obama. I do hope rather then electing a bunch of Republicans in 2010 that some third-party candidates win. If Republicans do take back control, I hope they have learned that governing like liberal Democrats will just get them put right out of office again in 2012."

o "While there is a mixed message in this election, it should give both parties a message. Their leaders, whether Obama, (Sarah) Palin, (Joe) Biden or whoever, do not dictate how people vote. The people might like these people, but they don't follow them blindly. New Jersey saw a terrible governor and Virginia saw a weak candidate with no message. ... For Republicans, the election shows them what to do to win and what to do to lose. For Democrats, they have learned that the two-party system is still alive to the horror of their leaders, who drooled over the prospect of a one-party, one-philosophy nation."

o "I think it reflects the state of the economy. (Maryland) Gov. (Martin) O'Malley should be paying attention. He could be next."

o "Neither Republicans nor Democrats determine the outcome of elections. It is the independents who rule the day. They swing from one party to another over time. The two main parties will probably never be able to establish long-term control of either the White House or Congress because both parties are incapable of building a majority of the electorate over the long run because of the extremist base each has. Whatever party is in power manages to alienate independents, causing them to sooner or later switch sides for a few elections. The pendulum goes back and forth."

o "The only thing dumber than a person who thinks Obama is going to really 'change' anything is a person who thinks replacing him with a Republican would be any better."

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