The United States just saw the largest swing in control of the U.S. House since 1938, with the Republican Party gaining control over at least 60 new seats.
In the next several days, the 24-hour news channels will be spinning -- along with miles of opinion in newsprint -- trying to tell us the meaning of the message that voters are sending. It's a pretty straightforward message: Not Them. Not liberals in Washington, D.C., trying to run our lives and in the process keep our economy in a ditch.
However, given the scale of the Republican victory -- greater even than 1994 -- I think there is another, deeper message the voters are sending in addition to their rejection of liberal policies on jobs and the economy. And this message has to do with the indignities that this Congress and this administration have heaped upon the American people the last two years.
I don't mean the deep differences that arise when there are strong competing visions for national policy, such as occurred during the debates over the stimulus, health care, cap and trade, and coming tax increases. A vibrant democracy is expected to have vibrant debates, with elections sorting out winners and losers.
