What Will Republican Landslide in Midterm Elections Mean for Main Street?

Mr. President, I implore to you change course and work with the Republicans to pull us out of this economic quagmire.

The midterm election results are a wake-up call to President Barack Obama's lackadaisical attitude towards voters. He and the Democrats who lost their seats were sent a caustic message, Main Street can change the game. Still, history has shown that Democrats crash and burn when they have a majority in Congress. They can't seem to get it together, but as an Independent, I can say with confidence that I voted for a Republican governor Nathan Deal and Senator Johnny Isakson. Why? The economy stinks. I am very concerned for the future of my kids, due to the fact we will be kicking massive debt down the road to future generations. I am not surprised there was a landslide of sorts last night. That's what we do in this country and that is what makes us a great place to live, work and raise a family. Main Street can send a message via our votes that we are serious about change and won't settle for the status quo.

We are a seminal moment in this country. It is time to do difficult things and get people back to work and end the war in Afghanistan, for which we are spending billions every day and for what? President Obama says he can take a hit. Well, let's see if he will now change course, as Bill Clinton did and move to the center. This country voted for a black man to become our president and then something went wrong. The Obama we saw on the campaign trail is not the person we see in the White House today. He dropped the ball on the communication of his policies to the American people. He is clearly out-of-touch with people on Main Street like you and I. He seems to have forgotten the younger voters who came out in force for him.

Now, we do we stand? The Tea Party candidates are clearly on course for a train wreck with the establishment Republican, in as far as the tax cuts, smaller government and so on are concerned. The euphoria that permeated this country when Barack Obama won the general election dissipated quickly. Times have changed and people are cynical and distrustful of elected officials. Rep. John Boehner was correct when he said the Republicans can't celebrate this win. There is no other alternative but to reach across the aisle and work with the Democrats to bring this country back from the brink. The strength of this country lies in the strength of the middle class.

We made history along the way. Tim Scott (R-SC) became the first black man since Reconstruction to represent the state of South Carolina in Congress. Nikki Haley became the first female governor of South Carolina and the second Indian-America to become a governor in the U.S., after Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA). I must also add New Mexico's first female governor, Susana Martinez to the mix. So, I am encouraged that race won't influence the votes of many decent, hard-working and law abiding Americans who are just seeking the best candidate to elect, no matter what their ethnicity is. We also told career politicians in Washington D.C. that they will be held accountable and will be kicked out of office if they don't accurately represent their constituents. Russ Feingold (WI), Alan Grayson (FL), Baron Hill (Ind.) and Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (S.) and Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), to name a few. President Obama's old senate seat went to a Republican and not a Democrat. That's a stinging blow to the Democratic establishment and to the president.

It is sad that black voter turnout was low. The same spirit of optimism and hope that led them to vote for President Barack Obama in huge numbers was virtually nonexistent in this election. According to CBS, an estimated 10 percent of blacks are voting, compared to 13 percent in 2008. The exit polling found eight percent of voters are Hispanic, with 66 percent voting Democratic. That's the mistake many blacks make. They don't take their right to vote seriously. You can expect change, if you don't help to effect that change.

So, we are at the crossroads. Will the Republicans reach across the aisle to work with their Democratic colleagues and President Obama? Or will we see the usual partisan gridlock in Washington? If Main Street is ignored again, the results will be the same for the Republicans in 2012. We have a chance to change the course this country is slowing slipping down with new people in both the House and Senate. We have to change, for the good of our children and the good of this country. Business as usual in Washington D. C. should have ended with the shellacking the Democrats and President Obama received last night. So, in closing, Mr. President, I implore you to change course and work for the people on Main Street to allay their fears about the course this country has taken.