Perhaps counter-intuitively, the Democrats holding on to the Senate could make Obama’s task harder in the run-up to 2012. Yes, having the upper house will help them stymie some of the extreme legislation that the Tea Party will be pushing, but if the GOP had taken a clean sweep it would have been easier to make the argument as Bill Clinton did so effectively from 1994 onwards that a reforming president is being held back by an entrenched and hostile Congress. The challenge, though, for the president going forward is less about legislation, but more about finding his campaigning voice again – and of course cracking that lagging economic indicator – jobs.
Alex Bigham, Progressive Internationalism columnist
Last night’s result was not a surprise. With the exception of Bush’s post-9/11 result, every president since FDR has lost House seats at their first midterm. The scale of the loss is a blow for Obama but there is a silver lining with the retention of the Senate. Obama must now take the House Republicans seriously and encourage them to produce legislation on cross-party issues like immigration reform. He should also put pressure on them to make a choice between unfair tax cuts and a responsible deficit reduction plan. Finally, the potential logjam in Congress is an opportunity for greater focus on concluding the war in Afghanistan and catalysing the Middle East peace process.
Will Straw, editor, Left Foot Forward and fellow at the Center for American Progress
Look on the bright side, Alex; blocked on the home front, Obama will need to appeal to the imperial-aggressive aspect of the Tea-Partiers, so we can have a lovely new war of aggression, to produce another nonsectarian paradise like this week’s Baghdad.