{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"29394547","dateCreated":"1288604906","smartDate":"Nov 1, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"CatieKersey","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/CatieKersey","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/bell2ushistory.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/29394547"},"dateDigested":1532091661,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"2010 Elections","description":"Spend 10 - 15 minutes (or longer) either watching election returns on TV or via the internet (CNN, MSNBC, or Fox websites). Based on what you've seen\/read, tell me and your classmates something interesting about these elections - is there a change in power?; is a new kind of leader being elected?; was President Obama effective in his leadership through these elections?; did anything change at the local\/state level? Share your thoughts by responding to this post.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"29518521","body":"It looks like HomeRule will pass. In my opinion this will be a better choice opposed to the 3 commissioner system we have now.","dateCreated":"1288746404","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"alaina18","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/alaina18","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29519361","body":"I found the same thing as Megan did, so I guess I can just add to it.
\nMany people across the United States have been expressing their concerns about the recent and ongoing recession. In regards to Obama's presidency, it has been said that about one-third of voters are against Obama and what he has been doing for the country. With this being stated, I don't think it would be a shock if the Republican Party gained control of Congress. Also, about two-thirds of voters have negative views towards Congress, which will most likely result in the Republican's favor. In my opinion, the government--as a whole, should stop fighting about the differences between political parties and start focusing more on the issues. They should all be trying to come together and form a solution, instead of creating more drama. In that sence, I share the same opinion with George Washington. When Obama was elected, he knew he was facing various difficult tasks and would have a limited amount of time to convince Americans he was 'saving' the country from all of its problems. Judging by the numbers, Americans are not convinced. This means that the Democrats face the grueling task of trying to keep a Democratic Congress, which could potentially ruin and undo everything President Obama has been working towards. This election tonight will effect the entire country for atleast the next two years, depending on whether there is a Democratic or Republican controled Congress. Whatever happens, everyone hopes that it will lead America to a solution to these ongoing issues.","dateCreated":"1288747087","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"francesca.a.","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/francesca.a.","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29519761","body":"Looking at the polls, it seems as though Republicans are taking over Congress. In my opinion, Obama has done a good job as president so far. Whether John McCain became president or not, it's true that it is going to take a long time to re-build our country after the economic crash, which, in my opinion, Obama is handling very well. However, with majority of Congress now being Republicans,I agree with Megan in stating that decision making will be a challenge.","dateCreated":"1288747357","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"ariagrace","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ariagrace","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29521837","body":"As far as Congress is concerned I am worried about the logical aspect of these major decisions. In an ideal world, our congressmen would put aside their differences and make decisions based on what is best for the country. However, we live in 21st century America, with a failing economy and severely divided political parties. If our DEMOCRATIC president can not agree with a mostly REPUBLICAN congress, nothing will get done in Washington, which as a result could cause America's demise. I realize that this situation is an exaggeration however conflict will occur. Overall I believe that it is not worth arguing democrat vs. republican on this issue because these people that we are voting into office should make the best decisions for their state and their country. If they can not perform this task then they should not be in that position or reelected into power.","dateCreated":"1288748685","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"alaina18","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/alaina18","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29522657","body":"Well, it's official; the Republicans have taken back the House of Representatives. This is a sign that the American people are upset with how the Democrats are handling the various problems in our country. They were fed up with Bush and how the Republicans were running things before, and now they are angry with Obama and the Democrats. This is a cycle that continuously repeats itself in the world of politics. Now, it's just waiting to see the fate of the Senate.
\n
\nAll eyes are on Obama and how he will handle this change half way through his presidency. Seeing as he is trying to pass numerous bills that were relatively unpopular with the Conservatives, it will be very interesting to watch how the rest of his presidency unfolds. It is also up to him, as president, to try and unite the two parties which is a daunting task considering how divided they are. This was part of his job before, but now more than ever, it is vital that the two parties come together in an attempt to fix our country's problems in a more graceful way than in previous cases.","dateCreated":"1288749359","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"carebearoline","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/carebearoline","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29523705","body":"I think I'd rather the three commissioner system vs. home rule. I'm not very educated on this, but eleven people arguing over everything? It'll take forever to get anything done! I might be wrong, who knows. As for the Republican Congress, I'm going to say the same thing I did on facebook - it could be a good thing. This is America's way of telling Obama that we aren't happy with his plans for us. It's to be expected, of course - economy is in the tanker, unemployment is UNBELIEVABLY high, no COLA advancements, unwanted healthcare reforms, skyrocketing taxes, and the bailouts rolling in. Tensions are high - no one is going to be happy with anything. A Congress ruled by the Republicans means that if Obama wants to get anything done then he will have to compromise with Reds. I personally don't think that Obama has done a great job, but I'm not making a direct hit, so to speak. I agree with Megan in saying that unpopular presidents make unpopular decisions - he's in a tough spot right now and he's trying his best.","dateCreated":"1288750436","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"ayus13","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ayus13","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29523743","body":"There has been a major switch in power in our federal government. The Republicans have reclaimed power in the House of Representatives. The citizens in America go back and forth between who they support. Two years ago Barrack Obama was overwhelmingly elected by a population outraged by the former President Republican George Bush. Now, the citizens have elected Republicans over Democrats because they are upset with how the Democratic House was acting.
\nAs a result of these votes, an interesting dilemma presents itself in the White House. How will a Democratic President pressing liberal bills deal with a mostly Republican and conservative House? President Obama will now have to deal with the enormous debt, failing economy and many other problems in America with a House that holds many views opposite to his own. It will be very interesting to see how Obama handles this large change and how the American people will vote in two years for the election of the President.","dateCreated":"1288750463","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"lgoldberg1","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/lgoldberg1","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29526599","body":"I don't know too much about American politics except for the basic knowledge I obtained from the US history class. However, I can tell from the data on abc.com that the Republicans are becoming a big threat to the Democrats. First of all, there are already more Republicans elected in the House than Democrats. Secondly, the number of senates for Republican is really close to that of Democrats. This election result show us that most American were not satisfied by the policies of the previous House and Senates. They believed in the "change" that Obama could bring to the country, however it did not seem to work quite well. Especially with the economic crisis that the whole world is facing now, the Americans are desperate to have the economic issues solved. Now Obama has to deal with the challenge of coping with the Republicans in the Congress.","dateCreated":"1288754612","smartDate":"Nov 2, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"yeunganne","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/yeunganne","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29534119","body":"It seems like the Republicans are taking over the congress now because the voters are being so capricious and unhappy about what Obama has done. However, in my opinion Obama has been trying hard to improve the country. As Anne said, Obama is now facing especially with the onset world economic problem that people believe he will solve it under his presidency, which did not turn out very well. In addition, the fact those republicans now hold the majority in the House will increase the challenge for Obama and give him a harder time.","dateCreated":"1288783651","smartDate":"Nov 3, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"cassidyyang","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/cassidyyang","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29540351","body":"Republicans have taken over the House of Representatives. Republicans now have 239 seats while Democrats have only 183 seats. This means that the popularity of the Democrats has declined. The reasons might be the policies carrying out by Obama haven't helped the country much. In Senate, Republicans have 47 seats while Democrats have 51 seats. The result is very close. Democrats are still in control of the Senate. Obama should make changes while Democrats are still in control of Senate. His popularity is definitely declining as House of Representatives is taken over by Republicans and the seats in Senate of both parties are very close; Therefore, there is a high chance that in the next election Republicans will win.","dateCreated":"1288791772","smartDate":"Nov 3, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"vu_viet_tuan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/vu_viet_tuan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29595777","body":"Republicans have the house now, on the other hand it will still be tough for republicans for they do not have the majority in the senate. PA is a red state. Lets see what the republicans have to offer if they say they are going to fix things properly in the next 2 years.","dateCreated":"1288830710","smartDate":"Nov 3, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"Jbath","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Jbath","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"29599275","body":"According to the election, Republicans have the House of Representatives. That means Republicans now become stronger than before and also become a great threat to Democrats.
\nHowever, Democrats win the House of Senate, which is a slight difference. Therefore, Obama will have problems in the remainder of his term. Also, Republicans get a chance to win the next election.","dateCreated":"1288833830","smartDate":"Nov 3, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"chgh593","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/chgh593","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":2}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}