Two/thirds of Americans don't bother to vote in US politricks myth-ritual

Republicans just won the election. President Obama doesn’t much care.

By Chris Cillizza  

November 5 

 

 

President Obama gestures as he speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 5. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

 

President Obama had a clear message for congressional Republicans in the wake of the GOP's sweeping victories in the Senate and House on Tuesday: Big whoop.
"There's no doubt that Republicans had a good night," Obama said in his opening remarks, the rhetorical equivalent of a slow clap for Republicans. He wouldn't go any further — even when pressed  to put a single word to the defeat as he did when he called the 2010 election a "shellacking."  He emphasized the number of people — "two thirds" — who didn't vote Tuesday. Despite saying repeatedly that his policies were on the ballot Tuesday, Obama insisted Wednesday that the message of the election wasn't a rejection of those policies but rather a sign that the American public wanted politicians to work together to get things done. Asked whether he had made a mistake by not reaching out to Republicans more in the past few years, Obama let out an audible sigh before answering. He said it was too soon to talk about any personnel changes.
"The principles ... are not going to change," Obama insisted.