# How is all this Republican overreach going to play out in November 2014? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 7, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884 "2013-07-07T18:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/261 "2013-10-13T19:23:50Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > For one thing, the public in recent years has reacted VERY negatively to one-party rule. At least in terms of the Democrats’ track record, it would actually be good, politically, for the Democrats to win unified control in 2014, if it would mean a third straight ass-kicking two years later(1994 and 2010). > > The last time Democrats controlled the whole government and didn’t get booted in only two years was 1978. And even there they lost 15 seats in the House and 3 in the Senate. The last time the Democrats didn’t lose big after controlling Congress and the White House for two years was the 1964 Johnson landslide. And THAT mistake was quickly corrected in 1966 when the GOP won 44 seats, followed by Nixon’s victory. > > At least in terms of the pure politics, the LAST thing Democrats should want in 2014 is the House. If the Republicans were to lose the house in 2014 with the current advantages they have and during midterms that would be a massacre of historical proportions. Obviously the party would rebound after that, that doesn’t make the ass kicking a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/262 "2013-10-13T19:35:41Z")
2010 had nothing to do with one party rule and everything to do with “holy shit there’s a black president.” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/263 "2013-10-14T04:26:06Z")
A black President which the public happily elected. They didn’t turn on him because they suddenly realized he was black. You can blame the economy or “structural reasons” as Jonathon Chait did, but the country didn’t suddenly go racist in 2010 and flip back to enlightened in 2012. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/264 "2013-10-14T04:33:30Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > A black President which the public happily elected. They didn’t turn on him because they suddenly realized he was black. You can blame the economy or “structural reasons” as Jonathon Chait did, but the country didn’t suddenly go racist in 2010 and flip back to enlightened in 2012. Do you think that midterm elections have as much turnout as presidential elections? If not, then having a specifically passionate group could cause a large wave during an otherwise low turnout election right? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/265 "2013-10-14T04:43:30Z")
Wave elections aren’t caused by low turnout. 2006 and 2010 both featured higher turnout than usual and most importantly, independents overwhelmingly going for the opposition party. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/266 "2013-10-14T11:06:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Wave elections aren’t caused by low turnout. 2006 and 2010 both featured higher turnout than usual and most importantly, independents overwhelmingly going for the opposition party. Midterm elections are all about low turnout. The independents of 2010 were just Republicans calling themselves independent. They were motivated by the fact that America had gone ahead and elected a black president. The idea that suddenly, in 2010, there was massive concern about government spending, a concern not evident in the least between 2000-2008, is just stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/267 "2013-10-14T15:14:53Z")
It is precisely because midterms usually have low turnout that a relatively high midterm turnout can result in a wave election. Usually, a relatively high turnout is mostly because of one particular demographic turning out in full, and compared to the anemic turnout of other demographics in a midterm, that can have a significant effect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884.md?page=13)