[Hoot Gibson]

I thought (according to people like TRV and CNN) that the Republican party was dead. After last night I think the American people sent a loud and clear message that a party red or blue is only as strong or weak as the last person to fill an office and how good of a job they did, but the Republican party and the values of the people in it are alive and well. I was not a big fan of Bush Jr and I think he did hurt the Republican chances in the last 2 elections, but I also think that Obama is now hurting his own party for 2016. I think the scary thing for democrats is that Obama still has 2 years to make it even worse. I think that the eyes of all the nation will be on Obama from now till 2016 to see how he responds to this Republican surge and if he does bad I can see a Republican in office in 2016 IMO.

Great points. Liberal pundits are already talking as if Obama will not be a campaign issue in 2016, but you are right our president has two more years to make even more Americans hate his policies and his incompetence. Republicans just won a wave of elections by tying Democratic candidates to Obama. It is only logical to think that the GOP will run a campaign against any Democrat who has supported Obama's policies (and what potential Democratic candidate has not?) by portraying them as a status quo candidate.

Hillary Clinton can run but she cannot hide from her role in Obama's administration. If the Democrats are smart, they will start looking very hard for a Democratic governor who criticized Obama's policies, if such a person exists. It will be very hard for a Washington insider who supported Obama to get elected in 2016.