the retaking of congress was symbolic more than effective. it is still hamstrung, no matter which side of the coin is showing.
americans are right to be critical of congress dems for being spineless, but the numbers being lower than bush's is a red herring, imo.

they both suck, and the public know it, they're tired of right-centre-right, and are being offered extreme right or centrist, hope-for-change.

obama's done fantastically, given the givens, yet he hasn't convinced the white poor south that letting the country go even further right will possibly lead to species survival at stake, because he doesn't want to be seen as scary, or carter-malaise-y. sadly they see an elitist, uppity liberal intellectual who doesn't get that life without god'n'guns is for commie pussie fags.

his persona of stern-earnest alternating with breezy banter is is welcome, he has some amazing cards in his hand, and i think speaks to the young voters, still innocent of how politics is executed, like no-one since kennedy.

i'm praying hard that they a: vote him in, b: that he can run a presidency as well or better than his campaign.

this election matters for world race relations, but even more, for raising the thoughtfulness of international dialogue in these rocky times.

have fun at the meetup!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty