Virginia election a wake-up call

Republicans swept the three top offices in Virginia tonight.

My take on that is that we've reached a point where voters will give the boot to incumbent parties if unemployment continues to climb each year. Even in a relatively prosperous state like Virginia - a state that has been turning more Democrat in the last decade - jobs are the No. 1 issue according to the polls.

This is a state that voted for President Obama last November but tonight elected Bob McDonnell as governor by a 20-point margin over the Democrat, Creigh Deeds. And while the Commonwealth has done better than many states in retaining jobs, the fact remains that far too many folks are unemployed or are living in fear of becoming jobless soon. A lot of people are also underemployed, which is an under-reported but nonetheless growing problem in the higher-cost-of-living parts of the state.

I don't think the answer to unemployment lies with either party. But I am relatively certain that incumbents will continue to fall in future elections if people continue to lose jobs or are unable to get back to work at a reasonably similar level to their prior positions.

Whether you believed him or not, McDonnell was not shy about calling himself the jobs candidate during the campaign. Now we will see if he truly becomes the jobs governor. We already know from his own words that he's not a proponent of taking federal money to help extend unemployment benefits in the state, which is disturbing to say the least. But most unemployed people would gladly trade a state benefits check for paycheck.

The clock is ticking for many jobless Virginians. Time has expired for some who have lost their homes, and others are looking for cheaper digs in other states while they still have a few bucks in the bank.

The Republicans are now in the hot seat and must fix the problem if they want to remain in office. The Obama administration needs to step up efforts nationally to get people back to work or else face many more political casualties during next year's mid-term elections.

The Virginian elections were an unmistakable warning shot fired by citizens who are growing tired of change that hasn't really changed anything. Unemployment continues to climb, we're still pouring billions into war and bailed-out corporations are still handing out millions of dollars in bonuses while laying off workers.

It appears to a growing number of voters that politicians in Richmond and Washington aren't feeling their pain. Tonight, the tables were turned.