Republican Bob Turner's special election win in Anthony Weiner's old Congressional district in New York is about as stunning an upset as it gets in modern politics.This is a Brooklyn/Queens district that has voted Democratic since the 1920s.
This is a district that, according to poll numbers just a few months ago, did not want Weiner to resign over the Twitter scandal.
This is New York City.
I understand as well as anyone that people are upset about a number of things in this country. The unemployment situation is getting worse and remains the overwhelming top concern for anyone who isn't in Congress.
While the data shows joblessness leveling out at around a dismal 9 percent in the past year, there are very few people left who don't think that number is at least double that when you factor in the folks who gave up looking for work or are severely underemployed. In some parts of the country and in some demographics, the unemployment rate is estimated to be over 30 percent. And the layoffs keep coming, as seen in a recent announcement by Bank of America.
In order to maintain some faith in voters, I have to believe the upset in New York isn't about Democrats or Republicans. It's about rejecting whomever is or has been in power. Of course, that isn't how Republicans will take it, which in turn will empower them to become even worse obstructionists in the coming months.
New Yorkers sent the wrong message by electing Turner. They decided to bite their nose to spite their face.
It appears the tailspin we've be in since Republicans have adopted Tea Party negotiating principles just got worse. Barring a sudden shift to reason and cooperation in Washington, 2012 isn't likely to bring any hope to an increasingly pessimistic society or the millions of people trying to survive as they look for work.
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