In 2010, the GOP victory, such as it was, was covered as a “shellacking,” to use the President’s term at the time.
Obama admitted that the Republicans had given his party a severe beating – or as he termed it, a “shellacking” – and said it had given him a late and uncomfortable night. “Some election nights are more fun than others,” he said. “Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling.”
At a White House press conference, he portrayed himself as contrite after the election results, which saw the Republicans make gains across the country, capturing control of the House of Representatives with a majority of more than 60 and just failing to win the Senate.
He admitted he may have been out of touch with the mood in the US, saying that was a consequence of being in the White House “bubble”, and maybe he had got the message wrong during campaigning.
“The election . . . underscores for me that I’ve got to do a better job, just like everybody else in Washington does.”
The New York Times covered the 2010 midterms as a “resurgence” for the GOP:
The outcome on Tuesday was nothing short of a remarkable comeback for Republicans two years after they suffered a crushing defeat in the White House and four years after Democrats swept control of the House and Senate.
I remember around hannity.com, we had four years of people using the phrase “the people’s House,” following John Boehner’s exhortation:
“While our new majority will serve as your voice in the people’s House, we must remember it is the president who sets the agenda for our government. The American people have sent an unmistakable message to him tonight, and that message is: Change course.”
How do you compare the broad outlines of 2010 with 2018?
