Following an anticipated
shift in power in the House of
Representatives recently,
where Republicans gained
over 50 seats, winning the
majority, students and faculty
at Bucks spoke out up about
the outcome of the midterm
elections.
Filled with ballot controversy,
malicious advertising, and
nail-biting anxiety, the Nov. 2
elections have given
Republicans the House majority
as well as more seats in the
Senate, leaving many hopeful
but weary.
The Republican Party promises
to revise or reveal
President Obama’s health care
law, limit the size of the government
and put the power
back into the hands of the people.
Despite having good intentions,
some students are worried
that the Republicans now
in control of the House will
morph the health care law to a
point where they will no longer
be covered.
“I’m not happy about it at
all,” said Ricky Curtis, 20, a
film major from Warminster.
Curtis, who is not employed
full-time and is not eligible for
health benefit programs from
his job at Target, was happy
when Obama passed the health
care reform, allowing full-time
students to remain under their
parents’ health insurance until
the age of 25.
Curtis is afraid that when
Republicans start revising the
law, he will no longer be covered.
“The biggest problem I have
with the Republicans being in
control right now is that
they’re trying to negate all of
Obama’s polocies,” Curtis
said.
The shift will certainly make
it more difficult for Obama to
push anything forward, but
Republicans said recently that
they are still working under the
president’s administrationand
that the president is still in
charge.
Associate Professor of Arts
and Communication Shawn
Queeney said, “The electorate
is mental. We don’t know what
we want.” Queeney is worried
about voters first wanting
change and looking toward
President Obama and now
wanting change and looking
toward the Republicans.
“The thing that troubles me
about the election is that nothing
is really going to change
because of it,” Queeney said in
a disheartened tone. “Nothing
that can make the people
happy anyway. The problems
are mostly economic, not legislative.”
Obama made a statement
after the election, taking full
responsibility for the
Democratic Party’s defeat at
the polls.
Alex Bonelli, 21, a biology
major from Bensalem, said she
was not comfortable with
Republicans being the majority
in the House.
“They [Republicans] are
being unfair,” Bonelli said.
“They want change to happen
too quickly and they’re being
too critical of Obama.” Bonelli
said she doubted that
Republican control would
bring anything new to the
table.
According to various statements
from both political parties,
it seems they are willing
to work together and while
they still disagree on some
issues, are willing to compromise.
“It’s always a lesser of two
evils,” said 24-year-old Tristan
Doremus, a computer science
major from Yardley. Though
Doremus did not vote in the
elections, he said he probably
would have voted Democratic.
“I’m not too happy about this,”
Doremus said.
As seen in previous campaigns,
the blame game is the
no. 1 thing Doremus fears.
“Everyone will shift the blame
and I am afraid that everyone
will not get along,” Doremus
said.
“I guess if you were able to
vote no confidence, this would
be similar to that,” Queeney
said.
Republicans now hold 239
seats in the House while
Democrats sit in only 186. The
changeover is considered the
biggest in 70 years.
The Democrats lost six seats
in the Senate but still have control
with 52 seats and the
Republicans holding 46.