Infowars.com
PrisonPlanet.tv
Listen Now
Barack Obama has been dealt a strong hand to enact his agenda of change after the Democratic Party routed the Republicans in both houses of Congress.
But the GOP was still clinging to hopes that they might stop Democrats from reaching the magic total of 60 seats in the US Senate, that would make it nearly impossible for the opposition to use procedural manoeuvres to block legislation.
Democrats — needing nine more seats to increase their majority in the 100-seat upper chamber from 51-49 to 60-40, protecting them from filibusters — had picked up five Republican seats in North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Colorado.
(Article continues below)
Meanwhile in the House of Representatives Democrats were set to increase their 37-seat majority by at least another 20.
One of the biggest Republican casualties was Senator Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina. The veteran politician, wife of former presidential candidate Bob Dole, whose hopes of winning the White House were ended by Bill Clinton in 1996, lost to Kay Hagan after a campaign in which an attack advertisement accusing her Democrat opponent of being “Godless” appeared to have backfired badly.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
In Alaska 84-year-old Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, was also in trouble after being convicted on corruption charges last week. This morning the race remained undecided.
Two former Democrat governors, Mark Warner of Virginia and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, won seats held by Republicans. Mr Warner had been favoured to win the Virginia battle in a race that epitomised the transformation of Virginia from a deeply “red” Republican state to one tilting to the Democrats.
