Abantu baseRiphabhlikhi babekhe baqiniseka ukuba baza koyisa; ngoku zonke izitulo zibaliwe.
KUmabonwakude ongasentla kwentloko kaGeorge Allen, abalimi baseVietnam bavuna imangosteen, iilongan namaapile erozi. Emva kwexesha kwenzeka ukuba umnumzana Allen, owayesakuba nguSenator waseRiphabhlikhi waseVirginia, akazi ukuba zeziphi ezi ziqhamo. Uninzi lwabantu athetha nabo ngexesha lotyelelo lwakhe kwindawo yokuthenga yaseVietnam kwidolophu esemantla eVirginia ababonakali bethetha isiNgesi. Kodwa akukho nanye kwezi nto imthintelayo ekucaciseni ngomdla ishumi elinesibini okanye abafiki abalupheleyo abahlanganisene kwindawo yokutyela yaseViet Taste ukuba kutheni kufuneka abuyiselwe umsebenzi wakhe wakudala. Kugqatso apho bonke abavumelanayo lusondele kakhulu ukuba bangalubiza, yonke ivoti ifanelekile ukuleqa.
Ukhuphiswano oluqatha phakathi kukaMnumzana Allen kunye noTim Kaine, imbangi yakhe yeDemokhrasi, inokugqiba ukuba leliphi iqela eligqiba ukulawula i-Senate iyonke. Isiphumo esiphantse sibe sisiqingatha semidyarho engama-33 siyathandabuza—inani eliphezulu ngokungaqhelekanga. Kubonakala ngathi kunokwenzeka ukuba igumbi lingaphela lahlule ngokulinganayo, linamalungu angama-50 kwiqela ngalinye. Oko kuyakushiya usekela-mongameli osanda kunyulwa ukuba enze ivoti egqibayo kwaye anike iqela elilawula i-Senate amandla okuqhubela phambili okanye ukukrwitsha i-ajenda kamongameli, nabani na onyuliweyo.
Ukuba iiDemokhrasi zigcina isininzi (ngoku zinomphetho we-53 ukuya kwi-47), ziyakwazi ukunqanda phantse nantoni na uMongameli uMitt Romney ecetywayo. Ukuba amaRiphabhlikhi aphumelele i-chamber kunye ne-White House, baya kukwazi ukwamkela ezinye zemigaqo-nkqubo yabo ephikisanayo-ukuguqulwa kwamalungelo kunye nokuchithwa kwenkcitho kunye nerhafu-besebenzisa inkqubo eyaziwa ngokuba yi-reconciliation. Kwaye ukuba uBarack Obama uphumelele kodwa iiDemokhrasi zilahlekelwa yiSenethi, uninzi lweziphakamiso zakhe aziyi kuvota. Uya kuzifumana ekwimeko engathandekiyo yokuvalela ukulandelana okungapheliyo kweebhili zeRiphabhlikhi.
Inyani yokuba uninzi luhlala lubanjwe lubuyisela umva kubantu baseRiphabhlikhi, abathi kude kube mva nje bebeqinisekile ngokulibamba igumbi. IiSenators zisebenza iminyaka emithandathu, kwaye i-2006 ibingunyaka onzima kwiidemokhrasi. Loo nto ibashiye nezihlalo ezingama-23 zokukhusela kwishumi leRiphabhlikhi. Ukusukela, kwiminyaka engama-53, uninzi lweeDemokhrasi zimxinwa kakhulu, amaRiphabhlikhi kufuneka athathe izihlalo ezine kuphela (okanye ezithathu kunye nomongameli) ukuze athathe ulawulo. Nangona kunjalo uthotho lwe-gaffes kunye nezinto ezothusayo kwicala leRiphabhlikhi, ezidityaniswa namaphulo anamandla angalindelekanga avela kubachasi babo, awacuthile amathuba abo.
Awona mathuba angcono okuchola amaRiphabhlikhi kufuneka abe kwiindawo ezithe tye ekunene ezinezihlalo ezivulekileyo. E-Nebraska, umzekelo, u-Deb Fischer, umpolitiki wasekhaya kunye no-rancher, ubonakala ekulungele ukubanga isihlalo somdemokhrasi u-Ben Nelson, nangona i-Democrats ikwazi ukufumana umgqatswa wabo ofanelekileyo, u-Bob Kerrey, owayesakuba yirhuluneli kunye ne-senator. Umnumzana Kerrey, ochithe ishumi leminyaka edlulileyo eqhuba iyunivesithi “eqhubekayo” kwilali yaseGreenwich, ulandela kakubi kuvoto.
Apho isicwangciso siqala khona ukungahambi kakuhle
Emantla eDakota, nangona kunjalo, ugqatso lokuthatha indawo yelinye iDemocrat edla umhlala phantsi, uKent Conrad, lusondele ngokungalindelekanga. Iidemokhrasi zimisa uHeidi Heitkamp, owayesakuba ligqwetha likarhulumente owayesakuba ligqwetha likarhulumente ngoku oncedisa ekuqhubeni iziko lombane elikhutshwa ngamalahle. Imbangi yakhe, u-Rick Berg, yi-mogul yepropathi esandula ukuba yi-congressman yelizwe eyedwa. Umsebenzi wakhe omtsha umshiye enerekhodi lezomthetho elibonelela ngefula eninzi yeentengiso zokuhlasela.
Ke kukho amazwe atyekele ekunene anababambeleyo beDemokhrasi. E-Montana umceli-mngeni, u-Denny Rehberg, ungaphambili kancinane ku-Jon Tester, owangena kwi-ofisi kwi-Democratic wave ye-2006 ngeevoti ze-3,562. Kodwa eMissouri, iRiphabhlikhi inethemba lokukhulula uClaire McCaskill xa imbangi yakhe, uTodd Akin, wathi kwiimeko "zodlwengulo olusemthethweni" abafazi banokukuphepha ngandlela thile ukukhulelwa. Uninzi lwezikhulu zaseRiphabhlikhi zabongoza uMnu Akin ukuba arhoxe; wala.
IMissouri lelinye lamazwe aliqela apho abavoti bokuqala bafaka isali kwiRiphabhlikhi ngabagqatswa ababuthathaka. E-Indiana, iRiphabhlikhi ethembekileyo yenza iqhinga lokubeka isihlalo esikhuselekileyo emngciphekweni ngokugxotha umntu owayebambe iminyaka engama-36, uDick Lugar, ethanda uRichard Mourdock, iqhawe leqela leti. Oko kuvule ithuba kuJoe Donnelly, inkongolo yeDemokhrasi ene-centrist egobileyo.
Abantu baseRiphabhlikhi, nangona kunjalo, banokudubula ekuthatheni isihlalo eWisconsin, apho owayesakuba yirhuluneli edumileyo, uTommy Thompson, ethatha uTammy Baldwin, i-gay congresswoman evela kwi-liberal Madison, ikomkhulu lelizwe. E-Connecticut, ngokwesiqhelo ilizwe elikhululekileyo, inkongolo yeDemokhrasi, uChris Murphy, wenza imozulu enzima yephulo lakhe ngokuchasene noLinda McMahon, i-tycoon ejijisanayo. Vala imidyarho eFlorida naseOhio ikwabonelela ngamathuba.
Ithuba lokuvota likaMnumzana Obama lamva nje kuzo zonke ezi ndawo, ukuba liyanyamezela, kusenokwenzeka ukuba linyuse abaviwa beDemokhrasi. Kunzima ukucinga ukuba uthwele iFlorida okanye iOhio ngaphandle komgqatswa wasekhaya weDemokhrasi weSenate naye okhona. (Ukuba uMitt Romney ebenokukhokela, nangona kunjalo, amathemba eRiphabhlikhi kwiNdlu yeeNgwevu ebeya kuqhakaza.) Umsila ka-Obama unokunceda ukuphakamisa i-Wall-Street-basher u-Elizabeth Warren ogqithileyo kwi-pickup-driving Everyman kunye ne-pin-up yexesha elinye. Scott Brown eMassachusetts, ngaphandle kokungakwazi kukaNksk Warren ukungqina ibango lakhe lokuba unookhokho bomthonyama baseMelika.
Izihlalo ezibanjwe yiRiphabhlikhi ziphantsi kosoyikiso, hayi eMassachusetts naseNevada kuphela, njengoko bekulindelekile, kodwa naseArizona naseMaine, ebezijongwa njengengafumanekiyo. E-Arizona i-Democrats ibambe umgqatswa owomeleleyo e-Richard Carmona, igqala elihonjisiweyo, iLatino kunye nowayesakuba ngugqirha wotyando jikelele phantsi kuka-George W. Bush. Umchasi wakhe nguJeff Flake, i-hawk elahlekileyo evotelwe kwiinkqubo ezininzi ezidumileyo. E-Maine umhlala-phantsi we-Olympia Snowe, emva kweminyaka eyi-18, ushiye amaRiphabhlikhi ejikeleza kwindawo ekhohlo. U-Angus King, owayesakuba yirhuluneli ezimeleyo, ujongeka ukuba angasiphumelela isihlalo, kwaye uyala ukutsho ukuba leliphi iqela aza kubambana nalo. Loo nto imenza abe ngomnye umntu ohlekisayo kukhuphiswano apho abantu baseRiphabhlikhi babecinga ukuba bawabambe onke amakhadi.
(Ingcali yezoQoqosho)
