The people and the political pendulum swinging back?

To paraphrase Roger Miller ders how the president will navGiven the preceding qualifiers, results as a mandate for conserlicans indeed take charge, if they -- and, indeed, to reveal my vast igate the next two years -- with weasel words and other verbal vatism, which would be just as would skip the hubris course and store of musical trivia -- America or without Democratic support, outlets favored by political progmistaken as Democrats who read buckle down with their Demoswings like a pendulum do. which has been scarcer than lawnosticators, permit me a few obObama’s election and re-election cratic counterparts to make wise,

If projections, human nayers’ jobs in recent weeks. servations about the state of govas a mandate for Just Everything! not goal-prancing, decisions. The ture and historical bent prevail As token consolations should ernment, the people and the penWhat’s happening this time is people will be entrusting to the next Tuesday, we may see a bit Republicans succeed in taking dulum. that people feel unmoored. The victors their fates and their chilof topsy-turvy up back the Senate, Americans may What seems clear is that the world may not be scarier than dren’s future -- no trifling matonthebenighted ters.ever,butwe’remoreawarethanno longer routinely peer into the hope-and-change formula that Hill. Anything still funereal face of Senate leader catapulted a relative unknown ever. hat our political pendulum can happen, but it Harry Reid. Rather they could be into the presidency has lost its There’s nothing like a few betells us, meanwhile, is that we the seems as though treated to the equally mirthless magic. headings to put things in perspecpeople are neither hard right nor Republicans may countenance of Mitch McConnell, This isn’t intended as an indicttive. hard left, if every now and then command both the the man who once said his goal ment of Obama’s performance, Thus, I suspect that a ballot an exemplar of either wins favor House and Senwas to limit Obama to one term. which speaks for itself, but this cast in the midterms is less a vote long enough to remind us of this atefact.beginningnextRepublicans are too smart to election surely is a referendum forapersonorpolicythanitisa Wyear. celebrate, yet, and Democrats, on his presidency as much as it is vote against the void so many perhat we are is a nation of sen

In this event, ever saddled with hope and -anything else. The pendulum that ceive in the presidency. When two sible sorts, most of whom come President Obama would be left what was that other thing? -- are swung hard leftward in 2008 -of the four horsemen of the bibhome each day to rest where the alone with his pen and executive too busy scrambling for unrenotwithstanding Obama’s rhetorlical Apocalypse come galloppendulum do. May the victors, power. Wouldn’t he rather just liable midterm voters. Pundits, ical flourishes about unifying the ing out of hell’s gate -- Death/Ebboth Democrat and Republican, have a newspaper and a cup of meanwhile, whose brilliance ofcountry -- is now gaining momenola and War/Islamic State -- one remember this fact and keep it coffee? Worst. Job. Ever. ten shines in retrospect, have tum on its inevitable return tocan hardly rely on the hopers to close to their conscience.

Indeed, with the Islamic State, drummed their fingers to nubs ward the right. sort things out. It’s doer time. Or, Ebola and the harsher realities of waiting for Election Day as Brits Victorious Republicans would Dewar’s, if you please. Obamacare on the rise, one won- do a royal birth. be at risk of reading this election’s It would be nice, should Repub- Kathleen Parker writes for the Washington Post Writers Group.