Realignment

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Looking back at this, isn't it's strange how we often overlook important facts?
Because the little piece Soulty wrote is, in many ways, very accurate but (and this is with the benefit of good old 20/20 hindsight) the overall prediction is wrong because of an important fact that everyone (us, political analysists, politicians, the media etc etc etc) failed to notice; that the Presidency of Bill Clinton was a fluke.
Think about it; we all know, deep down at the very least, that his victory in 1992 was pretty damn freakish, I don't think I need to point out why.
But... what we still haven't come to terms with is the fact that his re-election was just as big a fluke, and maybe even a larger one. Bubba was re-elected for three main reasons:

1. A booming economy, the creation of which had nothing to do with him whatsoever and which was largely built on sand (there might be a wee bit of hyperbole here, but the basic point remains true).
2. The fact that he had adopted the more popular aspects of the Congressional GOP's policies (especially Welfare Reform) and was able to get away with it.
3. Ross Perot running again.

Now, when you take all of that into consideration, everything starts to make sense doesn't it? Let's look at election cycles:

1994; GOP: House, Senate
1996; GOP: House, Senate. Dems: White House
2000; GOP: House, White House. Tied: Senate
2002; GOP: House, Senate
2004; GOP: House, Senate, White House

Notice anything? The only major victory for the Democratic Party from 1994 until now was the 1996 Presidential Election... which seems to have been more than a little bit of a fluke, especially when you consider the party's failure to topple a beatable GOP majority in the House.