CNN news 2014-11-10 加文本

cnn news 2014-11-10

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Obviously, Republicans had a good night. What stands out to me, though, is that the

American people sent a message, one that they`ve sent for several elections: now they expect the people they elect to work as hard as they

do.

CARL AZUZ, cnn ANCHOR: First up today, on cnn STUDENT NEWS, President Obama reacting to a midterm election that largely went against his

political party in Congress.

Americans voted to take Senate control from the president`s fellow Democrats and give it to Republicans. They also voted to give Republicans

their biggest majority in the House of Representatives since World War II.

TOM FOREMAN, cnn CORRESPONDENT: Well, what is right now, is the Congress that looks nothing like the Congress that Barack Obama started with.

Look at the U.S. Senate first. We fly it up high here.

Back when he took over in 2008, the Republicans were on the ropes. They had 41 seats. The Democrats had 57, plus two Independents that caucus with

them. In 2010, they lost six seats here on the Democratic side, gained a little of it back in 2012, but then came the deluge. Look at what happened

overnight. The Republicans had 52 at least, as we go through the counting here, Democrats down to 43, a couple of Independents, one of them - they

changed sides, and some undecided, but nonetheless, Republicans in charge.

This chamber has changed in a dramatic way.

And if you go across the rotunda in the Capitol, over to the U.S. House of Representatives. There the numbers are even more stark. Let`s change

everything over here, and look at the House and take it up high. 2008 when Barack Obama took over, Republicans are 178 seats, Democrats, 257. Then,

two years later, there was a landslide. The Democrats lost 66 seats. They gained a little bit back. Look at the numbers now, because this is where

we stand at this hours. We are adding this up. 242 for the Republicans, 174 for the Democrats. Some still undecided out there, but this is a

route. You add it all up, and President Obama in his two midterms will end up losing somewhere between 60 and 70 seats in Congress. Compare that to

some other presidents out there.

Ronald Reagan lost 31 during his midterms, George W. Bush, lost just 22 during his midterms and Bill Clinton lost just 49. All this means that if

the numbers keep running true this way, Barack Obama will have ended up losing more seats, his party will have lost more seats during his midterms

than any party has with any president since Harry Truman. So, this is a real setback for the Democrats right now. And the landscape, the

fundamental political landscape is changed dramatically.

AZUZ: Now, this is why it matters: the U.S. has an executive branch controlled by a Democrat. And it will have a legislative branch controlled

by Republicans. Can they bridge their differences on how to govern the country? You know from civics that bills usually start in the House - or

Senate, details are hammered out between the two chambers, and if a compromise has reached, it heads to the president for signature in the law.

But if c a Democrat, doesn`t like the bills that Republican lawmakers pass. He can veto them. And it takes it two thirds

vote in both chambers of Congress to override that veto. That`s hard to do. The president can bypass Congress and make policy changes through executive

orders.

But those are limited. They can be challenged in court, and Congress can decide, not to fund them. Without significant compromise, the capital

could get tents.

FOREMAN: For all of the Democratic lawsuits, the single biggest casualty of the night may have been President Obama`s agenda. His ability to

determine what`s being discusses in the houses of Congress. Here`s some specific examples.

After the Newtown shooting, there was a lot of energy in this country for new gun control laws. The Democrats couldn`t turn that into passable

legislation. It is very unlikely that embolden Republicans will now give the president any kind of other shot at that. What about immigration

reform? Democrats and Republicans have constantly disagreed on how that should be managed. Again, unless the president changes his stance a lot,

Republicans are not going to help him get anything through in all likelihood.

Yes, Republicans like the idea of new infrastructure improvements. They like new bridges, new roads, new dams, new electrical grids. But they will

not want to pay for this with increased taxes. They will want cuts to social programs to pay for it. That`s a non-starter for Democrats, and of

course, there is Obamacare.

Many Republicans can see they cannot overturn it now, but they can certainly make it very hard for President Obama and Democrats to make any

refinements or changes that could make it work better in Democratic eye.

All of this could basically take all these things off the table, kill them right now and more importantly Republicans could then start shoving

legislation at the president that he feels he simply cannot sign as a Democrat and then the Republicans will say ah, which party is the party of

"No" now?

And that could be a tough pill for the Democrats to swallow.