Street speak: Election reactions

Question: what is your opinion of the November election results?

Stacy Taninchev, assistant professor of political science:

"Whenever the economy is down, people tend to blame the president, no matter what political affiliation you are. I think the elections had a lot to do with that. People were punishing Democrats for the state of the economy."

Kevin O'Toole, senior:

"Honestly, I'm a tad bit confused about the results. What's the Republican surge in Congress a response to? An economy in the pits? A high-spending government that's overly involved? Or is it a sign that our government is severely disconnected from the values and needs of the American people? Are we initiating change again simply because it's the easiest way to cover the fact that we just don't know what to do anymore?"

Blaine Garvin, professor of

political science:

"It was exactly as I expected because of the advances in polling are such that we   knew in advance what was going to happen. I also expect very little action over the next two years because of the divided government."

Claire Craft, senior:

"This has definitely been an intense election both locally and nationally, but I'm excited to see how our country will build on this new bipartisan foundation."

Dane Westermeyer, junior:

"Frankly, I'm excited about the opportunity that last night's election presented this country with. Our political system was built on the idea of equilibrium, and the Democrats had their turn to evoke the change that they promised, but the nation showed us that it is time for Republicans to have a chance."

Mo Blackburn, senior:

"At a local level, I don't understand why voters are so dissatisfied with higher education costs when they're not willing to pay for education through their taxes."

Joe Honeycutt, freshman:

"I don't think the elections are going to help the state of things, since now the House and Senate are divided politically. This could lead to more chaos. But if they can work together, maybe they can be constructive."

Casey Khunhausen, junior:

"For the last two years Congressional Republicans have complained about a perceived lack of inclusion in the decision-making process. Come January, the newly elected Republican House majority will have its shot to prove to the American people that it can make good on election promises, or face the same voter backlash that has plagued the Democrats in recent months."

Anna Comfort, sophomore:

"Even though the Republicans took over the House, it doesn't mean anything's going to come of it. It's just going to be a stand still. I am happy the Republicans took over, though."