Roy Sekoff On The Election Wake Up Call (VIDEO)

HuffPost Editor Roy Sekoff was a guest on The Ed Show Wednesday to discuss what Tuesday's election results mean for Democrats and President Obama. Sekoff said that pundits are reading too much into the outcome and that the dire scenarios they're painting for Democrats are misguided:

It was definitely a wake up call for the Democrats and Obama, but it wasn't a clanging alarm clock like they're trying to tell us. It's like when you're wife wakes you up, firmly and gently shaking you, and whispers in your ear, 'it's still the economy, stupid.'

WATCH: (Sekoff's segment starts at 12:28)

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Comments

[dawlishgal]

Trying to analyze my deep feelings of disappointment in Obama's presidency.

OK.... It isn't that not much has been accomplished....I didn't expect a lot. I feel cheated by his difference in passion and concern for ordinary people. He can inspire and reassure with his speech, and he has done very little of that lately . Of course, this lack raises questions about whether he gives a damn about his campaign promises now that he won the election.

This gap is especially serious where health care is concerned. He opens the White House door to big pharm and big insurance and grants them major concessions before the negotiations even begin,, and he says almost nothing in public about SPECIFICALLY what HE wants on behalf of those who supported and worked for him and for the rest of Americans. We have been asked to take an awful lot on faith. We KNOW that he can be moving and compassionate when he actually cares about something....he did this fairly routinely during the campaign.

Now, when he says and does make a REAL difference, he seems oddly silent and detached. What happened? He spends more time courting Snowe than making a moral case for REAL health care. Why?

And now his flunkies are trying to sell the piece of crap that we seem to be getting as what the president wanted in the first place. Could Obama PLEASE use his eloquency to give his supporters a TRUE explaination of what is happening now?

[FourSordidRms]

I wonder if this isn't a tempest in a teapot, trying to make some kind of national referendum out of two gubernatorial elections? NJ has had notorious problems, and Corzine hasn't been a good governor. I couldn't speculate about VA. It just seems like the 24-hour news cycle at work again, trying to draw a conclusion or suggest a trend with nothing, in reality, to support it.

[jsgaetano]

Well, the conservatives wanted to make this election a referendum on Obama, so we are happy to oblige.

They lost miserably, so yes, America still overwhelmingly supports America and Our President.

[Hunt1530]

I think people who are calling these gubernatorial elections a referendum on Mr Obama are way out to lunch or are once again engaged the perenially popular practice of wishful thinking.

In Canada where I live we have party politicians with political party affiliations at the provincial level and the federal level. No one ever suggests that electing one set is a referendum on the other. They exist separately and generally get elected or lose on their own merits.

Though I am obviously not an American I would imagine that people voting for a governor take that governor's actions (or lack thereof) into account when making a decision. If a governor does a bad job then they get replaced with the other guy.

I wonder under these circumstances how much people really factor in what the president or for that matter the congress or the senate. Maybe someone living in NJ or VA can enlighten me.

[Chandidevi]

VA Dem running 4 guv OPPOSED Obama programs SO HE LOST. NY Dem for Cong. who SUPPORTED Obama became 1st Dem 2 win there since 1860s! New Jersey threw the former chairman of GOLDMAN SACHS outta the Governor's chair, not the "Democrat." Why has the media missed this message? - Michael Moore

[rblaquinta]

I will try posting this comment one more time. Obama ran on three big issues, healthcare, energy reform and education reform. For Ed to rant about our President speaking about education and all the money from the stimulus that has been put aside to improve the quality of this dumbed down country including stating that 30% of kids do not even finish High School is appalling to me. Ed get educated and stop spewing like Rush.

[timberdoodle]

It would appear as though once again the old adage of "People are their own worst enemy!" comes true.

Not going out to vote and allowing people who obstruct, lie and deny to get elected because you are unhappy with the delays these same people have created isn't much different than committing suicide.

The Republican Party goes against or delays everything from increased unemployment benefits, veterans benefits, health care reform and allowing for rape victims to seek justice when their employment contract calls for arbitration.

[OgreDaddy]

We want to blame the figurehead, our president for all our problems when our mutual enemies
are the corporate scheisters in Congress who have sold out on doing what is best for the greater good
of all.

Now that we can comminicate so freely, we can send a very clear message to Congress.

We are going to use what we have learned and vote out the corporate shills in the 2010 primaries.

If this president won't clean house, then the people need to.

[JustBNice]

One corporate shill comes out, another rcorporate shill goes in.

Unless we get guys like Bernie Sanders, Dennis Kucinich, and a few others.

We need campaign finance reform, but "they" will never do it.

[rblaquinta]

THe dude they put up in Virginia..was not a real democrate. He was against public option, cap and trade and most of Obama's agenda...no shock that no one showed up to vote for him. Ed do your homework!!!!

[jsgaetano]

That was the lesson Democrats should be learning from this election. When Dems run as teabaggers, they lose. When Dems run as Dems... they win.

[tiredoldsteelworker]

The White House, Senate, and House need to continue on the course they have chosen. Vote it all in, put every bill in front of Barry to sign. In fact, I hope Barry gets writers cramp signing all those wonderful pieces of legislation. Keep your blinders on. Don't pay any attention to those uniformed idiots in VA and NJ. Prove that what happened on Nov. 3rd was an anomaly. Step up and prove them all wrong. Go DEMS!

[logicalchoice]

What happened was us letting the dems know that they don't get a free ride, but in no way are we ever going to let a palin nominee in. If you want to run as a D you better do it on a platform of pro-reform and running with O not against him. We aren't Rs, we don't just vote any D into office. That's the difference between us and them. We actually want good representatives that care about our issues not the next election.

[tiredoldsteelworker]

Didn't know Palin was running for office, don't know if I would support her if she was. Nothing wrong with a pro-reform platform, but the voters in NJ and VA voted with their pocket books. They are worried about the economy and they are losing their jobs. Washington hasn't figured that out yet, because they have jobs. Their staff have jobs. Their sons and daughters have jobs because of the connections they have with someone in Washington. Mid-terms in 2010 should very interesting.

[bagelmaven]

Obama simply makes sad. I was once in love and overjoyed and now I'm just sad. It's not the same when I see him now I simply say UGH....the problem is the other side is UGHER!

[bobfeld]

Joey and Mica are having healthcare town hall "meetings". Is MSNBC becoming an activist station like FOX?

[bobfeld]

Anybody else notice this: According to the MSM,on Monday NY23 was HUGE, A Game changer, ET

[den1953]

The jobs problem isn't a Republican or Democratic problem it will be the survival of our country problem it is a American problem no matter who is at fault it's beyond that argument. The trade between countries is not done fairly and the import to export ratio is way off causing our jobs to go to China & India for cheap labor. Here in America people can't afford to work for 50 cents a hour like the wages they pay in those countries they need a solution!

[WingMann]

Our enemies are watching all this silly bickering, and wringing their hands with glee.

[jsgaetano]

Not surprising, considering how conservatives always make common cause with America's enemies.

[jsgaetano]

What she was really whispering into his ear was "it's the conservative ideology, stupid".

The only losses we had were because the Dem candidates were trying to run as teabagging conservatives. Real America will NOT turn out to vote for ConservaDems.

The REAL lesson- if Democrats want to win, they need to run as Democrats.

[sixchair]

This says it all....

Wall Street gets all the H1N1 vaccine it wants while pregnant mothers, children and hospitals stand in line!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33651691#33651691