Missing the Point of the Last Election

New GOP majority could mean less clout for Wisconsin | thenorthwestern.com | Oshkosh Northwestern

"It’s a mixed bag," said Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in evaluating the potential clout of the new delegation. "Losing Obey obviously is a case of clout lost. But you’re gaining Paul Ryan on the budget committee. He’s certainly in a position to be influential."

Franklin points out, however, that Ryan is among the vanguard of House Republicans who have called for fiscal restraint to help balance the nation’s budget.

"The downside," Franklin said, "is you have a majority that believes in less, not more."

I'm not sure what message the professor took from the results from the last election, but I would say one of them is that at least some people want a government that does less.  (This group doesn't include a majority of Alaska voters, but that's a post for another day.)

I also wonder if Franklin would still consider a smaller government a "downside" if it prevents a debt crisis in the U.S.