What will the Republican legacy be post-2010?
Some will view the election outcome as a tremendous victory for the Republicans.
President Obama faces a lame-duck administration.  All signs point to partisan gridlock in the federal government for at least the next congressional session.
That’s how America’s political system works.  We have two major parties.  Both act like top-dog.
Both bring up the same arguments against each other every two years. To those frustrated by this, I have one thing to say: don’t hate the player, hate the game.
Federally, the government is caught in this cycle, and has been for years. The real action has been taking place on the state level.
All the talk nowadays is on the ramifications of the congressional shift in ideology to conservatism.
More influential to American politics will be the shift in State gubernatorial ideology.
More than half of all 50 states will have a new governor in 2011.  Eighteen of these governors will represent the Republican party.
This has two major consequences. The 2010 Census requires congressional redistricting in every state, which will be completed under the authority of 29 Republican governors.
Also, the 2012 presidential election will be influenced tremendously by the Republican governors in key swing states.
In many states facing population gains or losses, the final authority for these congressional districts’ shapes and their geographical settings will be on the shoulders of Republican governors.
Pennsylvania has been predicted to lose one of their 19 seats in the House of Representatives.
Had Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato won, he could have tailored that disappearing district to be Republican- but he didn’t.
Republican Tom Corbett won and you can bet he will make sure the Democrats feel the seat loss personally.
Another huge advantage the Republicans have with their 18 new governors will be seen in the 2012 presidential election.
Key swing states like Iowa, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio all went to Republican governors.
In 2004, Republican George W. Bush did particularly well winning in three of these swing states.
In 2008, our Democratic president Barack Obama won all 6 of the aforementioned states.
The key to winning those states is each of those states’ respective governors and the power they wield through their position.
Governors can help a presidential candidate with party recognition, fundraising and a warm endorsement from the States’ leaders.
With their recent victory, the Republicans can stake a claim to a long-term legacy.
It’s not always all about the federal government.
Former Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil once said, “All politics are local.”
We will see a Republican legacy not through the Federal Congress, but by our States’ governors.