Midterm elections: the day after

As a political student Frederick Griefer from Virginia followed the midterm election very closely, and he wasn't surprised that the Senate was taken over by the Republicans. "There has been a gridlock between the White House and Capitol Hill and between the president and Congress," he said. "And the president's party is being blamed, either rightly or wrongly, for that gridlock."

His friend Domingo Juan from Washington DC is convinced by the newly elected government: "I think that with a Republican Congress and a Democrat president, we are going to see things get done in Washington. We are going to see major moves on the economy and major moves on immigration," he predicted. In other words, what might be a disappointment for the Democrats is actually a blessing for the country.

Jerry Moran, senator for Kansas, was more than happy with the results. "It means good things for America," he said after the vote. "A message that is important to us as senators is that we get rid of the dysfunction that has lasted so long on the Senate floor. It will be beneficial not only to the Republicans. It will be beneficial to the country."

Disappointed Democrats

For Democrats, election night turned out far worse than any of them had feared. Months before the election, many voters felt disappointed in President Obama, so the results didn't come as a surprise for many Democrats.

In fact, Democrat Edward Hamilton sees an opportunity even in this loss: "This will bring enough opportunity for the president and Congress to work together on the issues that Americans really care about," he said. "It is the economy, making sure that we all have good jobs, making sure that we have sources of energy, and making sure that we have a strong foreign policy. We will see if the Republicans can work with our president.”

There will be hard times for the next two years for Obama: A Republican-led Senate and Congress on the one side and a Democrat President on the other - how can that work? But a divided government doesn't have to be a bad thing, claimed voter Linda Rice from Maryland. "Clinton did very well with a divided government. He was still able to work with a GOP controlled legislature," she said. "I don't know if Obama will be as successful, I'm not sure if he is quite the dealmaker that Clinton was."

The last three presidents to serve two terms - Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush - spent their last two years in office with the opposition controlling both chambers of Congress.

No matter how people feel about the election results - now it is up to the new government to convince its voters by its actions and trying to act in concert for what is best for the country. But Griefer is still skeptical about the future: "Nothing had gotten done even when there was a split congress under President Obama. So for the next two years it's a guarantee that nothing will happen."