Last weeks midterm Congressional elections in the USA were a dramatic success for the revitalized Republican party over their Democratic rivals. The Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives losing a total of 64 seats. Having checked the statistics this seems to be the worst result for the Democrats in the House of Representatives since 1938 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President! The Democrats also lost 6 seats in the Senate although retaining control there. However, only a third of the seats were up for election in the Senate. The Republicans also picked up 10 governorships; and gained control of 19 state legislative chambers and now hold their highest level of state legislative seats since 1928.

So how have the last two years transformed the picture from one of Obama's euphoric election in 2008 to one where public support has apparently dramatically swung back to the Republicans?

To some extent such a see-saw cycle was to be expected. Thats why I didn't bother to even try and predict the outcome. Just about every incumbent Presidency has seen the leader's party lose support at the midterm Congressional elections. Remember the Democrats loss of 54 seats at the Congressional elections in 1994? Many other Presidents have come back from midterm election reverses to win the subsequent Presidential contest. Still, the current results are nonetheless dramatic.

Undoubtably a major reason to explain the unpopularity of Obama's Presidency is the sluggish state of the US economy and the high US unemployment rate. Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign slogan of 'its the economy, stupid!' seems to have proved its worth again. In terms of the economic climate Obama has probably inherited the toughest period to be President in peacetime since Franklin Delano Rooselvelt in the 1930's. However, there have been other issues that have mobilised the American conservative grass roots symbolized by the Tea Party movement against the Obama Presidency. The US Banking crisis and the massive Federal bail out legislation amounting to $700 billion (and subsequently expanded) have caused strong resentment in many parts of American society. Similarly, the Health Care and Environmental legislation piloted by Obama through Congress were deeply resented by many conservative voters. The BP Oil slick off the Gulf coast this summer has added another factor that seemed to impact on the popularity of Obama's Presidency. There is also a perception in some quarters that Obama is simply 'out of touch' with grass roots public opinion. President Obama's support for a Mosque and Islamic Centre close to the ground zero site of the 9/11 attack in New York is an issue that has allowed his opponents to represent him, and, by implication his party, as aloof and alienated from majority public sentiment regarding 9/11.

What is different about the indignation of the Tea party movement though is that its supporters see the root of the problem not just in the Democrat party but in the Federal Republican party too. In particular Tea party supporters see Democrats and many mainstream Republican politicians as twin supporters of a disastrous domestic policy legacy of big government, big spending, and betrayal of core fiscal principles. Supporters of the Tea party support a libertarian, scaled down model of US government and look back nostalgically to the limited government model of the Founding Fathers and the early US.

As a European looking at US politics its fascinating to see the variable geometry of the political culture on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe there is much public anger against incumbent government just now too. However, here its generally directed at opposing cuts to public services, pensions etc as austerity policies are imposed by governments in response to the recession. The Tea party movement is almost the mirror image of European public anger.

Anyway, time for some astrology!

Over the next week I will be looking at various types of charts to see which are most revealing in terms of demonstrating what has been happening politically in the US.

Thanks

Mark

Lets start with the organizational charts for the Democratic and Republican parties. Unfortunately, neither is timed so we can only gleam fairly general information. Nevertheless, its still interesting to see how these charts are responding to transits.

Note: The angles, and Moon positions cannot be compared with transiting planets by degree position.

I think even the most diehard Democratic party supporter would have to admit last weeks results were bad. Very bad in fact. A pensive and introspective President Obama admitted at the news conference after the results were in that the election was a "shellacking" and took responsibility for his party's poor showing.

So what are the charts telling us?

Lets start by taking a look at both party charts with transits for the opening of polls last week.
The Moon is transiting the Democratic party Mars. Quite a good image for the public anger being focused against the Democrats here. Retrograde Venus is applying to a close opposition of the radical Democratic party Venus in Taurus. The Sun is applying by square to the Democrat party Uranus in Leo. Transiting Saturn in Libra is in whole sign opposition to the radical Saturn in Aries. Transiting Sun, Venus and Mercury are all in Scorpio and are opposing the radical Sun, Venus and Mercury which are in Taurus on the Democratic Party foundation chart. Transiting Neptune is conjunct the Democrat party Aquarian Moon. Transiting Mercury is also in a whole sign square to the Democrat party Aquarian Moon. The only positive is that the Virgo Moon during the election was trining the Democrat party Sun and Mercury.
As with all modern Presidential and Midterm elections the Sun was in Scorpio during election day. However, during these midterm elections Venus and Mercury were also in Scorpio. This is a good fit with the Scorpio Moon in the foundation chart for the Republicans. Equally, the Sun on election day was trine the Cancerian Sun for the Republican party. Supporters of a 4th of July national chart for the USA will no doubt see this as reflecting the Republican party's role as the political expression of American nationalism and the values of the founding fathers. Transiting Saturn in Libra is trine the Republican party Saturn in Gemini. An exalted, direct Saturn in Libra is also squaring the Republican party Sun. The Sun is applying by opposition to the Republican part Uranus. Tr Uranus is opposing the Republican party Mars. Tr Mars was opposing the radical Venus.Transiting Venus was also opposing the Republication party Pluto. All these transits seem to reflect the mobilzation of Republican grassroots at the polls and the shake up the Tea party movement has given the GOP.

I will put up some other charts for discussion soon.

Mark