By Arlen Grossman/ The Big Picture Report

Some random thoughts that filtered through my mind after the Tuesday election…..

I’m happy, but not excited.  We’ll now have a moderate Democratic president, a Democratic majority in the Senate, and the Republicans control the House. Wait a minute, isn’t that what we have now? And how has that worked out so far? Gridlock wins again.

My prediction for the 2016 presidential race: Christie vs. Warren.

Will there be a different Obama? I and many progressives were burned by Obama four years ago when he started appointing the usual suspects to his economic and military team, and turned out to be too willing to compromise with an intransigent Republic Party. I don’t expect a much different second-term Barack Obama. A couple of tests for him: (1) will he push strongly for a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United? (2) Will he let loose the Justice Department to go after the Wall Street banksters that crashed the economy in 2007-08? Not likely, but I hope I’m wrong.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one that turned to Fox News after Ohio was declared for Obama. It was just too tempting to watch the Fox talking heads squirming and melting down as Obama racked up wins. Karl Rove just couldn’t accept Ohio being called for the president so early. I’m waiting for sleazeball Dick Morris’s explanation as to why Romney didn’t win in a landslide. I also couldn’t resist listening to Rush this morning. He seemed stunned and perplexed. I love it!

I’m pleased that several progressive Democratic senators replaced blue-dog ones. Also, that more women and openly gay candidates were able to win, and the worst of the pro-rape Republican senators were defeated. And hooray for Alan Grayson, and a kick in the rear for Allen West as he leaves.

There may be reports later, but apparently the privately owned, unverifiable  electronic voting machines behaved. And besides that, the issues of voter suppression, long lines to vote, etc just have to be addressed. Totally inexcusable in 21st Century America.

Things will never change in the U.S. Senate until the milquetoast majority leader, Harry Reid, changes the rules to make filibusters more difficult. I am confident that if the GOP had gained control of the Senate, Mitch McConnell would have eliminated filibusters altogether. In the House, Speaker John Boehner seems slightly more reasonable than his Tea Party colleagues, but will he stand up to them if the president is willing to deal?