WASHINGTON: Angry American voters headed to polling places Tuesday seemingly determined to strip Democrats of their lock on power in Congress and to reshape the political landscape nationwide, undermining President Barack Obama's ambitious agenda for changing the country. Just two years ago, Obama swept into the White House with Democrats holding muscular majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voters had turned to Obama and his Democrats to signal their weariness with the eight-year presidency of Republican George W. Bush, who began the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and oversaw the near collapse of the financial system. But Obama and his party quickly fell from favor under the burden of the so-called Great Recession and its aftermath, near-10 percent unemployment, anemic economic growth and a continuing epidemic of home mortgage foreclosures that are wiping out Americans' life savings. Republicans bolstered by the ultraconservative tea party movement have ridden the crest of a wave of American fear and dissatisfaction to this Election Day. The tea party, a loose-knit group of organizations opposed to federal government influence on citizens' lives, sprang to life after Obama took the White House. Pre-vote polling unanimously showed the business-friendly Republicans poised to grab the majority in the House, with a lesser chance of taking charge in the Senate. Their message was simple: smaller government and low taxes. Republicans need 40 more seats to win the House, a goal that polls indicate they have a strong chance of exceeding. Races for more than 100 of the 435 seats are competitive, mostly in Democratic-held districts. Republicans need a net gain of 10 seats out of 37 on the ballot to win a majority in the 100-seat Senate, a tougher road that requires them to win all the tight races. Republicans buoyantly forecast a new era of divided government. "We're hoping now for a fresh start with the American people," said Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele. But the party is looking over its shoulder at the tea party movement that rattled the Republican establishment in the primaries, expelling several veteran lawmakers while installing more than 70 candidates. Nearly three dozen tea party-backed Republicans are in competitive races Tuesday. Democrats hope that the ultraconservative policies of many those candidates will prove too extreme for voters in the general election. The tea party has energized Republican voters upset with Obama's far-reaching health care reform law and the staggering sums poured into stimulating the economy. Obama argues the economy would have fallen into a new Great Depression without the $814 billion program. Republicans say it was a spending boondoggle. Obama is waiting out the voting at the White House after a weekend campaign swing through four states, in a bid to rekindle the enthusiasm of young voters, liberals, blacks and independents whose ballots propelled him to the White House. He has since taped interviews with radio hosts in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Honolulu and Miami as well as one with "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest for his national radio show, all for broadcast as Americans cast their ballots. Former President Bill Clinton rallied support for Democrats as if his own future were on the line, campaigning late into the night Monday with stops in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Florida. First lady Michelle Obama made stops in Nevada and Pennsylvania to help Democratic senatorial and gubernatorial candidates. "We have come too far," Michelle Obama told a nighttime rally at the University of Pennsylvania. Sitting out the election, she warned, could stop progress for people struggling to stay in the middle class, afford college or obtain health care. Obama has sought to keep this election from becoming a referendum on his first two years in office, but Republicans refused to go along. "This election is entirely about him (Obama) and this big majority in Congress and what they've been doing for the last two years," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview with The Associated Press. Democrats say they inherited an economy in dire condition and managed to prevent a financial breakdown and the collapse of the US auto industry. That argument has not sold with Americans. The vote will likely reshape American politics as Obama looks toward running for re-election in 2012 and Republicans begin the process of selecting a candidate to oppose him. A big Republican win could put Washington in political gridlock unless the president can find common ground with some of his fiercest critics. Domestic issues such as Obama's health care reform and immigration would be most affected, but the repercussions would be felt internationally too, on issues such as climate change, trade and arms control. Even if Democrats keep control of the Senate, they may need a new majority leader regardless. In the most closely watched race, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid faces a tough challenge in Nevada from tea party favorite Sharron Angle. Beyond the congressional votes, Republicans are expected to score big gains in 37 gubernatorial elections and in votes for state legislatures. Those races are important as states redraw congressional districts following the 10-year census.
