By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
From illegal immigrants to defense contractors and millionaires to Medicaid patients, Americans had plenty riding on Tuesday's outcome — but few were expecting the election to provide answers to the gridlock that has prevented Washington from tackling the big issues.
The 2012 presidential campaign has been one defined by candidates bumping against ceilings — and, in the final week, by a storm that appears to have helped President Obama regain his footing.
Newt Gingrich has made a point of ridiculing the press during his presidential campaign, but he actually owes the media a debt of gratitude. Without the free coverage he has received, the money-challenged Gingrich campaign might never have gotten off the ground.
"Immigration reform — it's still the issue that keeps not working," Mr. Zelizer said. "But there's potential there because both parties see this huge electoral vote there and neither has been able to capture it, though Democrats seem to do better."
ELECTION 2012: Morning-after reality: No easy answers to gridlock →
"At this point, there's no more definitives in American politics," said Julian E. Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University. "If Congress and the president have trouble dealing with the little things, there's no way you can predict they will deal with the big things."
ELECTION 2012: Morning-after reality: No easy answers to gridlock →
