LETTERS

Re “Some Democrats shaken by independent voters’ shift,” Nov. 5

The analysis done on last week’s elections by mainstream pundits and wavering moderate Democrats is nothing short of soft and lazy. These observers fail to capture the nuances of what exactly happened.

If the governors’ races were such a referendum on Obama’s agenda, with the GOP gaining ground, then how, the very same day, could a Democrat win a seat in a solidly Republican district, parts of which haven’t been Democratic since the Civil War?

Shouldn’t California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi have won his House seat by less -- or lost to his Republican opponent?

And how about those anti-tax initiatives that were voted down in Washington and Maine?

The elections in Virginia and New Jersey had more to do with local issues and poor candidates than a national referendum on the White House.

Moderate Democrats should stop trying to grab the nonexistent conservative vote and work to pass the agenda they were voted into office to promote.

Giovanni Rivera

Whittier