Grim mood for divided American voters

NEW YORK: Crisp, sunny skies greeted US voters on Tuesday but the mood at polling stations was dark as Democrats desperately defended President Barack Obama and angry Republicans aimed for a crippling blow.
In Harlem, a historically African-American, pro-Democratic neighborhood of New York, a sense of urgency reigned as voters streamed to polling stations before heading to work. “The reason I got up early to come here today is a lot of people figure a Republican win is a done deal and therefore they won’t bother coming to vote,” said Andrew Miles, 46, who works in advertising.
“I want to make sure that doesn’t happen, or at least know that I played my part.” The mid-term elections see the lower house of Congress, plus over a third of the Senate and most governors’ mansions up for grabs. But many consider the vote is a referendum on Obama and his attempts to drag the economy back on its feet.
“He shouldn’t have made all these promises that he couldn’t pull through,” Danielle Martinez, 40, said in Los Angeles, after voting for Republican candidates. “He made it sound like it was going to be instant, everything was going to be taken care of right away, and it hasn’t.”
In Liberty, Missouri, school teacher Jane Boswell switched from her usual Republican allegiance to Democrat because she thought Obama needs another chance. “We think that change has to happen overnight, but I’m frustrated with adults who think that it has to happen immediately,” Boswell said. “Right now, it’s like a runaway train, switching tracks all the time,” he said.
But polls suggested that the likes of Boswell would be a minority in an election that has Republicans licking their lips at the chance to reverse the balance of power in Washington, where Democrats have dominated since 2008. Early voters were likely to be among the most determined, but it was unclear whether that energy would last through the day and translate to high turnout.
Analysts believe a high turnout would be good news for Democrats, who fear that many of their disillusioned supporters have already given up. Around Wall Street in New York, financial sector workers spoke of disappointment with the Democrats, but said they were not looking for upheaval.