Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/shields-and-ponnuru-analyze-election-day-events Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru analyze mid-term voting. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: And speaking of wisdom, here now with their election analysis and wisdom are Shields and Ponnuru, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru.All right, we are here now, Ramesh. This is finally Election Day. Now that we are here, does it have the feeling to you as being one of the most important midterm elections we've had in this country in many, many years? RAMESH PONNURU, National Review Senior Editor: It sure does have that feeling. You know, when you look at the kind of numbers people are talking about that the Republicans could lose in the House and Senate, and you look at the history of it, this could be very easily the worst House election for the Republicans in 32 years, the worst Senate election in 20 years. JIM LEHRER: How do you see it, Mark? MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated Columnist: I see it exactly the same as Ramesh does, Jim. I think it's — I mean, the big turnout, I think generally speaking, has to help the Democrats. JIM LEHRER: Why? MARK SHIELDS: Because I think it's one that's fueled by anger, and I think it's one that — what Democrats were worried about was, would that be translated, especially independent voters? If you're getting that size turnout, it means that independents are participating in considerable numbers.And independents are the swing group in this election. They went 7 points for George Bush and the Republicans by 7 points in 2004 against John Kerry. And right now, all the polls — even the ones that have showed the race tightening overall — have still showed the independents trending Democratic, sometimes by a margin of 2-to-1, but almost always in high double digits. And if that's the case, then it's not good.I mean, if you just get Republicans and Democrats turning out, the Democrats are going to vote Democrat and the Republicans are going to vote Republican, but the independents are a real problem for the Republicans this year.