As of this posting, the Democrats have wrested control of the US House of Representatives in convincing fashion (having won 33 instead of the 15 races needed), and are poised to win control of the Senate in a dramatic squeaker (having already won 4 of the 6 races needed, and are leading in the remaining two where votes are still being counted).
But, despite commentaries to the contrary, Democrats won’t have the power (nor the will) to do anything over the next two years except hold hearings on President Bush’s march of folly into Iraq (including VP Cheney’s alleged war profiteering); And this, notwithstanding their professed “bold new agenda” to pass domestic legislation on immigration, healthcare, global warming, etc.
Although, it’s ironic that the conservatives now looking to Bush to veto any Democratic legislation they deem too “liberal” are the very ones who prayed for Republicans to lose control of Congress as divine retribution for, inter alia, backsliding into political corruption; abandoning their pledge of fiscal responsibility (i.e. by running up record deficits and exploding the national debt); and ridiculing Evangelicals (as David Kuo chronicled in his book Tempting Faith. Although, given the recent gay-sex, crystal-meth scandal involving Evangelical leader Ted Haggard, this ridicule might have been divinely inspired).
Meanwhile, apropos Iraq, most Americans voted for Democrats desperately hoping for a change of course in the conduct of this war. Yet any informed voter should have known that Democrats will have even less power to affect Bush’s foreign policy agenda than they do his domestic initiatives. (As I explained in my “NOTE” from yesterday’s column below)
In fact, the only change worthy of commentary today is that California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (above) will make history in January, when she’ll be sworn in as the first female Speaker of the US House of Representatives! Beyond this, all politics will be designed to position political parties and candidates for the truly seminal 2008 congressional and presidential elections.
Therefore, until then, enjoy the show….
NOTE: Because I understood how truly inconsequential these elections were, I vested my political emotions in only a couple races. Accordingly:
I am happy to report that Joe Lieberman won in Connecticut. (Click here to see why this pleases me so much.)
I am also happy that Democrat Deval Patrick was elected the first black governor of Massachusetts. (Expect idle speculation to flourish immediately about him challenging Barack Obama to be elected the first black president of the United States.)
But my happiness is tempered by the fact that Harold Ford lost in Tennessee. (Click here to see what this saddens me.)
2006 Congressional elections
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