Mid -Term Elections

Midterm Election – Change? …look again.


Yesterdays election yielded a change in control of the House of Representatives, and an as yet–to-be determined change in the composition of the Senate. What message does this election send? And what changes does it bring for the next two years? Solid ideas, were largely absent from the campaigns, replaced by sound bites and buzzwords. Last minute bumbling by Republican leaders in the last several weeks handed the Democrats a win by Default. Now that the Democrats have the house, the spotlight will be on them for action. Now what will they do? On the surface those “mandate for change” sound bites, from the new majority may put a big smile on the face of those looking for a major change in the War in Iraq. Many will be surprised, that the balance of power has shifted very little. The New House speaker has the opportunity spin headlines, appoint committee chairs, and hold hearings to nowhere. The wind may be taken from her sails when the public sees that the new house has very little effect on the Presidents decision making. Our success or failure in Iraq will Fall on the shoulders of our President, the House leaders will not get credit for any improvement the President brings to the situation in Iraq, but will instead, now have to share in the blame if the situation worsens.
This new balance of power encourages stagnation and bottleneck, with Nancy Pelosi as the mouthpiece of the legislative leadership. The Democrats in 2008 will have to run on solid ideas to be successful, a win on the coat tails of republican missteps alone, will not be enough. Should Pelosi and her party fail to effect any change, by the next Presidential election, the voters may very well blame the messenger. The Democrats need to remember, that with Bush’s term limit in 2008 the voters get a change no matter how they vote, and that means that both parties will need candidates with substance – not just
Sound bites.