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Election Reflections
Posted 11-15-2006
Well, the 2006 general election is over, and now that the
dust is slowly clearing, things are appearing brighter. The gain by
Democrats at the national level means that no longer will George W. Bush be
able to waltz through his Presidency with no oversight. I don't expect the
next two years to be a bitter hateful investigation of Bush the way the
Republicans did when they gained control in1994.
Remember how the Republicans squandered their opportunity to
really implement their "Contract with America," and rather they obsessed
over Bill Clinton's sex life? Our party will be bigger than that. I know
that will be to the dismay of many Democrats who rightly want Bush's hide
after the arrogance of his first six years in office. But after years of
neglect of substantive issues by Republicans, our nation and the world need
a US government that deals with substance.
The fact we will not move toward impeachment of this corrupt
administration at this point doesn't mean there will not be a new level of
oversight. The department shut down by Republicans that was responsible for
oversight of contractors' billing in Iraq will be up and running soon after
the Democrats take control. No longer will Bush sneak through recess
appointments for federal appointees. Hopefully undoing the recess
appointment of Bolton as our UN representative will allow Democrats to end
the embarrassment of the only superpower in the world having a person
representing them that philosophically opposes the concept of the United
Nations.
But what led to the trouncing of incumbent US Senator Rick
Santorum and the defeat of not only local US Rep Melissa Hart, but three of
her Republican colleagues in the eastern part of Pennsylvania? While each
race had some different dynamics, the underlying connection for all was an
association with an extremely unpopular President. The highest profile race
was the US Senate race between Santorum and Bob Casey. Santorum tried his
usual mudslinging; he tried his usual portraying of himself as a moderate,
but this time none of it worked. When the race started Santorum had about
39% support in most polls. After spending $20 million, he ended up with 41%
of the vote. $10 million in spending for each percentage point is
astounding. But the Commonwealth and the nation will be better off without
Santorum, a front man for the K Street lobbying interests, who thought so
little of Pennsylvanians (and Virginians for that matter) that he not only
moved to Virginia, but wouldn't allow his children to attend public or
private schools here or in a wealthy northern Virginia suburb of Washington.
The other congressional races were different. Melissa Hart
never had been seriously challenged for her seat. This time, Jason Altmire
raised money, and when Melissa attacked him, he fought back strongly. She
attacked Altmire for being part of Hillary Clinton's task force on health
care more than a decade ago. Altmire correctly pointed out Hart's ties to
the K Street crew and let people know how she REALLY voted. The races out
east all had their own flavor. But the party of self-righteous hypocrites
finally had the chickens come home to roost. Congressman Weldon was caught
up in a scandal involving his daughter's business and government contracts.
And Congressman Sherwood's seedy extramarital affair caught up with him. But
what really tied all these Republicans together was their association with
Bush and their support for his failed policies in Iraq.
The other high profile case in Pennsylvania was the race for
Governor. While Ed Rendell didn't do well in Westmoreland County he easily
won re-election over Lynn Swann. The Governor has done a great job
considering (and this is what too few people want to acknowledge) he has had
to deal with the opposing party running both Houses of the State
Legislature. Are you frustrated there is no gambling yet in Pennsylvania?
Thank the Republicans who have continued to obstruct its implementation. No
break on school taxes? That is because it is tied to gambling. The
Republicans were committed to not letting Ed Rendell look too good in his
first term.
It is a shame how poorly the Governor did here. Even though
the local paper won't admit it, they pulled a "Clinton" on him. Every single
day, they trashed the Governor. They may have belittled Bob Casey during
this recent campaign, but he never got the daily assault Rendell did. The
ironic thing is that Rendell has done more for Westmoreland County in four
years than the previous administration did in eight years. Whether it was
"spike" funding to cover a $20 million cost overrun on Route 22 in
Monroeville, to millions of dollars in Growing Greener money for a county
that strangely was one of a few in Pennsylvania that opposed the enabling
legislation, to funding for our industrial parks, and the Seton Hill
project, Rendell has stepped up time and time again.
I am not predicting a permanent Democratic Congress the way
the arrogant Karl Rove did a few years ago after the Republicans won another
few years in control. The message to me was clearly people are tired of lies
about Iraq and tired of seeing not only our troops killed but also the
Iraqis drifting deeper into a civil war. They were also tired of the
arrogance of an administration that questions people's patriotism if they
disagree with their failed policies. They were also tired of a party that
acts holier-than-thou but then is embroiled in scandals ranging from sex, to
lobbying deals, to defense contracts.
I am cautiously optimistic that the Democrat majority will
be fair, tough, and open-minded. I expect them to be hard on Bush but to not
lose sight of the fact that people are watching as to how they behave too.
The opportunity to move our country in a more positive direction both
domestically and internationally is there for them to accomplish and a lot
of people's hopes are resting with their ability to successfully govern.
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