So Let's Talk Some More Politics
What Happened?
So the tide did come in on Tuesday. The Democrats easily (and predictably) took the House, and they will also take over the Senate by one seat. They picked up quite a few gubernatorial seats, as well.
I spent my election night at the headquarters of the Peter Foy for Ventura County Supervisor campaign. I quickly realized that the House was lost. I tried to hold onto the idea of the Republicans keeping the Senate but eventually gave up hope on that, too, seeing the Webb was going to edge out Allen in Virginia.
The biggest disappointment of the night for me was the state of California. I know what you're saying...shouldn't I know by now that things in California will not go my way? Let me explain...no there is too much, let me sum up. Everybody knew Ahhhnold was going to win re-election. Also, the Republicans had some good candidates (like Tom McClintock) down ticket. I was hoping some of these guys (especially Tom) would win. Early returns gave me hope when they showed McClintock, Strickland, and McPherson ahead of their competition. But as the night went on, reality set in, and just about all of the down-ticket Republicans lost. I guess I should just be happy that we do have a Republican Governator.
As for the Foy campaign, that race is still too close to call. Foy trails by about 300 votes, but thousands of absentee votes remain to be counted. That kind of a race makes for a long election night of pushing "refresh."
Note: After an update today, Foy now only trails by 21 votes with many ballots still to be counted.
What Does All This Mean?
It wasn't the economy, stupid.
If you look at the big picture, the American economy is doing well by any measurable standard. The DOW is at an all-time high; unemployment is at all all-time low.
This election was about the war, stupid.
Many of the newly elected Democratic candidates ran on anti-Bush, anti-war platforms. Couple that with numerous ethical scandals from Jack Abramoff to Mark Foley amongst the Republicans and you end up with a party that nobody wants to vote for. I would say that this election signified more of a "No" to Republicans than a "Yes" to Democrats. I'm probably somewhat biased, but I think that's a pretty fair assessment.
Overall, I'd say this was an overwhelmingly negative election. The campaigns were very negative, and the voters were very negative--the clearly kicked out the party in power.
Another interesting event of the election was the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld the day after. Many are complaining about this being poor timing, and they've got to have somewhat of a point. Maybe it would have helped if he had resigned sooner...I certainly don't think it would have hurt. Rummy had to be one of the most umpopular guys in America over the past few months, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.
What's Next?
Politics will be different for the next two years. The Democrats have taken over Congress. It will be very interesting to see what they do with their new found power. Certainly, they will seek to influence unpopular foreign policy. How they will treat a booming economy will be a different, yet interesting question. I don't think they'll be that cooperative with President Bush. I won't be suprised if not too much actually gets done over the next couple years.
All of this will set up a pretty interesting campaign for the White House in '08. Apparently you'll be able to get McCain yardsigns and buttons pretty soon. There are a lot of things I like about McCain; sometimes I find myself wishing he had won in 2000. But part of me thinks his opportunity came and went with that election. Now he is eight years older (would be the second oldest President ever if elected), and he has been a part of the establishment for long enough to lose some of his "Maverick" status. I'm really hoping for a candidate that I can get excited about, but none of the Republican names that are being tossed around right now really seem to fit that bill. I think I would be more excited right now about '08 prospects right now if I was a Democrat.
But let's face it, a lot can happen between now and '08. We'll see how the Democrats use their power. We'll see how the Republicans work in the minority. We'll see if the Bush administration does anything besides live up to the phrase "lame duck." And the campaigns should be fun to watch in two years. Why do I say that? Two words: Dean Scream.
YEAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!
So the tide did come in on Tuesday. The Democrats easily (and predictably) took the House, and they will also take over the Senate by one seat. They picked up quite a few gubernatorial seats, as well.
I spent my election night at the headquarters of the Peter Foy for Ventura County Supervisor campaign. I quickly realized that the House was lost. I tried to hold onto the idea of the Republicans keeping the Senate but eventually gave up hope on that, too, seeing the Webb was going to edge out Allen in Virginia.
The biggest disappointment of the night for me was the state of California. I know what you're saying...shouldn't I know by now that things in California will not go my way? Let me explain...no there is too much, let me sum up. Everybody knew Ahhhnold was going to win re-election. Also, the Republicans had some good candidates (like Tom McClintock) down ticket. I was hoping some of these guys (especially Tom) would win. Early returns gave me hope when they showed McClintock, Strickland, and McPherson ahead of their competition. But as the night went on, reality set in, and just about all of the down-ticket Republicans lost. I guess I should just be happy that we do have a Republican Governator.
As for the Foy campaign, that race is still too close to call. Foy trails by about 300 votes, but thousands of absentee votes remain to be counted. That kind of a race makes for a long election night of pushing "refresh."
Note: After an update today, Foy now only trails by 21 votes with many ballots still to be counted.
What Does All This Mean?
It wasn't the economy, stupid.
If you look at the big picture, the American economy is doing well by any measurable standard. The DOW is at an all-time high; unemployment is at all all-time low.
This election was about the war, stupid.
Many of the newly elected Democratic candidates ran on anti-Bush, anti-war platforms. Couple that with numerous ethical scandals from Jack Abramoff to Mark Foley amongst the Republicans and you end up with a party that nobody wants to vote for. I would say that this election signified more of a "No" to Republicans than a "Yes" to Democrats. I'm probably somewhat biased, but I think that's a pretty fair assessment.
Overall, I'd say this was an overwhelmingly negative election. The campaigns were very negative, and the voters were very negative--the clearly kicked out the party in power.
Another interesting event of the election was the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld the day after. Many are complaining about this being poor timing, and they've got to have somewhat of a point. Maybe it would have helped if he had resigned sooner...I certainly don't think it would have hurt. Rummy had to be one of the most umpopular guys in America over the past few months, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.
What's Next?
Politics will be different for the next two years. The Democrats have taken over Congress. It will be very interesting to see what they do with their new found power. Certainly, they will seek to influence unpopular foreign policy. How they will treat a booming economy will be a different, yet interesting question. I don't think they'll be that cooperative with President Bush. I won't be suprised if not too much actually gets done over the next couple years.
All of this will set up a pretty interesting campaign for the White House in '08. Apparently you'll be able to get McCain yardsigns and buttons pretty soon. There are a lot of things I like about McCain; sometimes I find myself wishing he had won in 2000. But part of me thinks his opportunity came and went with that election. Now he is eight years older (would be the second oldest President ever if elected), and he has been a part of the establishment for long enough to lose some of his "Maverick" status. I'm really hoping for a candidate that I can get excited about, but none of the Republican names that are being tossed around right now really seem to fit that bill. I think I would be more excited right now about '08 prospects right now if I was a Democrat.
But let's face it, a lot can happen between now and '08. We'll see how the Democrats use their power. We'll see how the Republicans work in the minority. We'll see if the Bush administration does anything besides live up to the phrase "lame duck." And the campaigns should be fun to watch in two years. Why do I say that? Two words: Dean Scream.
YEAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!
posted by Ben Blakey at 12:13 AM
2 Comments:
hahaha..... that scream always makes me laugh..... I think Howard Dean's tombstone will read "here lies Howard Dean.... that guy who made himself look like an idiot with that stupid scream...."
Hmm, haven't heard the Dean scream in a while
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