One aspect of the commentary surrounding the congressional elections that bothers me is that intense speculation about what will happen in 2008 has already begun. I don’t fault anyone - participants or spectators - for thinking in the long-term. But it saddens me that permanent campaigning has become an unavoidable feature of American politics. I wonder how legislators or executives are going to be able to do their job in an atmosphere where they are marketing themselves for the next election the moment the results from the last one come in. We worry enough about accountability and integrity in our government as it is, what with corporate influence over government decisions, financial and moral scandals, and a general lack of ability on the part of the populace to take a role in decision-making in our country. Now we have to add to that a fear that our “leaders,” liberal or conservative, have stopped paying attention to their work entirely and have devoted themselves entirely to campaigning.
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I did not vote in the last election, since I didn’t want to bother with it while travelling, but I am admittedly pleased, if not surprised, that the Democrats took the House away. Bush’s agenda, if carried to its logical end of war and paranoia, is going to bankrupt and alienate the country still further from the rest of the world. Perhaps the Democrats can do something to start cleaning up the damage. But the questions Lance asks also hang in my mind - is a shift to the Democrats really going to make a big difference in the current political trajectory? America seems a nation increasingly bent on control and surveillance to me, a nation where laws multiply and freedoms dwindle, a nation deep in debt and intent on helping other nations rebuild with the subtle application of high explosives.
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….was greeted with much excitement by not only Liberals but also more centrist quarters. Understandably so. Perceived and documented corruption amongst the Republican Party coupled with a controversial war effort was sufficient to secure a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate. The Democrats toed a self-admittedly more centrist line en route. In the wake of their victory, many have described it as a resounding cry for change. It is hard to say how articulate was the cry.
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