CNN.com is reporting that Conrad Burns has conceded and that George Allen is going to concede. So, if anyone was still waiting for everything to become official, there it is. Both Houses are ours.
That said, let's look at what we have won.
The House:
DK has the Dems taking 234 House seats, which is almost 54% of the Chamber. Nancy Pelosi will be the Speaker of the House. Winning the House was crucial. It was imperative to break the Republican Rubber Stamp machine, and the Democrats could claim somewhat of a mandate, since the House (unlike the Senate) was having elections in every part of the country.
The Senate:
The Democrats (or sympathetic Independants) have 51 seats in the Senate, which makes Harry Reid Majority Leader. This one wasn't as important for the Democrats as it was for the Republicans not to lose. The Democrats already had the House, which is enough to disrupt the proceedings in Washington. Also, factoring in which seats were up for grabs, the prospects of Democratic victory in that chamber were slim. That being said, the Democrats did win, and now they have put themselves in exceptional position, both for the next two years (bicameral cooperation will mean more effective investigations, the opportunity to pass identical legislation, etc - and the fact that they control all of Congress, rather than just one chamber, means that they have what W. referred to as "political capital" in '04), and for 2008. The 2008 Senate seats which are up for grabs are much more favorable for the Democrats to make pick-ups than this one. There could be on the upwards of 60 Democratic Senators after '08. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
The Republicans, of course, still have the Big Prize - the White House. But the White House has had its support network cut out from under it. For the first time in his Presidency, George W. Bush is going to have to make good on his promises to reach out to members of both parties.
That said, let's look at what we have won.
The House:
DK has the Dems taking 234 House seats, which is almost 54% of the Chamber. Nancy Pelosi will be the Speaker of the House. Winning the House was crucial. It was imperative to break the Republican Rubber Stamp machine, and the Democrats could claim somewhat of a mandate, since the House (unlike the Senate) was having elections in every part of the country.
The Senate:
The Democrats (or sympathetic Independants) have 51 seats in the Senate, which makes Harry Reid Majority Leader. This one wasn't as important for the Democrats as it was for the Republicans not to lose. The Democrats already had the House, which is enough to disrupt the proceedings in Washington. Also, factoring in which seats were up for grabs, the prospects of Democratic victory in that chamber were slim. That being said, the Democrats did win, and now they have put themselves in exceptional position, both for the next two years (bicameral cooperation will mean more effective investigations, the opportunity to pass identical legislation, etc - and the fact that they control all of Congress, rather than just one chamber, means that they have what W. referred to as "political capital" in '04), and for 2008. The 2008 Senate seats which are up for grabs are much more favorable for the Democrats to make pick-ups than this one. There could be on the upwards of 60 Democratic Senators after '08. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
The Republicans, of course, still have the Big Prize - the White House. But the White House has had its support network cut out from under it. For the first time in his Presidency, George W. Bush is going to have to make good on his promises to reach out to members of both parties.
posted by k - L - g at 2:20 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home