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New
Congress is Challenge for President Bush |
Posted:
11.08.06
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With Tuesday's elections, Democrats have taken control of the
House and made substantial gains in the Senate. But what this
means for Washington and President Bush for the next two years
is still up in the air.
Printer-friendly version: PDF
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 With
their victory on election night, Democrats now control the House
of Representatives for the first time in twelve years and may
even control the Senate as well. Undoubtedly, the next two years
in Congress will be very different.
Already, the election has had consequences. On Wednesday, President
Bush announced the resignation of Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who
had been the target of much criticism from Democrats, along with
some Republicans, for the situation in Iraq.
The new Democratic leadership will try to satisfy the expectations
of the diverse group of voters that elected them. However, they
will still have a Republican president to reckon with.
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The House |
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At this time it is unclear exactly how large the Democratic majority
will be as there are several House races in Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Georgia and elsewhere that are still too close to call.
However, it is certain that when the new Congress convenes in
January, Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California will be the Speaker
of the House, the first woman to ever hold that position.
 The
Speaker of the House is one of the most powerful positions in
Washington because it has the authority to almost single-handedly
set the agenda for the House. She also becomes the third person
in line to become president should something happen to the president
and vice-president.
Many Republicans believe that Pelosi is an extreme liberal who
will raise taxes and prematurely pull the troops out of Iraq.
On her Web site, www.housedemocrats.gov,
she tries to counter this claim by establishing six areas - including
making higher education affordable and decreasing U.S. dependence
on foreign oil - that the Democrats will try to work on.
Pelosi has been critical of the Bush administration's handling
of the Iraq War, calling it a "bad idea" that has been
"badly executed," but it is unclear whether she will
be able to rally her fellow Democrats to end the war. After all,
many new Democrats were elected from traditionally conservative
areas like Indiana, where the Democrats picked up three seats.
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The Senate |
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As of Wednesday, control of the Senate was still up in the air.
Democrats have 48 seats plus two independents who are likely
to vote with them and the Republicans have 49 seats.
The Democrats won the crucial 48th seat in the Montana Senate
race, which was so close a winner was not declared until late
Wednesday morning.
The Virginia seat is still far too close to call and there are
reports that there may be a recount and legal challenges to that
decision. Democrats must win the Virginia seat to be able to claim
majority status in the Senate because, in the case of a 50-50
tie, Vice President Dick Cheney would cast the tiebreaking vote
for the Republicans.
Either way, there will be a new Majority Leader in the Senate
because Bill Frist of Tennessee, the current Majority Leader,
is retiring.
 If
the Republicans retain the majority, their leader will most likely
be Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. However, if the Democrats
win the seats in both Montana and Virginia, their leader will
almost definitely be Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.
Unlike the more partisan Frist, who may be readying a run for
president in 2008, both McConnell and Reid have reputations as
dealmakers who try to reach compromises with their political opponents.
Charles Babington reported in the Washington Post that "[m]any
senators say that either Reid or McConnell can lead the Senate
with more skill than Frist, who struggled to build winning coalitions."
However, Rutgers University scholar Ross K. Baker observed in
the Post that, after the bruising campaign "[a]ny weakness
will be highlighted; any lapse will be emphasized."
Along with this, the fact that both McConnell and Reid come to
the position distracted with their own financial scandals could
mean that the Senate may take a backseat to the House in terms
of leadership and productivity.
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The next
two years |
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After Tuesday night's momentous elections, Congress is now in
uncharted territory. One can only speculate on the path that it
will take now that Democrats have control of the House.
 Will
the Democrats be emboldened by their first real victory since
1994 and pursue a liberal agenda at the risk of alienating the
newly elected conservative Democrats? Or will they try to forge
a more centrist path at the risk of alienating their uncompromising
liberal base?
And what of President Bush and his remaining 2 years in office?
It is highly unlikely that he will agree to any plan that would
bring troops home from Iraq in the near future. However, it seems
that he will have to make more compromises if he is to have any
hope of realizing his agenda.
While the new direction of Congress remains unclear, one thing
is certain: from a political standpoint, it's about to get interesting.
--Compiled
by David Schultz for NewsHour Extra
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