When the Dust Settles ...

So midterm elections are over and the Democrats have retaken the majority of the House picking up 27 seats thus far. There's a few other races in which the winner is still too close to call. But what is certain is that the House is historically poised to elect my hometown favorite, Nancy Pelosi, for Speaker of the House -- the first woman in this position. :D

However, the Senate, as expected, is a different story with the outcome relying upon two states: Montana and my new home state, Virginia. Here in Virginia, the race between Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, and Republican incumbent, George Allen, showed Webb in the lead with 7,000 votes cast with 99.8% of the precints reporting. I was following the Senate on the news and the results showed Allen -- the "macaca" dude -- leading Webb -- the former Republican dude -- with a modest margin that literally shrank every hour. It literally was the most exciting race to watch as the precints reported their results. By midnight, Webb took the lead from Allen with a very slim margin. At any rate, the result is less than 1% so it automatically triggers a recount that could take days to weeks. So not knowing what's going on in Montana, the outcome of the Senate balance of power may be delayed for a time. A Democratic majority in the Senate is extremely thin but that was to be expected.

Aside from the question still being decided in the Senate, Democrats have made a significant impact in this midterm election sending a clear message to Republicans and the Bush administration that change and accountability are in order. The House is under new management and President Bush is put on notice. The Democrats are jubilant over their victory, and the Republicans could not withstand the change in political winds.

So why am I so apprehensive about this victory? I think part of the problem is that I still didn't see a Democratic national agenda. There were three themes that dominated the elections: War in Iraq, Republican scandals, and questionable leadership in particularly President Bush. But what do Democrats offer as their platform? I don't think there was. If anything, the platform has been mostly riding on voter anger in retaliation for a failed Republican party. So, in essence, the Republicans royally screwed up, and it was the Democrats to lose the elections.

Having said that, I am reminded by my undergrad professor in American Politics that the House is the direct representation of the people's passions (it's funny how I also drummed this point to my own students). By design, the House is the institution that keeps government in touch with the immediate concerns of the people. Voter anger against the Republican Party was definitely a powerful passion, and it worked in favor of the Democrats. But therein lies the problem. Passion, that is, riding on voter anger, is a temporary condition producing short-term results. The question that is bugging me is how do you fashion a long-term agenda that the people can rally behind? I am comforted, optimistic, and overjoyed at the fact that Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi will be leading the House. I am cautious, however, if the Democrats can sustain their strength and momentum and define an agenda until the 2008 presidential elections. And by the way, 2 years is an agonizing eternity!