The new House will be controlled by Democrats, but not by liberals

[question everything]

Yes, like many here I have been saying that I want us to take the house, even if some of the new members would be hard for me, personally, to swallow.

I am glad that am not faced with a hard decision to vote for anti-privacy Casey in Pennsylvania, pro-Ten Commandments Ford in TN, and others.

Some are former Republicans, like Jim Webb.

And now I see an ad by Coleen Rowley, she is the former FBI agent who warned about 9/11 and who was one of the three whistle blowers of the Year on TIME.

She is running as a Democrat for MN-2 and is having a big ad responding to her opponent nasty accusations. One of them:

"Rowley embraces wacky, extremely liberal positions"

her response:

"I voted Republican most of my life. I voted for Bush in 2000 because I thought he would govern in a conservative manner like his father."

(Her chances to win, by the way, are slim)

But I have to wonder about these former Republicans. Many switched because they are disgusted with the way the Gingrich revolution disappeared into mid air once they got control. They are disgusted with the betrayal of promoting a small government. And guess where they would cut government spending.. And, of course, they are disgusted with the Iraqi quagmire.

In general, Emanuel and Schumer purposeful went in search of conservative people in red states to run for office as Democrats - see more here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2930157

All are white, many will be anti-privacy for women.

I am not complaining. Yet. But as DU in general is more left of center than, say, most Democrats, not to mention the Democratic "leadership," this is just a heads up that some of us are going to be disappointed once the new Congress gets down to business.

This may be the end of the Democratic Party of the New Deal and of the Great Society. In part, it is a reflection of the change in our society. Until the 80s (more or less) we were a manufacturing based economy where unions and working people were facing government, and business. We appreciated the need for unity, for watching over our communities.

Since then, we moved to a service based economy where each person is for himself. Many of us lost at least one job, we moved to the suburbs, we became self-employed as of last resort, and we started resenting government programs and taxes. We started resenting supporting people in the inner cities, homeless people, single mothers, immigrants... (not me personally, please don't flame; just a figure of speech).

I don't know what is the answer. I am not a sociologist but I am old enough to remember those days of shared responsibilities and I miss them, yet I can observe what is happening around the country.

Many who vote for Democrats do so when all of a sudden an issue - job loss, health problem, incurable disease, even loss of Enron stock - has become very personal issue. And if we are going to keep holding our majority, even take over the Senate and the White House, we will have to develop our own "contract" and it may not be what many of us wish and hope for.

[Totally Committed]

1. Democrat-IC, please......

Thanks,

TC

[question everything]

4. Thanks. I was vacillating between

controlled by Democrats or Democratic... was thinking that, after all, with democratic elections the house is democratic either way - no?

[Bubba Zanetti]

2. Thus I am really not excited about voting...

no txt

[question everything]

5. But you will, right? (nt)

[JeffR]

3. Likely correct, but not relevant to me at this moment

I may be a raging pinko, but at this time I'll settle for an incremental advance toward some sanity in foreign and domestic policy, some scrutiny over the corruption and cronyism that have tainted the system, some checks and balances over White House recklessness, and an opportunity to demonstrate to the populace - most of whom do not vote - that Democrats aren't terrorist-lovin' anti-Americans.

That would be a good start.

[babylonsister]

6. What Jeff said. nt

[question everything]

8. Agree. If you remember 1994

we were the masters of corruption and of cronyism.

All Republicans done was to confirm the old saying of "absolute power, etc."

I do hope that we will not repeat the mistakes of the pre-1994 Democrats, that our house will be clean, that we will watch over any misappropriation of funds, reign over "earmarks."

[Dob Bole]

7. New house will be liberal, compared to the old house...

For the first time in history, the most powerful person in our government will be female. Finally, most Americans will actually have representation in the house.

The Senate will be much more liberal. Frist is retiring. Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, is toast. Moderate Republicans will be replaced with liberal Democrats, and a little child shall lead them. (Sorry, Bible joke)

There will be at least as many conservative Democrats in the House ranks as there are now. But not having Republicans run the committees will make the House leap leftward in and of itself.

[fuzzyball]

9. I am glad to see that a democratic victory is a foregone conclusion.

My vote is ready and will be dropped off tomorrow.
In Washington state it is 100% mail in ballots.

[Ress1]

10. It's a good start. :-)

[gully]

11. Which is why we're about to win the house.

"All politics is local."

[geek tragedy]

12. The big key is controlling the agenda.

That means that House Dems can schedule votes that emphasize points of agreement amongst Democrats and points of disagreement amongst Republicans.

[Mountainman]

13. I hope the investigations start in January even though it is a moderate House

[featherman]

14. The fact is this will be a much more progressive/moderate House

than any of the Democratic majorities during the 1952-1994 run. The most right wing conservatives in the party and their idealogical brethren during that era (read Southern "DEMS") bolted to the GOP during the years of the Southern "realignment" (approximately 1980-2006).

That the DEMS will have recaptured the majority tomorrow (God willing) in a short 12 years since 1994 despite the massive realignment of the South into a GOP bastion is nothing short of remarkable.