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Results of the 2006
Midterm Elections
Governors: Net Gain of 6 for a total of 28 vs 22.
Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, NY, Ohio.
Legislatures: DEMs picked up control of at least 9 state chambers,
winning the House and Senate in Iowa and New Hampshire, the House in
Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and Indiana, and the Wisconsin Senate. Outcomes
of House races in Maine, Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania are still pending.
DEMs control both chambers in 21 states, while Republicans control 15 and 9
are split between the two parties.
US House: Net gain of 27, currently 230 to 205 with 13
races pending. Many bad apples fell.
US Senate: Net gain of 4 with 2 pending, Montana may be
called soon but Virginia may be tied up for weeks. Three Bush rubber stamps
are gone (MO, OH, PA) and one independent GOP sacrificed (RI).
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The Big Loser: Pres. Bush and the Bully Executive. Winner:
Checks and Balances.
Americans have chosen Oversight plus Gridlock rather than an overreaching,
rubber-stamping one party machine.
Corruption played a big part in evangelical
votes, a third of whom voted DEM;
Women’s votes overturned many races and brought
initiatives back to the moderate middle (eg. stem cell research)
The rural vote can no longer be taken for granted
by the GOP.
While the composition of Congress has changed and
chairmanships will rotate, the ripple effects for 2008 are uncertain. If
Pres. Bush remains aloof and suddenly discovers the veto pen on issues the
voters consider important, the field will be less friendly for GOP
candidates. Both parties face much introspection and reflection. We can’t
forget that 2 years is a very long time in politics but the DEMs have a lot
of momentum in their favor now.
GOP apologists were already busy last night
explaining that DEM gains of moderate/conservative candidates was good news
for conservativism, revealing they believe its a religion not a political
philosophy, and claiming that they could not hold back the historical midterm
wave, it wasn’t about their scandals or mismanagement of their constitutional
duties. This paints them as sore losers, like Tom DeLay claiming he had no
ethics problems and predicting this is a temporary win. But the message
voters clearly sent was unquestionably a personal rebuke to Pres. Bush as
well as a policy and course correction. - KwC
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