ONCE THE smoke clears from last Tuesday's election, the Democratic House (and Senate) will represent a country that is still strongly divided -- even if it is primarily anti-Bush and anti-status quo. As future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., takes the gavel of Congress, she and other congressional Democrats will have to deal with a very strong -- albeit recently weakened -- Republican presence in both chambers. How will this election affect the most important national issues? First off, Republicans can no longer ignore Democrats and continue the K Street Project, a plan through which Republicans aim to control congressional lobbying groups. Popular issues that many Republicans either ignored in their committees or proposed on the congressional floor with loopholes (such as the minimum wage bill or stem cell research) will be introduced and passed, at least in Congress.
The two biggest issues -- Iraq and the deficit -- will likely remain unchanged unless Democrats take strong action. Although this Democratic wave has changed the structure of committees in congress, it has not changed the fact that a Republican president still leads our country. Even the Democratic gains will be unable to overturn a veto by President Bush. Democrats will find it difficult to be able to enact legislation on more key Republican issues, such as a timetable for Iraq or a repeal of Bush's irresponsible tax cuts. However, congressional Democrats must still use their newfound abilities to propose bills on these issues, even if they result in legislative and executive gridlock. Democrats must build their reputation as the anti-war and fiscally responsible party, even if the future legislation comes to a halt to build a better reputation as a stronger party. Therefore, Democrats must revert to partisanship in order to swing the country back to its moderate origins before the 2000 elections.
The largest issue facing the country, America's current occupation in Iraq, will still likely go unanswered after the election results. However, newly elected Democrats must once again introduce legislation calling for a reasonable and verifiable date for a phased withdrawal in Iraq. As the war grows more unpopular, more congressional leaders will likely back the proposal and send a message against the foreign policy of the Bush administration. Since the Iraq campaign is about as popular and winnable as Vietnam, every time Republicans continue to vote against this proposal the more likely they will be seen with egg on their face as republican lawmakers finally start realizing what the majority of American and Iraqi people already know. For instance, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., mentioned in September about changing course in Iraq if the violence does not abate within a couple months, according to Bloomberg News. Additionally, the Democratic wave contributed to the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, according to the Associated Press. If Democratic senators turn up the heat and Republican senators finally realize a lost cause, the legislative tide will finally shift and American troops will be able to return home to a heroes' welcome, eventually overturning even obstinate Bush administration opposition.
After Iraq, voters elected democratic candidates for one other major reason -- the economy, stupid. While the general economy is strong (the Dow Jones Industrial Average only recently broke its limit of 12,000), many of these new opportunities have been targeted at upper income Americans while ignoring many of the middle and lower income Americans. Additionally, most Americans realize that our nation is in a major deficit, and that Bush's economic mantra of "stay the course" with tax cuts and spending increases is no longer feasible. Now that Democrats are strongly represented in both houses, they must propose legislation to both reduce the deficit and provide equality for voters across the economic spectrum. Specifically, the newly Democratic Ways and Means Committee must focus on redistributing economic inequality by raising the capital gains tax and estate tax, the two most progressive taxes aimed at wealthier families. According to a publication by the congressional research service, a vast majority of the capital gains tax is collected from individuals in the 28 percent or higher normal tax bracket or above. While the economy may be going strong, voters have been feeling cheated by Bush's voodoo economic programs. The new Democratic leadership can kill two birds with one stone by increasing taxes aimed for the wealthiest Americans.
In general, voters demonstrated that they had enough with the Republican Party -- from corruption stemming from Mark Foley, Jack Abramoff and Tom Delay to a lack of real change in the way congress was managed for the past 12 years Republicans have controlled congress. However, in every newly elected Democrat's mind, he or must remember that voters care about handling the bigger issues over all else. Democrats must deliver a stinging rebuke to the administration with every vote given to them -- only then will true moderation reign.
Adam Silverberg's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at asilverberg@cavalierdaily.com.
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