MuadDib

I think this will be an interesting 2 year regardless of how the Senate goes, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for it til that decision comes down. But even if we don't get them the fundamental structure of Congress has changed. We have more moderate democrats and less conservative republicans. This is going to move both parties right. Also we going to have Dems heading up more commitees. This could go any number of ways, but Congressional Dems and the Bush administration are now going to be forced to mix and the results will be interesting.

This "sweep" is clearly indicitive of the people's desire for change. But the breadth and depth of that desire is questionable. I think it's clear that this was a message about Bush and his White House. It is also a message about Iraq. That should be clear from the Dems holding their incumbents so this wasn't an anti-incumbent message. This also was not a sign of America moving to the left or okaying a liberal agenda. We are tired of the extreme right, but that doesn't mean we don't still fear the extreme left. This is election was not a mandate and if it was it was only a mandate for oversight and for some change. How the Dems handle this will be the key to '08. If they are responsible steward of the last six years and ask the much needed questions, give it the needed oversight, and restore Congress as a responsible check AND balance to the executive then we can talk mandates in '08.

As for the multiparty elections, I think that would be a good topic for us in a seperate thread. I will say that another party moving up has always meant another party moving down, shortly there after. It's just the way our institutions are set up to force a two party system. So to make this happen we would need to change a lot of procedure and a fair amount of Constitution.

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"The courts that first rode the warhorse of virtual representation into battle on the res judicata front invested their steed with near-magical properties." ~27 F.3d 751