THE FLASHLIGHT, November 3-10, 2006
The US Midterm Election
A reinvigorated Democratic Party achieved victory in both houses of Congress, with at least a 229 member majority in the House, and, with two independents, a 51 member majority in the Senate. They picked up six Senate seats. Harry Reid will become the Majority Leader of the Senate and Nancy Pelosi will become the first woman Speaker of the House. The Democrats also picked up six new governors.
Moderate and Independents voted for Democrats two to one, the largest proportion on record. Consequently the Democrats will move to the center in their efforts according to PBS and CNN commentators. In Congress the Democrats will need to cooperate with Republicans to cope with the Republican President or with the Republican president to cope with right wing Republican congresspeople.
Men and women voted in equal proportions for the Democrats. 69% of Hispanics voted Democratic. Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. According to Paul Krugman, NYT 11-10, the “Solid South,” a stronghold of New Deal Democrats, has been replaced by the “Solid Northeast.”
Speculation about the imminent political situation: 11-10 CNN. There has been no congressional oversight of the executive branch during the Bush Administration and that is about to change. The new Democratic committee chairpeople will piously talk about their responsibilities while digging up all the accumulated abuses they can. Democrats will avoid talking about the three G’s: God, gays, and guns.
According to the Economist, 11-11, Bush will not be able to push for any more tax cuts for the rich or seat any more conservative judges. But in cooperation with the Democrats he may be able to develop an acceptable immigration reform bill. The Democrats will not focus of passing big reforms but on preparing for the 2008 presidential election. (see esp. pp. 38 and 43).
The day after the election Don Rumsfeld resigned as Secretary of Defense to the joy of a chorus of uncounted individuals. The day before the election the Gannett Company, publisher of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times, and Marine Times, called for his resignation. On 11-9 Maureen Dowd in the NY Times speculated that the timing of this event was influenced by the desire of Jim Baker and company to get Rumsfeld out of the way before they announced their proposals for dealing with the Iraq fiasco (expected early next year). They didn’t want Rumsfeld around to mess things up, she thought. Robert Gates, Director of the CIA in the period of Bush Senior, will replace Rumsfeld. He is reputedly cautious and pragmatic, like Bush Senior.
US Religion
11-4 CNN Ted Haggard, the President of the National Association of Evangelicals with a membership of 30 million was forced to resign after a former gay prostitute said that they had a three-year relationship and that in additionHaggard used methamphetamine. He was forced to resign as well from his megachurch in Colorado At first Haggard denied the charges, but later admitted he was a liar. His accuser said that his own motivation was to expose the hypocrisy of Haggard, who had been campaigning against gay marriage.
World
PBS 11-3. A new British scientific study of global warming said that the cost of doing something about it now would be less than the cost of coping with epidemics, famines, hurricanes and higher ocean levels in the future. The US is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases but so far has done nothing much to curb them.
Nicaragua
CNN 11-8 A national election in Nicaragua elevated Daniel Ortega, former Communist rebel leader, to the presidency. [Remember the Iran-Contra scandal in the time of Pres. Reagan? That was about illegal American financing of the guerillas who were contra to the Communists in Nicaragua.] Ortega has allied with a liberal party and is moderated. But he is also cozy with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, the leftist president of Venezuela.
The US Midterm Election
A reinvigorated Democratic Party achieved victory in both houses of Congress, with at least a 229 member majority in the House, and, with two independents, a 51 member majority in the Senate. They picked up six Senate seats. Harry Reid will become the Majority Leader of the Senate and Nancy Pelosi will become the first woman Speaker of the House. The Democrats also picked up six new governors.
Moderate and Independents voted for Democrats two to one, the largest proportion on record. Consequently the Democrats will move to the center in their efforts according to PBS and CNN commentators. In Congress the Democrats will need to cooperate with Republicans to cope with the Republican President or with the Republican president to cope with right wing Republican congresspeople.
Men and women voted in equal proportions for the Democrats. 69% of Hispanics voted Democratic. Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. According to Paul Krugman, NYT 11-10, the “Solid South,” a stronghold of New Deal Democrats, has been replaced by the “Solid Northeast.”
Speculation about the imminent political situation: 11-10 CNN. There has been no congressional oversight of the executive branch during the Bush Administration and that is about to change. The new Democratic committee chairpeople will piously talk about their responsibilities while digging up all the accumulated abuses they can. Democrats will avoid talking about the three G’s: God, gays, and guns.
According to the Economist, 11-11, Bush will not be able to push for any more tax cuts for the rich or seat any more conservative judges. But in cooperation with the Democrats he may be able to develop an acceptable immigration reform bill. The Democrats will not focus of passing big reforms but on preparing for the 2008 presidential election. (see esp. pp. 38 and 43).
The day after the election Don Rumsfeld resigned as Secretary of Defense to the joy of a chorus of uncounted individuals. The day before the election the Gannett Company, publisher of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times, and Marine Times, called for his resignation. On 11-9 Maureen Dowd in the NY Times speculated that the timing of this event was influenced by the desire of Jim Baker and company to get Rumsfeld out of the way before they announced their proposals for dealing with the Iraq fiasco (expected early next year). They didn’t want Rumsfeld around to mess things up, she thought. Robert Gates, Director of the CIA in the period of Bush Senior, will replace Rumsfeld. He is reputedly cautious and pragmatic, like Bush Senior.
US Religion
11-4 CNN Ted Haggard, the President of the National Association of Evangelicals with a membership of 30 million was forced to resign after a former gay prostitute said that they had a three-year relationship and that in additionHaggard used methamphetamine. He was forced to resign as well from his megachurch in Colorado At first Haggard denied the charges, but later admitted he was a liar. His accuser said that his own motivation was to expose the hypocrisy of Haggard, who had been campaigning against gay marriage.
World
PBS 11-3. A new British scientific study of global warming said that the cost of doing something about it now would be less than the cost of coping with epidemics, famines, hurricanes and higher ocean levels in the future. The US is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases but so far has done nothing much to curb them.
Nicaragua
CNN 11-8 A national election in Nicaragua elevated Daniel Ortega, former Communist rebel leader, to the presidency. [Remember the Iran-Contra scandal in the time of Pres. Reagan? That was about illegal American financing of the guerillas who were contra to the Communists in Nicaragua.] Ortega has allied with a liberal party and is moderated. But he is also cozy with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, the leftist president of Venezuela.
posted by THE FLASHLIGHT at 6:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home