Op-Ed Commentary
Washington
Post : The Voters' Message
Editorial
SIX YEARS OF nearly unbroken one-party rule have not been healthy
for the country. The apparent Democratic takeover of the House
of Representatives yesterday is a good thing. Republicans won
control of the House in 1994 promising a change from Washington
business as usual. Instead, entrenched by gerrymandered redistricting
into what they envisioned would be a permanent majority, Republicans
slid toward lax oversight, unbridled partisanship and rampant
sleaziness, if not outright corruption. Voters yesterday expressed
their anger at President Bush and their frustration with the war
in Iraq, as well as their disgust with the arrogant misbehavior
of House Republicans. Though we regret the loss of some of the
most talented Republican moderates, the GOP deserved to lose its
majority.
Less
clear is that Democrats deserved to win -- or that they would
have done so absent Republican missteps. The Democrats won the
House, and, as of this writing, at least narrowed the GOP majority
in the Senate, but not because voters necessarily agreed with
their program. How many voters, we wonder, could name even one
of the Democrats' vaunted "Six for '06" legislative
proposals? As they prepare to wield power, Democrats don't have
capital from voters; at most, they enjoy a line of credit.
The right way to draw on that will be to resist the partisan temptation
to act as the other side did, highhandedly and unilaterally. Instead,
Democrats need to reach out to congressional Republicans as well
as to Mr. Bush; the increased presence of conservatives in the
Democratic ranks ought to help presumptive-Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(Calif.) forge bipartisan majorities. The Democrats should swiftly
enact promised ethics and lobbying reforms that Republicans slighted.
They should conduct vigorous oversight but not incessant, backward-looking
investigations; subpoena power should be used sparingly. It was
easy for Democrats to offer campaign promises of fiscal discipline;
it will be harder -- given the raft of new spending they have
proposed -- to live up to promises of pay-as-you-go budget constraints.
After six
years of belligerent partisanship, the president would do well
to change course dramatically in his final two years. In this,
Mr. Bush has a good role model: Gov. George W. Bush of Texas,
who managed to work across party lines to achieve results. Granted,
Democrats in Congress aren't the same as Democrats in Texas, but
the new congressional Democrats share a common interest with the
president in demonstrating an ability to overcome bickering to
achieve results. There's opportunity on issues ranging from immigration
and climate change to entitlement reform and education.
As
for Iraq, the president and his party need to be mindful of the
passionate voter discontent with the war. Some Democratic candidates
advocated prompt withdrawal, which we believe would be perilous
to U.S. and Iraqi interests, but many were pressing for adjustment,
not the "cut and run" of Mr. Bush's caricature. The
president's lofty campaign rhetoric is bearing decreasing resemblance
to the grim reality in Iraq. With the election over, he needs
to show more flexibility and deftness to address the deteriorating
situation.
Washington
Post
is one Washington D.C. most read news daily. Petroleumworld not
necessarily share these views.
Editor's
Note: This commentary was originally published by Washington Post,
on 11/08/2006. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest
of our readers.
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11/08/06
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