A Democratic Surge
November 9th, 2006,The dust is settling from the 2006 election, and the Democratic Party has won victories across the board, from state legislatures and governorships to both houses of Congress. With the additional development of Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation as Secretary of Defense, it does seem to mark the end of a conservative era - though it has been a strange era in which conservative principles such as fiscal prudence have been thrown overboard.
In many ways the election has been a referendum on Republican rule, and the people have indicated their displeasure with the Iraq War, corruption, preferential treatment of corporations and the wealthy, and more.
For the first time since 1970, the Republicans failed to pick up a single Democratic seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Democrats picked up many Republican seats in the Midwest and Northeast, including Minnesota’s first district, where Democrat Tim Walz defeated Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht.
Democratic representatives from the region stand to gain from the change in leadership. Rep. James L. Oberstar of northern Minnesota will likely chair the House Transportation Committee, which is good news for my pet issue of nonmotorized transportation; Oberstar has been a champion of that cause. Collin C. Peterson, also from Minnesota, may become chair of the Agriculture Committee.
Minnesota saw some political firsts in this election. Amy Klobuchar, who graduated from my high school (Wayzata High School), is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota. Rep. Keith Ellison, from Minneapolis, becomes the first African American to be sent to Congress from Minnesota, and he is also the first Muslim ever to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Michelle Bachmann, a conservative Republican who led the unsuccessful effort to add an anti-same-sex marriage amendment to Minnesota’s constitution, won election to the U.S. House in Minnesota’s sixth district. Bachmann may bring unwanted national attention to Minnesota due to her extreme views and her strident evangelical outlook. She appears to be moving her focus from social issues to anti-tax efforts.
Constitutional amendments banning gay marriage passed in seven states and failed only in Arizona. Such an amendment passed narrowly in South Dakota (52 to 48 percent) and by a wider margin in Wisconsin (59 to 41 percent). A ballot measure supporting South Dakota’s sweeping abortion ban failed by 56 to 44 percent. Wisconsin voters favored reinstating the death penalty (an advisory ballot measure only) by 56 to 44 percent.
Democrats in the Minnesota state legislature posted strong gains. They regained control of the state house by gaining 19 seats there, giving them a commanding 85-49 lead. In the state senate, the DFL (Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party) gained six seats and earned a 44-23 majority - nearly a 2 to 1 advantage.
A Minnesota transportation amendment that will give transit at least 40 percent of proceeds from vehicle sales taxes passed as well by 57 to 43 percent. That will give a huge boost to transit - putting our region on the path to urban maturity, in my opinion. A light rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul will be a likely beneficiary of the new funds. (It’s not scheduled to be completed until 2014.) In the offing: a possible increase in the gas tax or other fees, which would be another boon to alternative transportation and to the environment.
Finally, of the speeches I heard on election night, one stood out as especially good: that of Sherrod Brown of Ohio. He used the word “progressive” repeatedly and spoke of a victory for the middle class. He also talked about making Ohio “the Silicon Valley of renewable energy” - a goal that I commend, although it may be better enacted by the governor of Ohio rather than the U.S. Senator. I look forward to hearing more from Senator Brown.
November 11th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
So you’re optimistic, right, Bill? I’m waiting to be shown how the conservative era has ended.
Many of the Dems might be called Liebermen or DINOs–their instincts run to many of the same right wing gutters as those just sent packing. What liberal consensus will they join? They might notch Bushism a bit to the center. But in large measure the Democrats are now so far to the right of where they stood 25 years ago, when we were coming of age, that only next to an alliance of neocons and theocrats do they seem less “conservative.”
For now I’m pleased to see one set of wretches driven out. The value of their replacements was already measured between 2000 and 2006 as an opposition party. May they do better in power!
November 13th, 2006 at 10:47 am
I suppose I’m more optimistic after the election because of my hopes that this is only the beginning of a leftward trend. But my expectations are modest and many of the problems we’ve discussed, including the influence of money on politics, remain.
I thought Garrison Keillor captured this kind of modest hope well in his post-election column, although he expressed a more jaded outlook on our sorry leadership than I did in my more matter-of-fact post above.