After years of telling folks "vote for us or terrorists will kill ya!", the GOP lost what appears to be both houses of Congress to the Dems. The Senate's close but it looks like Montana's just waiting for a county recount and Virgina's not being called because the networks are still gunshy from the Florida and Ohio catastrophes.

 

So what's next for the Republicans? Not only have they lost power, they really don't have a candidate for 2008 to keep the White House. Oh, there's a lot of Republicans who are rumored to be running, but none really have enough mainstream appeal to actually win.  John McCain's lost a lot of cred by playing Mr. Independent when it suits him then sucking up to Bush/Republicans when that would be to his advantage. Folks like Brownback are way to ultra right wing Christian to gain a foothold, and while it would be a historic event, I really don't see the Republican base that has been built since 2000 voting for Condi.

I don't know why everyone wants to make a big deal out of this. Historically the Mid-Term Elections lose 37 House Seats from the sitting Presidents Party if they previously held power. It Bushes first Mid-Term they held so that should have been the big news not this one. The saddest part is Pelosi. She is a complete dingbat. These things go back and forth. This is less an endorsement of the Democrats (although, they did move more appropriately to the center in some cases) than it is an inditement of the Republicans.

 

What should the GOP do? Well, hopefully look in the mirror. They had complete control and accomplished little to nothing. They need to clean their own house, especially on issues like ethics, special interest, and hypocrisy. Then there is the embarrassment that is the Iraq war management. Sitting back and accepting Bush's "stay the course" wasn't cutting it. Then there are the empty promises of SS reform, health care reform, and simplifying the tax code. The massive spending doesn't help either. Can't blame the Democrats for this one. Not even the media. The Republicans had a golden opportunity and (De Niro voice) "You blew it!"

I think the other major question here is, how are the Democrats going to use their newfound "political capital"?  With the system of checks and balances we have in this country, like most analysts are saying, we are going to be in a political gridlock.  A lot of people are using that excuse to say that we would have been better off with one party in control of the government, because then things could get accomplished.  However, how many positive things have been accomplished by the GOP?  Especially looking since 2004.  Basically, the worst case scenario is that no real headway will be made, but some of Bush's more absurd policies won't fly as easily as they had been.  That's a compromise I'd definitely be willing to take.

 

As for the GOP, it has now been demonstrated by the general public that they have had enough with all this talking and no action.  Also, can't forget the whole "stay the course" bullshit.  The President has a decision to make, he can maintain the "legacy" he has created, and continue it for the next two years, which would in fact kill the GOP for the next couple of election terms at least.  Or, he could try to actually encourage bipartisianism and get some real shit accomplished here.  Rumsfeld being let go could be a step in that direction, or it could just be a move he's making to create a facade of being willing to compromise, gain some brownie points after the American public has said they have no confidence in him.  What's funny is Bush's answer when asked about how he said Rumsfeld wasn't going anywhere just last week, saying that he was just saying that to keep it under wraps prior to election day.  Even if that is the case, this guy doesn't need to make himself look any more deceitful than he already does.

 

My bold prediction for the next two years, more bickering between parties than we have seen yet.  Bush, Cheney, and Co. will get called out on a lot of things from the past six years, leading to essentially nothing.  If the Democrats are smart they will continue their swing towards moderation and just keep pushing the concept of it being time for a change, but avoiding any of the real hot button stuff like gay marriage or abortion, because that is exactly what the Republicans need to bounce back big in 2008.

Personally, I'll take "gridlock" over a rubber stamp that OKs every empty headed idea the administration wants to push down the pike.

What the pundits are calling "gridlock", which is a word I hope I never hear again (along with blue dog), in reality, having the Dems control Congress allows the govt. to function exactly as it is supposed to... where no branch becomes too powerful.

Yeah, exactly.  But the conservative media needs to make this out as a bad thing for the country, thus we are in a "gridlock".

I enjoyed hearing Glenn Beck try to say that the election results weren't a win for the Democrats because some of the anti-gay marriage amendments passed in some states. Somehow voting against gays was the big draw nationwide despite only 6 or so states having it on the ballot.

And you could even call that a small (very small) step in the right direction, considering that it finally went on the ballot in a state and didn't pass when voted on.

 

Not that gay marriage is an issue that has anything to do with Democrats anyway.