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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Morning After

I had said no more politics for awhile here, but maybe this isn't. It's about how I feel the morning after when we know the House has changed hands as well as the Senate either doing likewise or being equal. Whatever the case, I was impressed this morning by what I heard from Nancy Pelosi when she talked of the need for both parties and the President to all work together. She stated that if she is Speaker, it's for the country, not just for her party. I liked it that she reaffirmed no impeachment as I think that would have been a horrible mistake when we have such major problems to tackle. Iraq is a complicated problem and it won't be solved by finger pointing but rather by coming up with viable options. There may be a time to look back on this and see what went wrong; but right now the emphasis has to be on what do we do next!

Before this morning, I hadn't listened to President Bush talk in weeks, maybe months; just because it's been so hard to take. Today I felt I should listen to his press conference and I liked what I heard. I was glad to hear we will have a new Secretary of Defense. I don't know anything about the man chosen, but am hopeful that maybe new ideas might help a really tragic situation that whatever the wisdom of getting into it, we are there now.
Do I totally trust what Bush said? Well, he said see what we do, not what we say and I'll sure be doing that. Despite what some might think, I have never been a Bush hater, but I have thought he was going the wrong way on most everything. I haven't trusted him. I have also said he might be a better president if he had to work together with Democrats. Absolute power has a way of corrupting. Well now we have a chance to see how they all do.

As Bush said in his press conference, look at our actions. The American people will be-- on those of both parties. I felt both leaders made at least a good start and I feel happy at yesterday's results. Not gloating, not relishing that someone lost. I can't say I am totally confident things will change, but I am hopeful that we can all win in the long run. It was a start yesterday.

15 comments:

Joy Des Jardins said...

Finally something for us all to smile about Rain....what a breath of fresh air. I was up much too late watching results, but it felt good. The votes are counted, and our voices are heard. Cheers Rain.

robin andrea said...

I am also so happy with the results. I feel like our votes really do count, and our democracy is safe. I'm looking forward to the change in the House, and see how policies change for the working class in our country.

Rain Trueax said...

That is it and the important thing for us to remember is there are Republicans who put the good of their country ahead of political party and held their noses to vote Democratic in order to get change. Now we have to all put pressure on both sides to make that change be a good one. It's encouraging but just a beginning. That temptation for both sides to do politics as usual will be intense.

Maya's Granny said...

Sadly, the man Bush has nominated for Secretary of Defense was deeply implicated in an earlier GOP scandal. Although Bob Gates wasn't indited for his role in Iran-Contra, he was certainly in it up to his eye brows.

Down With Tyranny says he may be the one man who could do a worse job than Rumsfeld, and I agree.

We can't really believe that Bush would nominate anyone who would do a good job -- it is all loyalty to him with him. No one who would be loyal to Bush at this point in history would be competent.

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

NO matter what Gates did in the past (I hope), the Democratic shift in Congress will help the administration to move as the majority voted.

This is a time for the president to show the world that democracy works even if it is a bitter pill for him. He can get off his unwavering policy and almost save face because he is following the will of the people.

Rain Trueax said...

And now the Senate also is going to have a Democratic majority which is good because that's where judges are confirmed. We won't have to worry about more Roberts or Alitos... for 2 years anyway.

I had not heard much about Gates but we really have to hope for the best right now as this president is the one we have. His willingness to lie in the past (and again in this election) does make you have little faith. I couldn't believe he'd admit that he had lied about keeping on Rumsfeld. He should have never told us anything about when he made that decision if he wanted to look remotely honest to even his most committed base...

Limbaugh did the same thing in a sense when he said he was through carrying water for them. He basically admitted he has been a shill which is what many of us have said all along. So now we are supposed to believe he'll say the truth?

Quite an election but I still feel hopeful and hope the most that the Democrats are up to this

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for your voice of reason through all of this. Your calmer perspective was a good check on my tendency to rant and rave beyond reason. We won. Correction: the American people won. Now, who is hosting the first party? I'll bring my world famous baked beans and a case genuine brewed in America by Americans beer...

Dick said...

I think the last few years have shown me that we are better off with a split in power rather than having either party control both parts of Congress and the Executive Branch. This will bring the balance back to that and I think it will be for the better.

Anonymous said...

When I got back home yesterday from traveling, I began to hear all the election returns and the news of the Rumsfeld's resignation. I do not personally know anything about Gates so I'll have to wait to comment on him until more of his policies and personality are revealed.

I have to catch up this weekend on posts; no Internet access where I was and I came home exhausted last night. Work the next few days, company for the weekend.

Mary Lou said...

I am holding judgement on Gates, but replacing Rumsfeld was step one in saving Bush's presidency. I also think that Cheney should step down. (For health COncerns you know...ahem)

When I heard that Gates took 6 months to be vetted for the CIA the first time around, I got concerned. I think Bush should pick someone totally clean of 41's administration.

Yep. I held my nose and voted, but it was not a really hard thing to do, as I think our Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell has done a fairly good job, as a first termer.
as for the local elections, I split the ticket.

Here's hoping for a more moderate 2 years!

Ingineer66 said...

OK I have been out of town for the last two days. But here are my observations. I find it interesting that the media has been saying all along that Pelosi was going to be the next speaker. I am pretty sure that they will vot on that and maybe she will and maybe she wont. It is not guarenteed. The next thing a bunch of comments say that this is the will of the people. You are correct it is the will of the people, but where were you when the will of the people was re-electing Bush in 04 and maintaining a majority of republicans in the House and Senate. The next thing Rain, I respect your opinion, but you seem to automatically assume that Nancy Pelosi is going to start telling the truth now that the Dems have a majority. Why would she start now. She is a politician, when do you think she lets the truth get in the way of her message. Just like almost every other politician from any party. I am optimistic that things will work out with the split in power between the Legislative and Executive Branch, but we will have to see how it goes. I look at it kind of like the Palestinians choosing Hamas. They were so unhappy about the millions that Arafat had stolen from them that they wanted to get rid of his entire party just like after Watergate there was no way Ford was going to win. The election in 2 years will probably be the real battle between the parties.

Rain Trueax said...

I don't know that Nancy Pelosi has lied about anything. Don't know her that well but what are you suggesting she has lied about? That Bush is a dangerous man, that he's been an Emperor's New Clothes? hmmmmm trying to remember what else. They have been the truth. If she has lied about other things, list them as that is an accusation that I feel deserves firm statements as to what. Bush admitted he lied just recently and most people who have looked at him with any objectivity know this isn't the first time. Weapons of Mass Destruction either he was deceived on by his own people or he was lying to achieve what he considered a higher goal.

As for us electing Hamas when we voted the Republicans out of power, you really do see the democrats as horrible people and on a level of terrorists? Amazing. And you have said you were fairly independent in your thinking. That doesn't sound like it.

I think people saw that Bush had been treating his job as a dicatorship and felt if they didn't take the power back now, they'd never get it. Hopefully that has happened. This was about concern over our Constitution being followed or discarded. It was about a party that had sold out to the highest bidder.

I don't want to see Bush impeached in the next 2 years as it'd take a long time to do it and we'd just end up with Cheney but I think somewhere down the road, legal issues need to be looked at. Many of us believe this man broke our laws and deserves criminal trials someday.

Amazing though. So we who voted for democrats and that compares to Hamas. This shows you how divided this country still is that anyone would compare the parties in this country to parties that use terrorism to gain their goals. You see democrats as deadly in their intent as I have seen the Republicans who rolled over and let a president be a dictator. I hope when new Republicans come along to run, they see it differently.

Rain Trueax said...

and i think the reason this didn't happen when Bush won (because Ohio went his way barely), was people didn't know about signing statements, didn't realize the full extent of the power his party was letting him take, how they were rolling over and hiding anything that would threaten their power-- whether it was for the good of the people or not (Foley as one example). Even we who didn't want him there, didn't know the extent of what was going on.

I also think that if you people who favor the far right keep listening to right wing radio, you will only hear one version of the truth, hate-filled and full of bile, and it won't help this country unite but will all be aimed at regaining power for those who were trashing our constitition in the name of gaining wealth and power for some. That and feeding fear.

Don't forget how Bush said only weeks ago how Democrats were on the side of terrorists and wanted to see the bad guys win; but then at his press conference he said democrats cared about this country's safety too (this is not speculation; these are the things he said over and over).

Hate-filled, and bile spewing talk radio doesn't deserve viewers and those of you who do listen to it are feeding it. I read that one woman, Laura something or other can't recall her name, was encouraging her listeners before the election to block phone lines that could report voting violations-- that's dirty politics and also against the law in case right wingers don't know it.

America rejected extremism. It didn't vote in extreme lefties and it didn't want more of Bush controlling everything. That's what happened. The middle rose up and I hope it is going to stay strong for real values, for not just doing things for personal power, but for things that are best for tnis country.

As for Pelosi being next Speaker, Bush is assuming that also. She does have to run but I haven't heard of any Democrat wanting to run against her yet anyway.

Ingineer66 said...

OK I obviously hit a nerve since you responded with such a passionate diatribe. I really am hoping for cooperation and that our leaders do what is best for the country and the world. I was not comparing Hamas to the Democrats, I was just saying that people were mad at Bush and the Republicans got the shaft, which they pretty much deserved. And I really dont listen to that much talk radio and especially not much Rush. I find myself listening to music more than talk during the day lately.
As for Pelosi I dont have an example that she lied about anything, but odds are since she is a politician and a machine politician at that she has probably told plenty of whoppers. I think she is way too liberal to reflect the values of this nation or even this state, and I hope someone more moderate takes a shot at the speakership. But since she is in line to be the first woman speaker then nobody will want to upset the apple cart.

Rain Trueax said...

Yes, you hit a nerve because the accusation all year has been that Democrats will roll over for terrorists, that they are ungodly etc etc. and then you add that they are like terrorists for how someone would vote for them instead of sticking to Bushites. The reason the Republicans were held accountable is because they let Bush get away with anything. they didn't look at whether these companies in Iraq have been cheating us or care to do ANY oversight for what Bush did. They then became part and parcel of his work. They should have long ago acknowledged he wasn't a true conservative and done something about it. John McCain is one of the biggest offenders in my book. Not that Hillary gets any pass.

As for Pelosi, she said she understood the difference between representing her district and sticking to what is best for them vs being Speaker of the House which is a post representing all Americans. I think she can't do a worse job than Hastert who never did get it that he wasn't just the waterboy for the Bush people. We will see.

Americans are, I believe, tired of the same old same old, and I think that if the democrats let us down, they will all be voted out next time. Hopefully Americans are just mad enough to hold ALL politicians of both parties responsible when they do not put the business of the American people as the priority!