Think!
Bush, back in the saddle again
Issue date: 11/10/04 Section: Opinion
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Adam Henson
Features Editor
The 2004 Campaign, now that it is finally over, didn't quite live up to some of the expectations set by political forecasters. Billed to be one of the tightest races in American history, it has in those regards, turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.
Winning both houses in Congress as well as both the electoral and popular votes in the presidential race, President Bush and the Republican party have accomplished a feat which hasn't been seen since the early 20th Century. It also seems that in winning a 51% vote popular vote, as compared to Kerry's 48%, the President has received a clear mandate from the American people. At least that's what is being said by party spokesmen. Granted that mandate is obviously only coming from those who voted for Bush.
On the other side of things, the Democrats are now saying that it is time for the President to extend his hand in victory to their side of the aisle in order to "unify" the country once again. I am wondering though if that should be the case at all, has the country really ever been unified in terms of partisan politics?
In the House of Representatives the Republicans have a clear and superior majority filling 232 seats, the House only requires 218 for a majority. In the Senate Republicans also now claim a commanding majority with 54 seats, the 55th teetering. In the past four years Congress, the Senate especially, has been very closely split between the parties, allowing moderates on either side to decide what decisions would be passed and which rejected. Now, though, with two commanding majorities Bush, in theory, should be able to get more things pushed through.
I hate to be a naysayer, but wouldn't it be ironic with a Republican Congress and White House for Washington D.C. to remain in a liberal downward spiral? I must interject here that the State must not be ruled by a church nor a religious doctrine, however, I don't think that a great majority of the things being pushed in the Capitol reflect the complete opinion of the American people. For instance in the 11 states where homosexual marriage was on the ballot, it was defeated, even in Oregon a state that many thought would go the other way on that issue.