Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 7 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Election Hangover

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Message Joshua Frank
Become a Fan
  (1 fan)
Thank goodness it's finally over. Well almost, anyway. Recounts are still going on out in Montana where Jon Tester holds a slight lead over incumbent Senator Conrad Burns. The Democrats swept the House last night and now they are oh-so-close to controlling the United States Senate. And the message voters sent Bush is being heard loud and clear: the Republicans and this war are not popular in America.

Pundits are claiming that it was the antiwar vote that helped usher the Dems back into power. It's just too bad that the Democrats aren't going to repay their constituents with anything worthwhile. For the war in Iraq will rage on.

Third party antiwar candidates didn't fare as well as they would have liked. Aaron Dixon, who ran as a Green in Washington State, garnered a little over 10,000 votes. Green candidate Howie Hawkins, who ran against Sen. Hillary Clinton in New York, scored a little over 51,500 votes. Independent candidate Kevin Zeese of Maryland, who made his way into a series of debates in the state, cashed in over 23,700 votes, while Green Todd Chreiten of California topped 106,000 in his bid to take on Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Overall, it could have been worse -- as all aforementioned candidacies were virtually ignored by the mainstream antiwar movement.

Whether or not you're feeling good about last night's results, you can rest assured that the Empire is still in tact. Impeachment of this outlaw administration isn't going to fall down within the next two years. Nancy Pelosi, the new House leader, has promised as much. Deaths in Iraq will continue to mount and no exit strategy will play out in the coming months. Global warming will still not be addressed. Nor will our position on Israel, the war on drugs, free trade, or privatized health care. Basically things are still damn bleak despite the liberal take over of Washington.

As I sat at the bar last night watching the tallies roll in, cheers from across the room would interrupt my daydreaming -- another Democrat had won. I have to admit, I too felt good about the defeat of Rick Santorum and a few other filthy Republicans. It's nice to see a rabid homophobe go down in flames now and again. But it is just too bad that nothing substantial will come out of it. Bob Casey, Santorum's replacement, is pro-life and anti-gay himself. But the lesser-evil won, so shut up and be happy about it.

In New York, K Street watchdog Eliot Spitzer was victorious in his quest for the governorship. And like Barack Obama, Spitzer is seen as a beacon of hope within the Democratic establishment. But like Obama, Spitzer has his sour issues. Aside from supporting the death penalty and the war in Iraq, Spitzer was one of the chief architects of New York's own version of the PATRIOT Act.

It was an exhibit of what's to come in 2008. Centrism in the Democratic Party is back. Not that it ever left, it's just in power again. The Democrats won last night, not because they offered voters any real choices -- they won because people were fed up with the Republicans and their deceitful ways.
Rate It | View Ratings

Joshua Frank Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Joshua Frank is co-editor of Dissident Voice and author of Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush (Common Courage Press, 2005), and along with Jeffrey St. Clair, the editor of the brand new book Red State (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

An Interview with Max Blumenthal -- Inside Israel's Apartheid State

Targeting Pelosi and the War Machine: An Interview with Cindy Sheehan

Clinton, Edwards and Obama: Strike Iran

Al Gore the Environmental Titan?

Debating Barack Obama's Cash Flow

Jon Tester's Neopopulism

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend