Pundits will not stop talking about history. CNN's conservative talking heads sat smugly touting the historical win for the Republicans. Democratic talking heads echoed that, calling it a fluke. Another Democratic talking head, James Carville, sat in the corner with a trash can on his head, saying more about American politics than he could possibly have intended.
As trashy as the election may have been, it was not historical: This election was largely reminiscent of the last time the nation offered a seemingly one-way decision that actually emphasized the status quo: 1998. Then, during a midterm election with no dominant national issue (unless you count oral sex), the Democrats made meek, "historical" gains in the House and held ground in the Senate. A bunch of tight races broke in the Democrats favor, but there was not really a "trend."
The attitude of pundits is that the nation moved a step to the right. True, the GOP was the big winner, but measuring that step sideways requires a micrometer. Next year, with Congress at his side, Bush may well be able to punch through his homeland security bill, re-nominate some of the gremlins in wigs that the Senate rejected for appellate court justices and finally fulfill the dream of drilling a giant hole in Alaska.
But, the GOP will have no one to blame when things go wrong for the next two years. Given the tumult that currently encompasses this country, this may be the ideal time for Democrats to sit back and watch. At least the nation won't have to hear President Bush trying to pronounce "obstructionist" anymore when referring to the Senate.
If the Democrats are smart--questionable given their failures on Tuesday--they will replace their leadership and begin an aggressive, national campaign against the president's policies. The one thing that Democrats learned on Tuesday night was that without their own vision, the party has no where to go but down. But enough of the talking-head political analysis, some of the highlights of Election 2002:
Dukies and Helmets: N.C. Senator-elect Elizabeth Dole (R) and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), helmet-haired Dukies, won. Democrat Jack Conway lost in Kentucky's third district to another woman with helmet hair, Rep. Anne Northup. Coincidence?
Girls Club: There will be a record six women governors come January. In Michigan, Gov.-elect Jennifer Granholm beat two prominent male politicians in the primary, and in the general, she edged Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumous. What a name. Make your own rigor mortis joke.
Political Name Game: In Maryland, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend lost, despite the state's overwhelming Democratic tilt. It was a good year to be a Bush--and it didn't require election rigging! If Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter stays out of jail, there may be hope for a fourth generation of Bushies.
The First Wives Club: Sen.-elect Dole will now be serving along side N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton. Didn't their husbands used to hate each other? I wonder if Dole's 2000 Duke commencement address that contained the phrase that sent feminists into fits, "first ladies should be ladies first", will come back to haunt her at the first women's caucus meeting. Says Hillary, "Liddy, I'm so sorry I spilled that hot coffee on your hair, and more sorry that it rolled off like water on wax paper."
Reconstruction Lives: The GOP reconstructed its Southern dominance with gubernatorial wins in Georgia and South Carolina, and by almost sweeping Southern Senate races. Strom and Jesse may be leaving, but the South is rising again.
A Dream Deferred: The Democrats "Dream Ticket" in Texas--a Hispanic candidate for governor and an African-American candidate for Senate--lost to a couple of well-financed, well-established White Guys. Yeehaw!
Worst Ad: Texas Gov. Rick Perry ran an ad alleging that his opponent helped Mexican drug lords kill DEA agents. And Republicans wonder why their party has trouble attracting Hispanic voters.
The Story No Pundit Picked Up On: We are in an economic recession, about to enter into a war for unclear reasons and just gave one party responsibility for the entire government.The last time that happened, how quickly did it blow up in the incumbent party's face? Ask Lyndon Johnson--he had a broad vision, a rough economy, a bloodlust, control of Congress and was our last Texan president. It went so poorly that a man named Richard Nixon ascended to the presidency. A history lesson worth noting.
Martin Barna, Trinity '02, is a former editorial page editor of The Chronicle.
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