Column off the mark

Jon Detzel's Nov. 8 column, "The future is ours," which proclaims the death of the Republican party and the American conservative movement, fails to grasp the real implications of the midterm elections.

They did not, as Detzel vainly hopes, indicate a shift in the American public away from the Spirit of '94, but rather away from the corruption that plagued many of the incumbents who lost their seats.

Also inaccurate was Detzel's statement that the Democratic party has become moderate-one need only look at those poised to take over the House and Senate committees to see on which side of the political spectrum the new majority lies. It is true that many of the new class of Congressmen are conservatives, but that fact only indicates that as the war in Iraq draws to a close and Bush leaves office, this new-formed coalition will disintegrate.

Finally, it is almost amusing to read Detzel's plan for a new-and-improved America. He states: "We can all agree that we can do better and that we need real change," but he fails to state what "better" or "real change" means. I want real change in the form of smaller government. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will disagree. So much for the "Era of Good Feelings II!"

Oliver Sherouse

Trinity '09