Last night was filled with a lot of triumphs, some disappointments, and most importently, hope. Hope that George W. Bush and his evil regime will be stopped dead in its tracks as it tries to march to war against Iran, hope that it will now, at long last, be held accountable for its multitude of crimes.
Last night, Democrats won control of the U.S. House of Representatives; four out of six much-needed U.S. Senate seats, with a close recount to determine whether Bush will finally have a check on his abuses of power in the Senate; and six governorships, including Ohio! This means Democrats now control a majority of U.S. governorships.
Democrats rolled up gains of about 30 seats in the House in Tuesday's elections, riding to a huge victory on a wave of public discontent with the Iraq war, corruption and Republican [dictator] George W. Bush's leadership.In Virginia, the recount -- which will decide control of the Senate -- may not determine a winner between Republican incumbent George Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb. If Webb wins, count on Republican Joe LIEberman to fuck Democrats over by caucusing with the GOP.
And that's where we come to the disappointments I was talking about; LIEberman managed to retain a Senate seat he no longer deserves, having taken huge sums of GOP money after losing the Democratic primary to challenger Ned Lamont in Connecticut. LIEberman is a vindictive animal, and he can be counted on only one thing if Webb is determined to be the winner: to once again stab in the back the party he turned his back on.
But the night had other good news; Democrat Sherrod Brown beat Republican incumbent and rubber stamp for George W. Bush, Mike DeWine, by ten percentage points. Democrat Ted Strickland won the Ohio gubernatorial race by over twenty percentage points, with Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell conceding early in the evening. Both DeWine and Blackwell, Bush's bitches, gave concession speeches rife with dishonesty and bitterness.
And some more good news for Ohio's minimum wage workers: voters gave them a raise last night, passing a constitutional amendment increasing it here in the Buckeye State. Ohio's legislature, long dominated by the GOP, has consistently refused to pass a minimum wage increase. But in the wave of anti-Republican sentiment sweeping the nation, and with wages for the poorest workers stagnant, Ohio finally decided enough was enough -- they were tired of watching a do-nothing legislature increase wealth for the richest citizens, while keeping the poor and middle class in a financial rut.
Expect a lot of corporations in Ohio to retaliate by laying off low-income workers, cutting their hours, or some combination of the two. But really, they've no reason to; when workers are able to afford to buy more, that's just more money cycling back into the economy. Which means, in the long run, businesses win. It's just that now, low-income workers win as well.
I will keep this entry updated throughout the day, as more information flows into my brain; when I went to bed last night, the races for Ohio Attorney General and Secretary of State were close, but with the Democratic candidates leading. Ohio desperately needs to win both these races, because if the GOP retains control the '08 election will see more rampant electoral fraud on their part to throw the presidency to their party again.
Which brings me to the next point in this entry: electoral fraud. Republicans were bound to practice it, in spades. But the wave of anti-Republican sentiment now sweeping the nation prevented it from working. Voters turned out in enough numbers to counter it. If Democrat Mark Dann, a state senator running on the platform of investigating various crimes by state officials, is determined the winner in the A.G.'s race it means we could finally see some prosecutions in the 2004 electoral fraud that gave Bush another four years to fuck over America -- and that means Ken Blackwell's troubles may not be over just yet.
Blackwell, as you recall, was the Ohio secretary of state who abused his position as our chief elections official to rig the 2004 presidential election in Bush's favor; he simultaneously served as co-chair of the Bush/Cheney campaign in the Buckeye State. As I said, I'll keep you updated.
But again, the credit for taking the first steps in restoring America belongs to you, the voters. You didn't give in to fear, instead letting righteous outrage at GOP abuses, crimes and outright treason motivate you to give Democrats control of the House (and perhaps the Senate). Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We've earned a pat on the back, and a day of rest, but we must use that time of rest wisely. The GOP may have lost its stranglehold on political power, but it is not going to rest until it seizes it back. As I said, I will update this entry throughout the day to let you know of further developments in the 2006 midterm election.
But right now, it's back to bed for this happy Democrat.
UPDATE #1:
I just read in today's newspaper that Marc Dann and Jennifer Brunner, the Democratic candidates for Ohio's Attorney General and Secretary of State respectively, won their races. This means the 2008 election in Ohio stands a good chance of actually being fair, instead of a rigged travesty. What does this mean? It means, perhaps, a full investigation into the 2004 stolen elections and possible indictments. And, more importantly, court-documented evidence of electoral fraud by the Bush/Cheney campaign in 2004 under the supervision of J. Kenneth Blackwell.
Sadly, Barara Sykes, the Democratic candidate for state auditor, was defeated. This means the Ohio Democratic Party did not pick up an extra seat on the apportionment board for redrawing legislative districts. However, two victories ensure the state's GOP will have a tougher time gerrymandering.
And John Boehner, the House minority misleader, kept his seat even though he has been implicated in the cover-up of Republican Mark Foley's sexual predations on the Internet. Now that Democrats have control of the House of Representatives, expect an actual investigation into this cover-up instead of the sham Boehner and former speaker J. Dennis Hastert tried to pawn off on the public.
UPDATE #2:
It doesn't appear to be official, but it looks as if the Montana and Virginia Senate races have gone in favor of the Democrats. I don't want to jynx anything by saying this with absolute certainty; Jim Webb in Virginia is projected winning over Republican incumbent George Allen by a 49.6% to 49.3% margin. Razor-thin, indeed.
In Virginia, Webb claimed victory — with an edge of fewer than 8,000 votes — over Republican incumbent Sen. George Allen.A recount is probably inevitable, and C-Span is jumping back and forth from one race to another, with speeches by Nancy Pelosi and various Republicans and Democrats offering their spin on the election. Democrat Jon Tester's lead is even smaller:With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Webb had 1,170,564 votes, or 49.6 percent, to Allen’s 1,162,717, or 49.3 percent.
In Montana, the outcome of Tester’s race against GOP incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns was delayed by equipment glitches, a heavy turnout and the narrowness of his lead — fewer than 2,000 votes.I'll keep you updated on the electoral results for the U.S. Senate throughout the day. Otherwise, I will be laying down and getting some rest.
UPDATE #3:
I just heard on C-Span about Rumsfeld stepping down! Unbelievable! Former CIA Director Robert Gates is replacing him. Bush is speaking now, the stupid git asked why all the long faces. As if he doesn't know, the assclown. After vowing Rumsfeld would be Secretary of Defense for the duration of his regime, Bush has already broken that promise and hung him out to try -- all in an effort to save his own pathetic, lying, treasonous ass.
Bush has the look of a boy who knows he's in deep trouble now. Both the House and the Senate, apparently, are now under Democratic control. Rumsfeld is out. The orgiastic party enjoyed by the Bush regime, and the Republican Party in Congress, is over.
What does this mean? I'll tell you what it means. It means, dear readers, George W. Bush knows just how fucked he really is, and he is now trying to make nice in a desperate attempt to ease the inevitable shitstorm of official Congressional investigations, indictments, and perhaps even impeachment.
Christ, now Bush is trying to lie his way out of his earlier lie about Rumsfeld staying on through January '09. This guy is pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Rumsfeld is out. Now let's tell the new Democratic majority in Congress to make sure Bush and Cheney follow.
UPDATE #4 (9:17 PM EST):
Folks, things have gone from bad to worse for the Bush regime. Not only have the Republicans lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives, they now have lost control of the Senate. MSNBC reports that Jim Webb, former Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan, has been declared the winner of Virginia's Senate seat. This gives Democrats the 51 seats they need to take full control of Congress. Meanwhile, in other news, Republican incumbent senator Conrad Burns is refusing to concede the race for Montana's Senate seat. His opponent, Democrat Jon Tester, holds an even slimmer lead which could lead to a nasty recount and court battle.
It would be a lost cause, however; just as the GOP was quick to declare victory in 2000 and portray Democrats as sore losers, so now the Democrats have learned from their rivals. Tester and Webb have had their races called for them. Burns may or may not win in a recount and subsequent court battle, but it would be pretty well pointless. Even if by some chance Burns were to come out holding onto his seat, Democrats would still have a 50 seat majority.
The majority is not filibuster-proof. For that, Democrats would need something like 60-66 votes. They don't have it. But this is good news anyway. It means with both chambers of Congress under Democratic control, Bush's horrendous agenda is now checked. He is a true lame duck dictator whose vetoes and threats and bullying can only hurt the GOP in 2008.
I changed my mind; I am going to write up a blog entry tomorrow after all, detailing why Democrats can and should move immediately to begin official inquiries, and push for impeachment of Bush and Cheney. The developments of the past 24 hours necessitate it, no matter how sick and exhausted I am. Until then, good night and God Bless.
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