The View From Here . . .
By Bob Morgan, Jr.

It was not quite the massive tidal wave that some had predicted, but, contrary to the prediction in this space two weeks ago, it was a wave of some sort. The Democrats gained about 29 seats in the House in the midterm election(some races still have not been decided), enough to gain a majority. Plus, and considerably more surprisingly, the Democrats won 6 seats in the Senate to gain a 51-49 majority in that chamber as well.

In some measure, Congressional Republicans richly earned their defeat. In their years in the majority after 1994, many GOP members seemed to forget the principles that got them elected. They were far too close to lobbyists (and not just the notorious Jack Abramoff) and far too cavalier abut pork barrel spending, as epitomized by the infamous Bridge to Nowhere included in last year's budget. A number of losses in the House could be tied directly to ethical violations, either of a financial or a personal nature.

But the results were unquestionably a defeat for the Bush Administration as well. Voters were clearly dissatisfied about the progress of the war in Iraq and wanted to send a clear message. About a third favor immediate withdrawal, but there is also considerable support for other options as well. For example, as National Review's Rich Lowry points out, in a late October New York Times poll, 55% of respondents favor sending more troops. What is not an option is more of the same, as Mr. Bush recognized last week in accepting Donald Rumsfeld's resignation.

While the election certainly cannot be regarded as good news for Republicans, the Democrats now have issues of their own. For one thing, they will have to uphold very high ethical standards, already an issue as likely Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces her support as House majority leader of John Murtha, described by the Washington Post as "a force against stronger ethics and lobbying rules". Ms. Pelosi will also have to deal with the possible role of Alcee Hastings, who was previously impeached and removed as a federal judge, as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

More fundamentally, the Democrats will now have to articulate actual positions on many issues, in particular the war, rather than merely rail about Bush Administration failures. While Ms. Pelosi would no doubt like to withdraw from Iraq as quickly as possible, this is a position that very likely is not a winner in the home districts of many of her House colleagues, at least 50 of whom now hail from districts carried by Mr. Bush in 2004. On the other hand, she also will have to placate her hard left base, which worked tirelessly to gain the victory on election day.

On the domestic front, while Democrats now have much greater power to block Republican initiatives (including nominations that must be confirmed by the Senate), they will have to find common ground with the Republicans if they actually desire to pass legislation that will be signed by the President. It will be interesting to see if the doctrinaire liberals who will be assuming committee chairmanships (for example, Charlie Rangel, new leader of the House Ways and Means Committee), are up to the task.

For Republicans, the aftermath of the election is a time for taking stock and understanding why they took, in President Bush's words, a "thumping". For Democrats, it is a time to assume both the power and the responsibility of leadership.