Democrat Congress No Biggie for Bush

While my personal opinion is the Democratic Party is on the way out, mainly for their stand against the Iraqi Conflict, there are many on the Right who claim that upcoming elections will be a disaster for their own Party and President Bush. They site statements by Democrat leaders who intend to start impeachment hearings, withdraw from Iraq, and role back Bush’s tax cuts, which many say is the reason for our currently expanding economy. I would like to remind the fear-mongers of another President who was faced with seemingly overwhelming opposition in Congress from another Party and who not only survived but thrived. Bill Clinton served during a time of a great Republican resurgence in the country, thanks mainly to the leadership and example of Ronald Reagan. Soon into Clinton’s first term, Republicans gained control of both Houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years, led by the very effective Senator Newt Gingrich. Almost immediately afterwards, the conservatives led a standoff against Clinton over the 1994 budget, but the President persevered. In the 1996 elections, despite intensive counterattacks from the new medium of talk radio, Clinton was reelected with 49% of the popular vote and 70% of the Electoral College. In 1998 the Lewinsky scandal began and the Republican House led impeachment hearings, mainly for the President lying to Congress. Though impeached in the House, Clinton kept his office when the Senate voted to acquit him. Today the “comeback kid” remains very popular in the country as well as around the world. What does Clinton’s example hold for Bush today? In the unlikelihood of Democrat resurgence in the Congress, Bush will not be faced with a Newt Gingrich or arguably the most effective Republican Party in 100 hours, but a waning Democrat Party led by the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Charley Rangel, and Harry Reid. And rather than 6 years of contending with a belligerent opposition Party as Clinton endured, the President only has 2 years to deal with the Democrats, who have consistently failed to cause a withdrawal from Iraq, to end the Patriot Act, to halt Bush’s Supreme Court nominees, or grant American Constitutional Rights to Al Qaeda terrorists. In other words, a Democrat controlled Congress which liberals dream of and conservatives dread will be a cake walk for post-9/11 George Bush.