Election '02 Campaign Spotlight, No. 10

14 November 2002

(A Newsletter on American Politics) (5030)

Issue No. 10                                         November 2002

This is the 10th and final newsletter provided by the U.S. Department
of State's Office of International Information Programs in its
year-long effort to explain the 2002 election campaign in the United
States. We hope it has been a useful and balanced tool, and welcome
your comments. Previous 2002 newsletters are available on our website
at http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/rights/democracy/spot.htm

This issue includes:

-- Republicans Gain Control of Congress in Midterm Elections
-- Ballot Initiatives: Voters Generally Reject Major Change
-- Record Number of Hispanics Elected to House of Representatives
-- Election "Tidbits"
-- New Members of the House of Representatives
-- Pundit "Pearls"
-- Editorial Excerpts

Republicans Gain Control of Congress in Midterm Elections
By Stuart Gorin
Campaign Spotlight Editor

The impact of the Republican showing in the 2002 midterm elections in
the United States ? considered strong by many political observers -?was both psychological and numerical.

Those numbers had the Republicans picking up just two seats in the
100-member Senate and five in the 435-member House of Representatives
-?not a large amount. More importantly, the Republicans regained
party control of the Senate and retained it in the House at a time
when history suggested that both chambers could be lost.

The makeup of the next Senate starting in January will be 5l
Republicans, 47 Democrats, one Independent, with one seat still
undecided. The makeup of the House will be 228 Republicans, 203
Democrats, one Independent, with three seats still undecided.

It has been 68 years since the party of a first-term president ?
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt ? gained midterm election seats in
both congressional chambers.

What the political pundits and the American public saw in the 2002
victories was nationwide support for Republican candidates and by
implication for President Bush, who has a 63 percent approval rating
in the opinion polls, plus a willingness on the part of voters -?for
the next two years at least -?to move away from divided government to
one-party control.

According to the Republican pollsters Wirthlin Worldwide, Bush
"capitalized and changed historic midterm tides" and his high job
approval, combined with his framing the campaign around the core voter
value of security from foreign threats, and highly effective
campaigning, "created the winning difference."

Analysts said that Republican gains were not reflective of party
dominance, however, but instead of how evenly divided the country is
between the two major parties.

While the outgoing Congress is now back in session temporarily to
finish up last-minute business, control of the Senate is not clearly
defined because the Minnesota seat vacated by the death of Paul
Wellstone is temporarily being filled by State Planning Commissioner
Dean Barkley, an Independent appointed by Governor Jesse Ventura.

Barkley will soon vacate the seat himself in favor of Republican Norm
Coleman, the election winner over former Vice President Walter
Mondale, a Democrat, but in the meantime Barkley has refused to be
aligned with either major party.

The Louisiana Senate race will be determined in a December 7 runoff
election between Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu and Republican State
Elections Commissioner Suzanne Terrell. They were the top two vote
getters in the November 5 election, but neither received the
greater-than-50-percent majority of votes required to be declared the
winner.

In January, with a majority of Senate seats, the Republicans again
will chair the chamber's powerful committees, including, most likely,
Indiana's Richard Lugar for Foreign Relations and Utah's Orrin Hatch
for Judiciary. One of Bush's highest priorities is for the Judiciary
Committee to accelerate approval of his nominations for vacant
judgeships -?a process that was stymied when the Democrats controlled
the committee.

A second priority for the president is creation of a new homeland
security agency -?a program hung up in Congress before the election
over union/worker issues. On November 13, the House passed this
legislation and sent it on to the Senate.

Bush was quick to say that just because Republicans have taken control
of Congress, he will not pursue an overly strident conservative
agenda; rather he will just do what he thinks is right.

Even with their lead in the Senate, moreover, Republicans are not
assured of everything they want, because the rules in that chamber can
be used to block legislation that does not have the support of at
least 60 of the 100 members. A liaison for the White House, Nicholas
Calio, said that means the Bush administration is "going to have to
build working coalitions on an issue by issue basis."

In the House of Representatives, three races remain unresolved:

-- Colorado 7th District: Republican former party chairman Bob
Beauprez held a 386-vote lead over Democratic former State Senator
Mike Feeley while the votes were being verified.

Louisiana 5th District: Democrat Rodney Alexander and Republican Lee
Fletcher will face each other in a December 7 runoff between the top
two vote getters.

Hawaii 1st District: A special election November 30 will decide who
will serve the remaining weeks of the term of the late Democratic
Congresswoman Patsy Mink. A large number of candidates filed for the
race, including her widower, John Mink; former Democratic State
Representative Ed Case; and former Republican State Representative Bob
McDermott.

In gubernatorial contests, Alabama Republican Congressman Bob Riley
led Democratic Governor Don Siegelman by a little more than 3,000
votes and was declared the winner. Siegelman declined to concede,
however, and was considering his options, including calling a special
session of the Alabama legislature to force a recount.

Two close gubernatorial contests were decided several days after the
election. In Arizona, Democratic Attorney General Janet Napolitano
defeated Republican former Congressman Matt Salmon by less than 12,000
votes and Salmon conceded the race. In Oregon, Democratic former State
Supreme Court Justice Ted Kulongoski won a close race over Republican
former State Representative Kevin Mannix.

Republicans also racked up victories in state legislatures throughout
the nation November 5, gaining about 200 seats. According to the
National Conference of State Legislatures, in traditional midterm
elections, the party in the White House typically loses about 350
seats nationwide.

Preliminary returns showed Republicans in control of 21 state
legislatures (both chambers) and Democrats in 18 states. With the
exception of Nebraska, which only has a unicameral legislature, the
remaining ten states have one legislative chamber controlled by one
party and the second chamber by the other party.

Ballot Initiatives: Voters Generally Reject Major Change
By David Pitts
Washington File Staff Writer

On Election Day November 5, voters generally rejected major change
where they had a direct say -- on ballot initiatives.

Propositions to ease laws against marijuana went down to defeat in
four states (Nevada, Arizona, South Dakota and Ohio). Only the
District of Columbia was out of step. Voters there overwhelmingly
supported a plan to send marijuana smokers for treatment instead of
jail. A radical proposal to provide universal health care for all
residents of Oregon through a single payer system financed by a
substantial hike in taxes lost.

Other citizen initiatives that went down in defeat on election day
included measures to raise cigarette taxes in Missouri and abolish the
state income tax in Massachusetts. Voters in two states (Colorado and
California) rejected moves to legalize election day registration. It
remains legal in three other states, however.

On financial measures, voters seemed skeptical of tax hikes to pay for
transportation improvements. They rejected a gasoline tax hike in
Washington State and sales tax increases in two regions of Virginia to
improve highway infrastructure and ease traffic congestion. However,
dozens of transportation bond issues, as distinct from
transportation-related tax hikes, passed. And in Florida's Dade
County, voters did approve a tax increase to improve transportation
there.

As far as proposals to improve education are concerned, voters
appeared more generous. Of 24 education funding measures on various
ballots, 17 passed and six were defeated, according to The Washington
Post. On bilingual education, there were mixed results. Massachusetts
voters approved a ballot measure mandating that immigrant students
take all courses in English at public schools. But a similar measure
was defeated in Colorado. California and Arizona voters already have
cast votes in support of banning bilingual education in state-financed
schools.

Fans of Hollywood might be interested to know that voters rejected a
move to allow the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood to secede from Los
Angeles in California. In North Dakota, voters in that largely rural
midwestern state that has been losing population in recent years,
rejected a proposal that would have given $10,000 to any new college
graduate who agreed to live in the state for at least five years.

There were over 200 ballot initiatives in 40 states and the District
of Columbia in the election. Of those, more than 50 were placed on the
ballot as a result of citizen action. Almost half of them failed to
win the approval of voters, however, including most of the high
profile or far reaching proposals, according to the Associated Press.

Strict procedures (that vary from state to state) must be followed to
get an initiative on the ballot, including collecting a minimum number
of authenticated signatures from citizens. In the case of those
measures that were controversial, such as the proposals to ease
marijuana laws, opponents and supporters launched aggressive media
campaigns to try to win the approval of voters.

The remainder of the ballot initiatives -- the majority this year --
were placed on the ballot by state legislatures or local councils. The
latter tend to be less controversial than citizen-initiated measures.
Many are bond issues to pay for various local services or
infrastructure improvements that are politically difficult to pass
without direct voter approval.

Ballot initiatives are an example of direct democracy in the United
States, but like laws passed by the legislature and actions taken by
the executive, they are subject to judicial review and must pass
constitutional muster. There have been many cases in the past where
ballot initiatives have been passed by voters only to be overturned
later by the courts. That will no doubt happen with some of this
year's measures.

The total number of statewide ballot measures in 2002 was almost the
same as in 2000, according to the Initiative and Referendum Institute,
which records trends in direct democracy. A spokesman for the
Institute says there was a decline in citizen-initiated ballots this
year. It is not yet clear whether that is a long-term trend or a
short-term phenomenon because of the economic downturn, he added.
Ballot initiatives are not held at the federal or national level in
the United States.

Record Number of Hispanics Elected to House of Representatives
By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

A record number of Hispanics will take their seats when the 108th
session of the U.S. House of Representatives convenes in January,
according to Hispanic advocacy organizations.

Results from the November 5 U.S. elections show that 25 Hispanics won
seats in the House, which will mark an increase of four from the 21 in
the previous session of Congress. The increase is due to three new
congressional seats created in Florida, Arizona and California, plus
the election of a Democrat of Portuguese heritage in that latter
state.

The results mean "important gains" for Hispanic elected officials and
provide "further evidence that the Latino community is an independent,
issue-driven and increasingly important segment of the electorate,"
said the National Council of La Raza.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) said that newly elected
Hispanic members include Mario Diaz-Balart (Republican of Florida),
Raul Grijalva (Democrat of Arizona), and California Democrat Linda
Sanchez, whose sister, Loretta, was elected to her fourth two-year
term in the House. Linda and Loretta Sanchez will be the first sisters
to ever serve simultaneously in the U.S. House. Also winning was
another California Democrat, Dennis Cardoza, the grandson of
Portuguese immigrants, who will join the Hispanic Caucus.

CHC Chairman Silvestre Reyes (Democrat of Texas) said that over the
past 26 years, the Caucus "has grown steadily, and we will continue to
grow. We are excited to meet with our ... new members, and we look
forward to working with all of the members of Congress as we strive to
pass legislation that will benefit the Hispanic community and our
nation as a whole."

La Raza said in a statement that Democrat Bill Richardson, the newly
elected governor of New Mexico, is the first Hispanic governor in this
country since Republican Bob Martinez in Florida in 1986. In addition,
La Raza said that "from the statehouse to the school board," Hispanics
made gains at all levels of government.

La Raza President Raul Yzaguirre asserted that the Hispanic vote in
2002 was based on a candidate's record and positions on issues, not on
party affiliation, which except for Cuban-Americans in this country,
has traditionally been aligned with the Democratic Party.

As evidence of this, Yzaguirre said that in Colorado, a majority of
Hispanic voters supported the Democratic Senatorial candidate, Tom
Strickland, but also gave support to Republican Governor Bill Owens.
Yzaguirre said that in Florida, Republican Governor Jeb Bush won a
majority of the Hispanic vote in the state, but Hispanics also
supported an amendment to reduce class sizes in schools, an initiative
that Bush strongly opposed.

But Yzaguirre said the November 5 elections "provided proof that
outreach alone cannot sustain long-term support in the community. The
hemorrhaging of Latino support for Democratic Governor Gray Davis in
California, who was perceived by many as indifferent at best to Latino
concerns, helped lead to his unexpectedly thin margin of victory."
Yzaguirre added that Representative Henry Bonilla (Republican of
Texas) faced an unexpectedly strong challenge from a candidate "whose
positions on issues more closely mirrors those of Hispanics" in that
congressional district.

Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of
Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO), said
that Hispanics "at all levels of government continue to run
competitive, winning campaigns. Every election cycle breaks new ground
and moves the Latino community a step closer to political maturity and
full participation in our nation's democracy."

Vargas said that New Mexico's Richardson, a former U.S. congressman,
ambassador to the United Nations, and secretary of energy under former
President Bill Clinton, "brings a wealth of experience with both
federal and state policymaking. He is well-positioned to become a
leading Latino voice on issues important to our community."

Among other highlights of the November 5 elections, Vargas noted that
Republican Brian Sandoval will become Nevada's first Hispanic attorney
general, Christine Baca will be the first Hispanic elected to
Colorado's State Board of Education, and Sylvia Garcia will be the
first Hispanic to serve on the Commissioner's Court in Harris County,
Texas.

The Pew Charitable Trusts said in an October report that the Hispanic
electorate is emerging as a "distinct presence" on the U.S. political
landscape, "demonstrating broad but shallow party loyalty and a
mixture of ideological beliefs and policy positions that defies easy
categorization." The report found that among registered Hispanic
voters, about half identify as Democrats, one-fifth said they are
Republicans and another fifth identify as Independents.

Annie Mayol, director of Hispanic outreach for the National Republican
Senatorial Committee, said her party "invested a great deal of money"
for Hispanic candidates. For example, she said, the Republican
National Committee spent more than $700,000 on new (non-incumbent)
candidates for office. The party, she said, had about 98
non-incumbents running in the campaign, which included those running
for the U.S. House, mayor and state representative.

"We really made a strong push to push for strong new leadership of
Hispanic Republican candidates," Mayol said. The Republican campaign
spent money on Spanish-language radio, a mail campaign and on
get-out-the-vote efforts, "which really paid off if you look at the
results" of the election, said Mayol.

Election "Tidbits"

-- Arab American Candidates: The Arab American Institute reports that
an Arab American governor (Democrat John Baldacci in Maine), a senator
(Republican John Sununu in New Hampshire) and four members of Congress
(Democrat Nick Rahall in West Virginia, Democrat Chris John in
Louisiana, Republican Ray LaHood in Illinois and Republican Darrell
Issa in California) won their elections November 5, and 70 percent of
those running for state offices throughout the nation were victorious.

-- Voter Turnout: The Committee for the Study of the American
Electorate estimated that voter turnout for the November 5 elections
was 39.4 percent of registered voters nationwide, an increase of 1.8
million over the 1998 midterm campaign. Voters in Minnesota helped
raise those figures, as participation in that state reached 58.3
percent.

-- African American Votes: The National Coalition on Black Civic
Participation says its preliminary estimate of voter turnout among
African Americans on November 5 is on par with the overall turnout
rate estimated by the Committee for the Study of the American
Electorate. Where black voter turnout was higher, such as in the South
and the Midwest, said Melanie Campbell, the coalition's executive
director, "it is clear that the black vote was the deciding factor in
several closely contested races." She added, however, that voter
education on the issues was important for that turnout to occur, and
the coalition was instrumental in mobilizing an effective
get-out-the-vote campaign. That effort, she said, included sound
trucks cruising neighborhoods, volunteers handing out literature and
sample ballots door-to-door, and rallies and marches on predominantly
African American college campuses.

-- Native American Votes: The First Americans Education Project, which
has organized Native American voters behind causes in the past, said a
surge in voter turnout helped make the difference in races in South
Dakota and Oklahoma. Democrats won those contests by very small
margins, and in preparation targeted Indian reservations for
registering thousands of new voters before the election.

-- Women Governors: Four women candidates won state governorships in
the election: Democrat Janet Napolitano in Arizona, Republican former
Maui Mayor Linda Lingle in Hawaii, Democrat Kathleen Sebelius in
Kansas and Democrat Jennifer Granholm in Michigan. Despite high
Democratic voter registration in their states, two other Democratic
women candidates lost their party's gubernatorial races: Lieutenant
Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in Maryland and State Treasurer
Shannon O'Brien in Massachusetts.

-- Racicot: Republican National Committee Chairman Marc Racicot,
speaking at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, said he believed
the Republican victories in the midterm elections were achieved for
four reasons, the first of which was President Bush was "a great
advocate and a champion" who worked tirelessly on the effort. The
other reasons, Racicot suggested, were that the party had
"exceptionally fine" candidates, that there were numerous supporters
working all across the country, and that the candidates focused on
issues that the American people want to be carried out.

-- Television Advertising: The Alliance for Better Campaigns reports
that candidates, political parties and issue groups spent more than
$1,000 million on television ads during the 2002 elections, double the
amount spent during the 1998 cycle. Nearly all of the money spent this
year was in the nation's 100 largest media markets.

-- Quality of Campaigns: The Center for the Study of Elections and
Democracy at Brigham Young University says its study of key
congressional races indicates voters viewed the 2002 elections as too
negative, with too many campaign television ads and too much political
direct mail. The study found, however, that respondents placed most of
the blame for this negativity on special interest groups and political
parties rather than on individual candidates. Eighty percent of the
respondents felt the quality of campaigns has declined as elections
increasingly have involved interest groups, but they also felt
President Bush's popularity did not diminish during his high profile
campaigning on behalf of candidates.

-- Democratic Convention: The Democratic Party announced November 13
it had selected Boston as the site of its 2004 presidential nominating
convention. The party's site selection committee unanimously chose
Boston over three other finalists -?New York, Detroit and Miami. The
Republican Party's site selection committee has not yet made its
recommendation.

-- Senate Spouses: Former Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, who lost
the 1996 presidential election to former President Bill Clinton, is
joining his one-time adversary in an exclusive club. Now that Dole's
wife, Elizabeth, will be in the Senate with Hillary Rodham Clinton,
the two husbands will be members of the Senate Spouses' Club, and joke
that they will battle each other once again -?this time for the
presidency of that organization.

New Members of the House of Representatives

Alabama
1st District: Republican former press secretary Jo Bonner
3rd District: Republican attorney Mike Rogers
7th District: Democratic attorney Artur Davis

Arizona
1st District: Republican businessman Rick Renzi
2nd District: Republican businessman Trent Franks
7th District: Democratic former college official Raul Grijalva

California
18th District: Democratic State Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza
21st District: Republican farmer Devin Nunes
39th District: Democratic attorney Linda Sanchez

Colorado
4th District: Republican former State Senator Marilyn Musgrave

Florida
5th District: Republican former State Senator Virginia Brown-Waite
13th District: Republican former Florida Secretary of State
              Katherine Harris
17th District: Democratic former State Senator Kendrick Meek
24th District: Republican Former State House Speaker Tom Feeney
25th District: Republican businessman Mario Diaz-Balart

Georgia
3rd District: Democratic former Macon Mayor Jim Marshall
4th District: Democratic Judge Denise Majette
11th District: Republican doctor Phil Gingrey
12th District: Republican college professor Max Burns
13th District: Democratic businessman David Scott

Illinois
5th District: Democratic former Clinton White House adviser Rahm
Emanuel

Indiana
2nd District: Republican businessman Chris Chocola

Maine
2nd District: Democratic former State Senator Michael Michaud

Maryland
2nd District: Democratic former Baltimore County Executive
             C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger
8th District: Democratic State Senator Chris Van Hollen

Michigan
10th District: Republican former Michigan Secretary of State
              Candice Miller
11th District: Republican attorney Thaddeus McCotter

Minnesota
2nd District: Republican consultant John Kline

Nevada
3rd District: Republican businessman Jon Porter

New Hampshire
1st District: Republican businessman Jeb Bradley

New Jersey
5th District: Republican attorney Scott Garrett

New Mexico
2nd District: Republican former State Representative Steve Pearce

New York
1st District: Democratic college administrator Timothy Bishop

North Carolina
1st District: Democratic attorney Frank Balance
13th District: Democratic attorney Brad Miller

Ohio
3rd District: Republican attorney Mike Turner
17th District: Democratic attorney Tim Ryan

Oklahoma
4th District: Republican political consultant Tom Cole

Pennsylvania
6th District: Republican former State Senator Jim Gerlach
18th District: Republican child psychologist Tim Murphy

South Carolina
3rd District: Republican former State Representative Gresham Barrett

South Dakota
At large District: Republican former Governor William Janklow

Tennessee
4th District: Democratic farmer Lincoln Davis
5th District: Democratic businessman Jim Cooper
7th District: Republican businesswoman Marsha Blackburn

Texas
5th District: Republican attorney Jeb Hensarling
25th District: Democratic attorney Chris Bell
26th District: Republican doctor Michael Burgess
31st District: Republican judge John Carter

Utah
1st District: Republican teacher Rob Bishop

Pundit "Pearls"

-- Syndicated columnist Morton Kondracke: "Mr. Bush won a mandate
[November 5] in a way he didn't in 2000. It's not a huge one, to be
sure, but one Democrats need to respect. ... In most states, more than
50 percent of voters said party control was 몎ery important' in
determining how they cast their ballots, and more than 20 percent said
it was 몊omewhat important.' Clearly, a majority of those who cast
ballots this year want Republicans to run the government. It's
probably not a big majority, but it beats no majority. The country
evidently does not want gridlock any longer."

-- Washington Post columnist David Broder: "The support [Bush] won by
his sterling performance after the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, has endured, and he showed that he could convert that popularity
into votes for his fellow partisans. That is the most powerful
leadership tool any president can possess. ... In the absence of exit
polls, it is impossible to say definitively whether the Republican
victories came from changing voters' minds or from altering the makeup
of the electorate. It was probably a bit of both."

-- Brookings Institution senior fellow Thomas Mann: "The president
will realize substantial policy victories, especially on the courts
and some aspects of taxes, but in the end his success is going to
depend not so much on his sort of political deftness, it's going to
depend on how this economy does, how the war and its aftermath in Iraq
go, how the campaign against terrorism goes, and finally, how the
Democrats manage to come up with a basis on which to offer an
alternative."

-- Democratic political consultants Tom Freedman and Bill Knapp:
"Democrats might find some solace in [November 5th's] ultimate lesson:
Voters want action ? prescription drug benefits, better environmental
protection and a plan to ensure that Social Security remains solvent.
It is one thing to come up with positions on these issues that are
devised to poll well or make political points. Translating these
positions into meaningful legislation is another matter entirely. In
politics, at some point, the truth matters. Republicans used the
insecurity and anxiety over terrorism to win the midterm election.
Eventually, however, voters will focus on other issues as well. When
they do, Democrats ought to be ready for them with a compelling,
feasible and centrist approach to public policy."

Editorial Excerpts

-- Washington Post: "To help elect Republicans in Tuesday's [November
5] midterm elections, President Bush drew liberally on his political
capital; but instead of depleting his account, he has wound up with
more. Credited by all sides as the big winner, Mr. Bush can now be
expected to act quickly to tap that nest egg to further his agenda."

-- Boston Globe: "It is up to President Bush to use his new mandate
for productive ends. He should resist Republican advisers who see the
Republican gains as conferring an aura of personal manifest destiny on
him, wiping away the criticisms of unilateral action that dogged his
first two years. The early signs have been encouraging, suggesting
that Bush will strive for inclusion."

-- Chicago Tribune: By handing control of the U.S. Senate back to
Republicans, voters have given a popular George W. Bush the
Republican-controlled Congress that will make or break his presidency.
The president will have an easier time passing legislation. That said,
he won't have Democrats to blame if the programs he pushes past
Capitol Hill fall flat with the American people. Conventional wisdom
dictated that Republicans would hold the U.S. House but that their bid
to retake the Senate might well fall short. So much for conventional
wisdom."

-- USA Today: "As Democrats regroup, Republicans face a more
immediate, albeit enviable, challenge. Now that they control the White
House and Congress, they'll have to persuade a polarized public that
they can govern the nation safely and judiciously through a time of
economic uncertainty ?and possibly war. Voters will judge the
Republican Party in two years on its record, not its rhetoric."

-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock): "If this election must
have a theme, we nominate the power of personalities. It wasn't so
much George W. Bush the president who carried the day -?though he had
some powerful issues to present as he barnstormed, and a record as
commander-in-chief that inspired confidence -?but George W. Bush the
man. He dominated the election, which means he dominated the
television screens, not because of his office or his issues, and
certainly not because of any rhetorical skills, but because of who he
is."

-- Louisville Courier-Journal: "The Republican message was delivered
in clear, consistent terms. The contrast with the Democrats'
performance could hardly be more stark. The Democrats, who lack a
strong leader to give them a national voice, campaigned defensively,
afraid to tackle Mr. Bush on either foreign policy or domestic
affairs. ... Indeed, Democrats seemed to harbor the dreamy illusion
that the sagging economy and their tired sound bites about Social
Security would substitute adequately for clear alternatives to
Republican positions, and somehow deliver Democratic victories."

-- Christian Science Monitor: "Given the bitter battle for power in
Congress over the past two years, Bush largely ignored his 2000
campaign promise to set a bipartisan tone in Washington. Democrats
still have tactical power with a large minority in the Senate, but the
president can act more inclusively rather than divisively now, as he
did in passing the education bill in 2001. If not, voters may just
choose divided government again. The campaign against terrorism and a
bar on Iraq may define the rest of Bush's term. But history could also
record him as a great conciliator."

-- Washington Times: "No electoral victory is ever complete;
democratic governance is always a work in progress. And no
accumulation of power is ever sufficient to gain all of a party's
governing objectives. The White House and the Senate and House
Republican leadership must prevent this triumph from turning into
triumphalism. In the coming months there is much legislation that can
and should be enacted. If the Republicans will be satisfied with about
80 percent of their legislative goals, success should be theirs. If
they go for 100 percent, they will engender a bitterness in the
opposition that will give rise to a legislative garden of thorns."

-- The Hill: "The true Republican challenge is not to overreach and to
strive for consensus in a Senate Chamber that remains closely divided.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale's (D-Minnesota) inability to
recapture the Senate seat he relinquished three decades ago to assume
the vice presidency should serve as a cautionary tale on the risks of
political excess. Apparently, a sufficient number of swing voters in
Minnesota were so displeased when the family and friends of the late
Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone pointedly excluded Vice President
Dick Cheney from a memorial service that inappropriately morphed into
a partisan rally, they deprived Mondale of a victory."

-- Kansas City Star: "For the second time in two years, Republicans
have emerged from elections celebrating the control they will soon
enjoy over both the executive and legislative branches of government.
Once again, the Republican Party faces great opportunities. If
Republicans take a fair-minded and responsible approach to governing
over the next two years, it could help the country through a difficult
period and leave the party with bragging rights for many years to
come. If Bush and congressional Republicans misuse the trust and
authority they have just received, however, there will be no place to
hide in 2004."
                           
Newsletter Editor: Stuart Gorin, IIP/T/DHR
Fax:  202-619-6520, E-mail: ejdemos@pd.state.gov

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)