For the first time since 1994, the Democrats have control of not one but both Houses of Congress. They have already announced several goals for the next two years, such as raising the minimum wage, discussing a timetable for leaving Iraq and lowering prescription drug prices for people on Medicare. However, the Democrats would be prudent to look at history before they start invoking the spirit of FDR's 100 Days.
If we look back to 1994, we see the problems that can occur when the minority party seizes control of Congress. The Republicans stormed into the 104th Congress with a 54-seat swing in the House and a nine-seat swing in the Senate, giving them the majority of both Houses for the first time since 1954. Led by new House Speaker Newt Gingrich, they promised to cut taxes, enact welfare reform and set term limits for legislators. While most of their "Contract with America" passed easily in the Republican-dominated House, it ran into significant opposition from the Senate, where cooler heads called for more deliberation and consideration of the bills. Ultimately, while the Republicans were able to pass much of their proposed legislation, it was "watered down" to make it more palatable to moderate Republicans and President Clinton.
The Democrats assume that after their drubbing of the GOP in these recent elections, they have carte blanche to pass their desired legislation. However, while many Democrats would like to see the Patriot Act abolished, taxes immediately raised for the "rich" and a speedy withdrawal from Iraq, none of that is likely to happen, lest they want to face a trouncing of their own in 2008. A poll done last week by Newsweek shows that while most Americans support many of the Democrats' proposals, only the slimmest majority - 51 percent - believe the Democrats' victory was "a good thing."
The Democrats must recognize that while some of their proposals may be popular, that should not be mistaken as an endorsement of every Democratic policy. For example, almost 80 percent of those polled expressed concern that the Democrats would try to withdraw from Iraq too quickly and nearly 70 percent felt that they would prevent the president from doing what is necessary to effectively combat terrorism. Simply having a majority is not enough in today's highly partisan atmosphere. The Democrats will have to compromise with the GOP if they hope to pass any legislation of note.
In politics, it's never too soon to start thinking about the next election. If any senator wants to position himself as the Democratic candidate for president in 2008 (I'm talking to you, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama), sponsoring a major piece of legislation would certainly be a major boost to their credentials. It won't be enough for Clinton to run off her husband's charisma and it won't be enough for Obama to run off his charisma. Eventually, once the lights have dimmed from this political circus, the voters are going to want to see something of substance, and it won't be hard for either of these two senators to sponsor legislation on a highly visible and popular policy, such as raising the minimum wage, which is long overdue.
The Democrats have been given a golden opportunity with this election victory. They have the chance to pass popular legislation and put themselves in a great position for 2008. Of course, they could also spend the next two years bickering amongst themselves and with the Republicans and fail to do anything significant. All I know for certain is that I know which scenario I'm rooting for.
Caleb Enerson is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a conservative columnist for The Eagle.
