BONES Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Democrats win control of Congress By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 25 minutes ago WASHINGTON - In a rout once considered almost inconceivable, Democrats won a 51st seat in the Senate and regained total control of Congress after 12 years of near-domination by the Republican Party. The shift dramatically alters the government's balance of power, leaving President Bush without GOP congressional control to drive his legislative agenda. Democrats hailed the results and issued calls for bipartisanship even as they vowed to investigate administration policies and decisions. Democrats completed their sweep Wednesday evening by ousting Republican Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) of Virginia, the last of six GOP incumbents to lose re-election bids in a midterm election marked by deep dissatisfaction with the president and the war in Iraq. Democrats had 229 seats in the House, 11 more than the number necessary to hold the barest of majorities in the 435-member chamber. "In Iraq and here at home, Americans have made clear they are tired of the failures of the last six years," said Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada, in line to become Senate Majority leader when Congress reconvenes in January. As watershed elections go, this one rivaled the GOP's takeover in 1994, which made Newt Gingrich speaker of the House, the first Republican to run the House since the Eisenhower administration. This time the shift comes in the midst of an unpopular war, a Congress scarred by scandal and just two years from a wide-open presidential contest. Allen lost to Democrat Jim Webb, a former Republican who served as Navy secretary in the Reagan administration. A count by The Associated Press showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236. Allen was awaiting the result statewide postelection canvass of votes and did not concede the race. Democrats will have nine new senators on their side of the aisle as a result of Tuesday's balloting. Six of them defeated sitting Republican senators from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Rhode Island, Montana and Virginia. The other three replaced retiring senators from Maryland, Minnesota and Vermont. Their ideologies are as varied as their home states. Bernie Sanders, an independent who will replace Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, is a Socialist who has served in the House and voted with Democrats since 1990. Bob Casey Jr., who defeated Republican Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record) in Pennsylvania, is an anti-abortion moderate. Webb once declared that the sight of President Clinton returning a Marine's salute infuriated him. Besides the Webb-Allen race, the Montana Senate contest also was too tight to call early Wednesday. But by midday, Democrat Jon Tester outdistanced Republican Sen. Conrad Burns (news, bio, voting record), who had to fight off campaign miscues as well as his ties to Jack Abramoff, the once super-lobbyist caught in an influence-peddling scheme. In the House, 10 races remained too tight to call, with three of them leaning to the Democrats. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), who would become the first female speaker in history, called for harmony and said Democrats would not abuse their new status. She said she would be "the speaker of the House, not the speaker of the Democrats." She said Democrats would aggressively conduct oversight of the administration, but said any talk of impeachment of President Bush "is off the table." In the Senate, Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record) of New York, the head of the Democrats' Senate campaign committee, said, "We had a tough and partisan election, but the American people and every Democratic senator — and I've spoken to just about all of them — want to work with the president in a bipartisan way." YEAH BABY!!!! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061109/ap_on_...ln_election_rdp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephisto Posted November 10, 2006 Report Share Posted November 10, 2006 Forgive me if I sound uncaring, but I don't. Why does this crap have to be about who's in control? We should shoot all rabid politicians and get it back to being about the good of the country, not what group's where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystic Rose Posted November 11, 2006 Report Share Posted November 11, 2006 I feel the same way really both sides are just horrible even with this mess I voted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONES Posted November 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Well I for one am happy to see more Dem in da house it is about freakin' time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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