So, the news is ringing out across the land... Ted Kennedy's senate seat has been claimed by a Republican. News greeted with shock and finger-pointing by Democrats, glee and visions of resurgence by Republicans... and simple contentment by yours truly. Giving either party full, no-holds-barred control of both sides of Congress and the White House is a rather bad turn of events... and, if my experience was typical, not quite what I expected out of the last election.
Mind you, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, I suppose... the filibuster-proof majority the Democrats hoped to use relied on the support of some independent senators, including the mixed blessing of the mercenary Joe Lieberman. As such, they didn't get to run as roughshod over the other side of the aisle as they might otherwise have... but now, hopefully, there will be less kowtowing to Mr. Lieberman's specific corporate interests (like, oh, say, the medical insurance industry), now that they'll have to bring at least a Republican or two on board.
Of course, I don't think either the Democrats or the Republicans realize what a gift this really is for the Democrats, either. Rather than get their rude awakening in the mid-term elections, the Democrats got it now, with plenty of time to restore their image (and demonize the Republicans as do-nothing obstructionists, of course) before the big show... it could easily be the difference between keeping control of Congress and losing it, come the next election. Time will tell... but, short of a whole slew of Independents getting elected (which I don't expect to see in my lifetime), it's about the best I can hope for, what with the current crop of Republicans.
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