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June 12, 2007

Tug of War

Democrats’ majority doesn’t equal more power yet

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The Shorthorn: John Henderson

When President Bush used his second veto ever May 1 to halt a spending bill that included a timeline to withdraw troops in Iraq, a sense of impotence swept over the Democrats.

When the chance to override Bush’s veto came along, the results were far shy of the two-thirds needed — 222 House members voted to block the veto, and 203 voted to sustain it. The question “Do we really have any power?” is surely floating around in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s head, and faith in the left-wing party probably took a dive.

With Democrats having the majority in the House of Representatives by just a smidge and Republicans still dominating the Senate and Oval Office like a 5-year-old refusing to share with its siblings, it appears Democrats have nice offices and titles with no substantial power.

This is frustrating. It is almost as if the liberal party had simply won a beauty pageant and has the lowly powers of opening supermarkets and looking pretty in public.

The constant looming presidential veto and the lack of a two-thirds majority are bookends that contain the Democratic hope of any semi-liberal bill slipping through the Legislature, putting a damper on the plans of the party to triumph over the Bush administration.

Stem cell research, gay marriage rights, bringing our troops home and getting Paris Hilton out of jail are all issues that are going to have to be put on the back burner until Democrats can get another foothold in the government tier.

Two things that have been positive about the Democrats’ House win are the first woman house speaker and her ability to select which bills will be voted on by Congress. Bills that don’t sate the Democrats’ political palate will never see the floor of Congress, giving them a large brake to slow the conservative infection of the government.

The fact that the donkeys stomped the elephants in the race to gain control of the House at the very least kick-started the party and citizens to notice that liberals now have enough weight and influence to make a difference in politics.

While the more liberal bills will undoubtedly be shot down when voted on, at least the blue party can give the “controversial” issues needed exposure and slowly but surely open up the closed minds of the right-wing.

— Ray Edward Buffington IV is a staff writer for The Shorthorn and print journalism junior