Random Post-Election Thoughts

Saturday, November 11, 2006

We have finally made it past the Midterm elections and can, thankfully, breathe a sigh of relief that we no longer must be subjected to political advertisements and inflated rhetoric. As a Democrat, and a liberal (I never shy away from the truth that I AM a liberal), the results of this election are, of course, satisfying. And, as a member of the transgender community, specifically, and the LGBT community at large, it is my hunch that our newly elected Congress, along with many newly elected Governors, will have a more supportive stance regarding LGB and T issues. Many acknowledge the support of HRC (Human Rights Campaign) as a major factor in their win, Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, for example, and, despite the rantings of a few conservative pundits, we must rejoice in the first woman Speaker of the House. Additionally, we recognize the first openly TG school board electee in Hawaii. Perhaps hate crimes legislation and ENDA will see an end to the stalling and some actual progress. It remains to be seen if the "T" will be sacrificed to benefit the "LGB", but we can hope that our legislator's and the gay and lesbian lobbies realize that, as long as one group is deprived of equal treatent under the eyes of the law, any progress we think has been made is truly ephemeral. Accordingly, I implore all organizations and elected officials to think "inclusive" when they approach these pieces of legislation.

The elections were largely a referendum on two issues...the preemptive war in Iraq and Congressional corruption, incompetence and malfeasance. Regarding Iraq, the first step the Administration took was to unburden itself of Secretary Rumsfeld. Many of us applaud this action but sense a measure of deceit in its execution. Yes, it was a gesture to this new Congress and, perhaps, opens the door for a bipartisan resolution of this conflict. After we learn the determinations of the Iraq Study Group, the possibility for a new direction with a new Secretary of Defense is on surer ground. Nevertheless, and I beseech the reader not to view this as carping, it seems odd that the President was SO SURE of Secretary Rumsfeld only a few days before the election and that in the aftermath he can have changed his mind so radically and quickly. I have heard rumblings in the news that many in the President's party feel disenchanted that he had not made this appropriate decision some six months prior. Their chances for election or reelection hung in the balance. Nevertheless, what is done is done and it behooves us to look forward at this juncture.

Congressional behaivor was the other source of electorate dissatisfaction this season. The plethora of scandals...Jack Abramoff and "K" Street, ex-Congressman Cunningham, the Rep. Foley todo...these were but a few of the instances of corruption that have stained Congress. The inability to enact legislation, the give aways to big business that accompanied those pieces of legislation that WERE enacted, the paltry attendance of actual days on the job, the lack of oversight which is not only a Congressional right but their sworn responsibility...Americans level of dissatisfaction with Congress had, perhaps, never been lower, with a meager 19% approval rate. That is deplorable and inexcusable. We must anticipate and demand a different kind of Congress...one that has a sense of ethics and actually passes ethical reforms, one that takes it's job seriously and decides to show up for work, and one that represents we, the people, and not big business, the corporate world, or it's party cohorts in the White House. One of the slogans of the midterm campaigns was a call for a new direction and it is obvious that such a course change is necessary.

It has been said, and it is undeniable, that the burden now lies with a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate to SHOW that they are capable of leadership. They must walk a thin line. On the one hand, the elections showed that the public is disenchanted with the air of partisanship and that it would like to see a greater sense of compromise. On the other hand, the new Congress must demonstrate an ability for oversight. These two concepts need not be mutually exclusive, but, of course, also depend upon the Congressional minority and the Administration to see any fruition.

We are at a crossroads and can embark upon a new era of bipartisanship that supports a strong middle class, does not marginalize the less fortunate, and attempts to restore the good name of America that we used to enjoy throughout the world. We can be prosperous, and ethical, and strong. We can affirm the wonder of diversity and not marginalize many of our citizens merely because they are different. We can protect our borders, work for a sense of world trade that is predicated on human values, and rebuild a strong economy. It is no longer productive to coddle the corporate world. They, too, are a partner in this new era but they must see fit to not sacrifice everything in the name of profit. We all must strike a balance and I am fervently optimistic that this new Congress, along with Speaker Pelosi, can help this country to reestablish the values that have made the United States the great country that it once was and can be again.

trickster108