Now that (most of) the dust has settled, it's pretty clear our nation is poised to move in a new direction over the next two years. How much this new direction will differ from our current course - and for how long - remains to be seen, but for now let's revel in the luxury of unlimited possibilities.
And those possibilities really
are unlimited. I like to imagine future generations looking back on our recent victory as the catalyst of a new American golden age, with 2006 taking its place with 1066, 1776 and 1941 among the "big" years in world history. Or the next two years might end up being a short blue blip in an otherwise red timeline, or worse yet, simply more of the same.
I'm proposing a DailyKos time capsule. Let's share our predictions, hopes and expectations for the Democratic Congress, and every once in a while we can check back and see how the reality matches up. No rules, though I ask that you clearly label what you think will happen and what you want to happen, as we know all too well that the two aren't always the same thing. Your predictions can be as general or as specific as you like.
I'll start.
THE DAILYKOS TIME CAPSULE
Buried November 2006
WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN:
1. My most fervent desire is that those we've worked so hard to elect, those we've entrusted with our government, live up to our demands and expectations. That means providing America with the integrity and accountability Republicans were either unable or unwilling to provide, especially over the past few years. I want to prove the people who shrug their shoulders and say "they're ALL crooks" wrong. That's not going to be as easy as it sounds, and you and I will play a role, as well. We have to hold the people WE supported and elected accountable. You can bet your ass that if a Democrat is caught sending sexually explicit IMs to a 16 year old, I won't be posting "but it's not technically pedophilia" on a message board.
2. I want our Democratic Congressional leadership to somehow find a way to make Iraq work. This will almost certainly have to involve swallowing our pride and working with the Bush administration in a way that will allow them to save face, because otherwise I fear they're going to trot out more of their "stay the course" nonsense just to spite us. If we can pull this off I'll dance in the streets.
WHAT I EXPECT TO HAPPEN:
1. I think we'll start strong, following relatively closely to the points outlined in Nancy Pelosi's "first 100 days" speech. I also think as time passes and the reality of a hostile President sets in (as well the distraction of the the 2008 campaign), some of this enthusiasm may flag, but I think we'll still manage to get a lot of our "to do" list done. I think we'll be particularly strong on minimum wage and health care. I think there will be noise on immigration but not much concrete action. I have no idea what will happen on things like the Patriot Act or warrantless wiretapping.
2. I expect a strong push from Democrats to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations. I think there will be calls for investigations into the events that led us into Iraq but I'm afraid our majority won't be strong or unified enough to pull that off.
3. I think spending will continue to rise - duh - but hopefully at a much lower rate of increase than we've seen over the past few years.
Now... what do YOU think?