After George Allen conceded on Thursday, Democrats across the nation were delighted in the fact that Jim Webb was able to pull off the victory that would give Democrats control of both Houses of Congress for the first time in 12 years. The Jim Webb v George Allen race, however, wasnGÇÖt completely joyful over the last few months. Ever since George Allen decided to call S.R. Sidarth GÇ£macacaGÇ¥ and then welcome him to America, the campaign has taken on a negative tone. In a desperate attempt to take back some momentum, for instance, the Allen campaign began running blatantly false ads that were attacking an article that Webb wrote almost three decades ago. On one occasion the campaign literally did result in AllenGÇÖs supporters physically attacking a liberal blogger. As the campaign has now ended, however, it appears as though members of both parties are attempting to turn away from partisan attacks. According to the New York Times, for instance, George Allen claimed that he was conceding the race for the good of Virginia.
GÇ£I do not wish to cause more rancor by protracted litigation that would not, in my opinion, alter the results,GÇ¥ Mr. Allen said, speaking on an unseasonably warm mid-autumn day in Alexandria, Va., to a crowd of staffers and supporters, some in tears. GÇ£I see no good purpose being served by continuously and needlessly expending money and causing any more personal animosity.GÇ¥
During his victory speech, Jim Webb also spoke of bipartisanship. Before declaring victory on election night, for instance, Webb thanked Senator George Allen for the remarks he made earlier in the evening. Webb also stated that he shared the belief that voters should respect the democratic process no matter which candidate was the eventual victor. In the previously mentioned New York Times article, Webb was also quoted as stating that fierce partisan attacks are far from helping the country.
GÇ£This was a brutal campaign and in many ways an unnecessarily brutal campaign,GÇ¥ Mr. Webb said, GÇ£and I think itGÇÖs hurting the country.GÇ¥There is a lot of validity to the argument that Congress will usually be effective if it acts in a bipartisan manner. That being said, it will most definitely be interesting to see if that sentiment is actually implemented once the 110th Congress takes the oath of office. If the Democrats want to maintain control of Congress in 2008, I believe that they must make some efforts to work with members of the Republican Party.
One of the major complaints that people have about the Bush Administration is that it tends to act secretively and cast anyone who disagrees with it as unpatriotic. This became extremely apparent after the New York Times revealed the existence of the NSA Domestic Spying Program. When members of both parties called upon President Bush to brief the intelligence committees on the program, he refused. Furthermore, his administration attempted to say that Democrats were threatening national security by calling for an investigation into the legality of the program. President Bush was effectively stating that his way was the only way and the Democrats wouldnGÇÖt have a say in the matter. When people were expressing frustration with the PresidentGÇÖs stance on this issue, it was their way of stating that the Government needs to act more of a bipartisan manner. After all, that will help to ensure that a decision is made that will honestly represent the sentiment of most Americans.
If the Democrats want to show that they can run the Government more efficiently than the Republican Party, they will have to show that they can reach out to members of the Republican Party. After all, they do not have an extremely large majority (only 2 seats in the Senate) and legislation would still have to withstand a potential presidential veto. Through working in a bipartisan manner, however, they will be able to show that they can both do more than simply investigate the president and work in a manner that will ensure the country moves in the right direction. If they are able to accomplish that goal they will most likely be able to not only maintain control of Congress, but also gain the presidency in 2008. If they follow in the line of the Republicans by issuing partisan attacks, however, they could have some undesired results during the GÇÖ08 election.