Breeze Perspectives: Peace within the party
Why can’t Democrats all just get along?
By Travis Clark, contributing writer
Posted on November 16, 2006

Well, now that the Democrats have seized the majority in the House and Senate, it’s already time to let the changes begin. I am intrigued by these next two years, as we may see a variety of new laws and policies that the staunch, bland Republicans avoided like the plague. Maybe we’ll see the light of day in Iraq and be done with that mess; or perhaps we may begin to pay attention to Al Gore and his genius disposition on the environment. Could stem-cell research become a reality? How will the president act over the next two years with his majority now gone? Whatever happens, I am ready for a change. Well, that is, I was — until I heard of the latest chaos on the Hill.

For those of you who are either uninterested or unaware, the latest nonsense brewing in Capitol Hill, before the lame-duck representatives move out, involves the race for the majority whip. The contested position is the second in command to the speaker of the House. Nancy Pelosi, who will become the speaker in January, has created controversy already, by publicly voicing support for John Murtha, the dark horse in the race for majority whip. Murtha is opposing the current House minority whip, Steny Hoyer.

Why such hoopla? Will there be a huge difference between having Hoyer as the majority whip or Murtha? I have been researching and trying to figure it out. Yes, Pelosi has personal ties to Murtha and approves his strong opposition to the war in Iraq. But why not just privately support him? Many Democrats are wondering just that. Murtha is much more of a conservative than Hoyer as well, which creates an interesting perception.

The potential for disaster here is not very likely; in a few months, this will hopefully be nothing more than a minor glitch in the power exchange in the conference. However, if I were a loyal Democrat, I would be fervently opposed to this chain of events. The Democrats should be looking to go into session fully unified and ready to bring their changes to the people who voted them into office. One week after the election, the headlines should not be focused on this. This is not the best way to inspire confidence in new leadership (before it even starts). The message being sent is that the new party in power will be disorganized and split over who should hold the power positions. The Democrats are not reinforcing the feelings of hope that I had a week ago. Pelosi’s puzzling choice to go public with this support could potentially have Democrats shaking their heads.

Only time will tell the impact this will have. I presume, as previously mentioned, that the public will be quick to forget the power struggle, if they even heard about it at all. This nonsense continues to drag down confidence in our political leadership. I am very skeptical of our ability at choosing the right leaders. I have this feeling that all we’re doing is bringing the lesser of two evils into power; as the public tires of the Republicans, we turn it over to the Democrats, wait for them to screw it up, and then go back to a Republican majority. In fact, that is almost how it normally is. For once, though, I wish that “party this, Republican that,” could take a back seat to our country’s best interest. It would be great if either Murtha or Hoyer saw this, and bowed out of the election. Wouldn’t that be in the best interest of our country?

Travis Clark is a senior English major.