By Kate Bugher
The recent 2006 election is a major turning point for the U.S. government.
This was the focus of a lecture presented to students and faculty Thursday, (Nov. 30, 2006) by Bob King.
King, the director of the House of International Relations Committee, discussed the impacts on our nation as change was brought to Congress.
King, a Democrat, is excited to see his party take control of Congress as a way to facilitate change and accommodate the desires of the public.
King discussed some of the key causes for the Democratic Party taking over Congress. The way that the Bush administration dealt with some important issues led to loss of control. King pinpointed four issues that hurt the GOP.
The war in Iraq, the most important issue to the American public, is not going well, he said. This issue created a huge discrepancy for citizens who wanted to get out of Iraq and still vote for the Republican Party.
Hurricane Katrina also left the American public with doubt of the ability of the Bush administration. Homeland Security did not work to help hurricane victims and problems raged long after Katrina hit.
The damaging effects of the War in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina continued to add insult to injury as President Bush''s approval ratings plummeted. The way these two events were taken care of led Bush to have the lowest approval ratings of any other President.
Congressional scandals also had a huge impact on the exchange of power. Both the Abramoff and Foley scandals lost the trust of the American public.
King also discussed five aspects of change that will be brought about as the Democratic Party takes over the Senate and the House.
1. The people who are appointed to government positions will change. This will be a dramatic change for the Republican Party, which currently controls most of the positions of power. Democrats will begin to take over these positions.
2. The process of debate will change. Under the control of the Republican Party, debate is seldom used to make decisions. The Democratic Party hopes to have a much more open legislative process by having more open debate.
3. Oversight will expand. Hearings and investigations will be more open and focused.
4. As the Democrats have gained control, they do not want to exclude the Republicans from the process of government. The Democrats want to make a major effort to work on an open, bi-partisan process.
5. The legislative process itself is also likely to change. Legislation will be much more deliberative and thought through as it moves through Congress.