International Response To Dem Sweep

In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined a sweeter victory than Election Day 2006 turned out to be. I am so appreciative of the countless number of people who worked so hard to achieve such an outstanding result. Howard Dean and the Dems got it right, after all. Finally, the system of checks-and-balances returns to America.

Here's some of what they're saying around the globe. Certainly, nobody seems to be dispassionate when it comes to American politics. Some of the articles were a bit more cynical of Democrats than I would have expected. It still makes for some interesting reading.

Shrill, revenge thirsty activists need balancing
London Times

The Democrats themselves know that they must balance the demands of their activists — who are thirsting for revenge on the Bush Administration and shrilly calling for troops to be brought home — with the needs of the centrist voters who gave them their victory in this election.

When Ms Pelosi took the stage at the Democrats’ exultant victory party in the small hours of the morning, there were wild cheers as she declared: “Mr President, we need a new direction in Iraq.” But the applause was noticeably more muted when she promised that Democrats would govern by “working together with the Administration and the Republicans in Congress.”

Revenge of the righteous right
Irish Examiner

Many hailed the results as a victory for democracy. It shows that people are free to object to the policy of their government, but to say that the vote was for “a change in direction”, as Senator Hillary Clinton and others stated, is a little simplistic.

What changes were people voting for? The American stock market has been at a record high in recent days, as is employment, while unemployment and taxes are at a twenty-year low.

Tax revenue is at a record high, and the value of people’s homes have more than doubled in recent years. Somehow, it seems unlikely that people were calling for a change of direction on those policies.

The American exit polls indicated that the main issue was not the Iraq War but the various scandals that plagued the Republicans in the past year. The election results apparently had more to do with the revenge of the righteous right, than the war in Iraq.

Quietly mourn a Republican passing
Times of India

Right, so the Democrats have come. It’s a train India saw coming, as did the rest of the world. But South Block will probably be one of a tiny minority that will quietly mourn a Republican passing.

...the bellwether issue in the new and improved US-India relations is the nuclear deal, and the Democrats are clear opponents. What’s keeping fingers crossed here is, will the deal make it through the lame-duck session of the Senate with Democrats taking over Capitol Hill? The underlying fear here is if the Bill were to go back to the drawing board in January, a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives may insert conditions that could make it very difficult for India to swallow.

Pelosi will sicken Republican conservatives
Mail & Guardian (South Africa)

Nancy Pelosi, a hate figure for the Republican right, is poised to become the first woman speaker in United States Congressional history after the Democrats election triumph

...The prospect of the high-profile San Francisco politician assuming the high-ranking position will sicken Republican conservatives.

Republican congressman Roy Blunt summed up the mood of her critics on the right before the election, describing the idea of Pelosi becoming speaker as "plain scary".