Mumbo Jumbo

I have to admit, times have been a little boring lately, with the only notable news coming out of more blunders on the part of our illustrious president. Nancy Pelosi has shunned a couple of Democratic House members for key chairmanships. The most notable being passing over Congressman Alcee Hastings for chair of the House International Relations Committee. Of course that might have something to do with him accepting bribes when he was a federal court judge in Florida that sort of thing seems to be common place these days.
More locally, swearing in day in Augusta is scheduled for next Wednesday, December 6th. Representative Glenn Cummings of Portland, someone who I was very priveleged to be interviewed by on SPCTV will be the next Speaker of the House, and Senator Beth Edmonds will retain her job as President of the Senate. Things should be quite interesting this term, with the Senate power allocated to the Democrats, but only by a 1 vote margain, making it nearly impossible for a piece of volotile legislation to make it through. Governor Baldacci is back in office again, but I'm not quite sure what we should be expecting. Unlike the usual incumbent, the Governor doesn't seem to be taking his victory in November as a sign from the people that they trust his leadership, probably because he won the election by a slim margain and only because two third party candidates took a large percentage of the vote, making it impossible for Chandler Wookcock to unseat the incumbent. My fear is, however, that Baldacci will take a lame duck status, doing very little despite his job security for the next four years, making it very hard for the Democrats to win the position once he vacates it in 2010.
Also, keep an eye out for Senator Chris Dodd from Connecticut, my favorite candidate for the Democratic Nomination in 2008. His positions are very moderate and he really seems to know what he's doing. I got the opportounity to meet him at a fundraiser this summer and he has the personality and prowess I believe we need in a President, as long as America doesn't take the stance that we don't need another white guy from a rich New Enngland state. Anyway, keep your eyes open.

The Results Are In...

So the results are in! Election Day 2006 is probably the best election I have ever seen in my lifetime. Of course, this is coming in comparison to 2000 and 2004, both of which were thoroughly dissapointing and enraging. But this one is much different. After working tirelessly for months the Democrats finally pulled it off, and begin to bring a "New Direction" to America. I myself spent the entire afternoon on Tuesday at South Portland Democratic Headquarters: calling likely voters, going to polling locations, and anticipating the victory that we hoped was imminent. We were thoroughly pleased. South Portland was a sweep for the Democrats. We sent Reps. Jane Eberle and Larry Bliss back to Augusta, and replaced Kevin Glynn with Bryan Kaenrath, who will be the youngest memeber, by far, of the next legislature. We also re-elected Governor Baldacci, Congressman Allen and Michaud. Yea, we didn't win the Senate, but what do we seriously expect out of Jean Hay Bright. I agree that her mind is in the right place, but I never felt confident that she had what it took to unseat a Senator with the stature of Olympia Snowe. Needless to say, my good friend Ted O'Meara and his crew at Snowe headquarters didn't have much to worry about. In another race that I wanted to pay attention to, House Majority Leader Glenn Cummings won a decisive victory, and with both chambers staying Democratic he will likely become the new Speaker of the House!

As you can see, the after-party was quite the good time. Good food, good people, and more energy than I have ever seen. It was an absolutely incredible experience.

Finally, on a national scene, the last few days have been quite exciting. Ending with George Allen's "concession"speech today, the Dems have taken control of the Senate, along with an almost 35 vote cushion in the House. Happy days are here again. Along with Rumsfeld's resignation it has been quite a jubilant week in the McCall household. I never thought I would be seeing this day, not with the American people believing that this war is still in our best interest. But as George Allen said today, the American people have spoken and the prevailing wind was in our favor. No matter how this all came about, I know now that American's are fed with with a government filled with corruption. We need a government who stands up for the little man, who doesn't let the all-mighty dollar dictate where we put our priotities. Government should function for the people's benefit, not for Haliburton's. I now believe that America has realized this to be the case, and they threw the bums out! Now we move forward. I know that the minimum wage will be raised, we will find a comprehensive way to get out of Iraq, and we will stabilize our health care system so it works for everyone. And here's my first pitch for two years from now...OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT.

Election Day!

Well the day is finally here. For me, the political geek that I am today is a mix of my birthday, Christmas and New Year's all rolled into one. My greatest wish for today is that people vote, this is still the best running, Constitutional Democracy on the planet and it is a true shame that so many people realize what a wonderful country they live in. Also, as I has said before, if you don't vote, don't complain. I don't want to hear anyone next week roll their eyes or groan if the candidate they didn't like wins, because you had the chance to make your voice heard, and you didn't, so SHUT UP. Also, if the Dems win back Congress today we're in for quite a ride. The House Democratic Caucus has come up with some amazing ideas to start implementing come January, including raising the minimum wage and many more. So go vote, hopefully you'll vote Democratic, but at least have your voice heard. That's all I have.