Democrats win control of the House

[Terminator]

WASHINGTON - Democrats won control of the House early Wednesday after a dozen years of Republican rule in a resounding repudiation of a war, a president and a scandal-scarred Congress.

"From sea to shining sea, the American people voted for change," declared Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the hard-charging California Democrat in line to become the nation's first female House speaker.

"Today we have made history," she said, "now let us make progress."

The White House made plans for President Bush to call the speaker-in-waiting first thing in the morning; he will enter his final two years in office with at least half of Congress in the opposition party's hands.

"It's been kind of tough out there," conceded House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., who won a 11th term. Presidential spokesman Tony Snow observed: "It's not like a slap on the forehead kind of shock."

By early Wednesday, Democrats had won 227 seats, enough for control, and were leading for another 6, which would give them 233. Republicans, who hold 229 seats in the current House, won 186 and were leading in another 16, which would give them 202.

Democrats had captured 26 Republican-controlled seats, and no Democratic incumbent had lost by early Wednesday. Races were too close to call in more than a dozen seats, making it impossible to know how large the Democratic margin would be.

Still, 2006 already was an eerie reversal of 1994, when the GOP gained 54 seats in a wave that toppled Democrats after four decades. No Republican incumbent lost that year.

This time, Republicans fell from power in nearly every region of the country — conservative, liberal and moderate — as well as in every type of district — urban, rural and suburban. Exit polls showed middle class voters who fled to the GOP a dozen years ago appeared to return to the Democrats.

Casualties of a Democratic call for change, three GOP congressmen lost in Indiana, three more in Pennsylvania, two in New Hampshire, one in North Carolina, one in Kansas, one in Iowa and more elsewhere. Democrats won open seats, that were held by Republicans, in New York, Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa and Texas.

Scandals that have dogged Republicans appeared to hurt GOP incumbents even more than Bush's unpopularity and the nearly four-year-old war in Iraq.

Republicans surrendered the Texas seat of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who left the House after being charged in a campaign finance scheme, the Ohio seat once held by Bob Ney, who resigned after pleading guilty in a lobbying scandal, and the Florida district of Mark Foley, who stepped down after the disclosure that he sent sexually explicit messages to male congressional pages.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats defeated Curt Weldon in the fallout from a federal corruption investigation and Don Sherwood who admitted to a long-term affair with a much younger woman who says he choked her.

"Today the American people voted for change and they voted for Democrats to take their country in a new direction, and that is exactly what we intend to do," Pelosi, who won an 11th term, told several hundred people celebrating in a Washington hotel ballroom.

A grandmother five times over, Pelosi vowed to restore integrity, civility and honesty to Capitol Hill and said: "Democrats promise to work together in a bipartisan way for all Americans."

As her remarks ended, U2's "Beautiful Day" blared and red, white and blue confetti drifted from above.

"You have given us a chance to turn this country around, and we'll give you the government that no longer lets you down." Rep. Rahm Emanuel (news, bio, voting record), the head of the Democrats' House campaign, told the crowd.

Ethics woes, the war and overall anger toward Bush appeared to drive voters to the Democrats, according to surveys by The Associated Press and the television networks of voters as they left voting places. Several traditionally hard-fought demographic groups were choosing Democrats, including independents, moderates, and suburban women.

Those exit polls also showed that three in four voters said corruption was very important to their vote, and they tended to vote Democratic. In a sign of a dispirited GOP base, most white evangelicals said corruption was very important to their vote — and almost a third of them turned to the Democrats.

Two out of three voters called the war very important to them and said they leaned toward the Democrats, while six in ten voters said they disapproved of the war. About the same number said they were dissatisfied with the president — and they were far more likely to vote Democratic.

Additionally, eight in ten voters called the economy very important to their House vote, and those who said it was extremely important — about four in ten voters — turned to Democrats.

All 435 House seats were on the ballot, and most incumbents won easy re-election. The current lineup: 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats, one independent who lines up with the Democrats for organizational purposes, and four vacancies, three of them in seats formerly held by Republicans.

The fight for control came down to 50 or so seats, nearly half in line from Connecticut through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. All were in Republican hands, a blend of seats coming open and incumbents in trouble.

For months, national surveys showed Democrats favored over Republicans by margins unseen since 1990 as voters grew restless with the Bush administration and seemed more ready to end one-party rule on Capitol Hill.

American casualties and costs have climbed in Iraq, and public support for the war has fallen, as have approval ratings for Congress along with the president.

Scandals dogged the ruling party as well.

DeLay, R-Texas, was charged with participating in a campaign finance scheme and resigned from the House. Ney, R-Ohio, resigned, too, after pleading guilty in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation. A month before the election, Foley, R-Fla., left office when it was disclosed that he had sent sexually explicit electronic communications to male, former congressional pages.

Through it all, Democrats cast the race as a national referendum on Bush and Iraq, accusing Republicans of walking in lockstep with the president and rubber stamping his policies.

Republicans insisted the elections came down to choices between individual candidates from coast to coast — and that Democrats were liberals who would raise taxes, flee from Iraq and be soft on terrorists.

Initially, Democrats targeted GOP-held seats left open by retiring Republicans as well as districts where Bush won by close margins in 2004 — many in the Northeast and Midwest. In recent weeks, Democrats were able to expand the battlefield, mounting plays for seats long in Republican hands, such as in Wyoming and Idaho.

The GOP made serious bids for only a handful of Democratic-held seats, including two districts in Georgia that the Republican legislature redrew to make more hospitable to the GOP. The only two endangered Democrats appeared to be in those districts, where the vote totals were so close the races appeared to be headed to recounts.

One of the Democratic victories was in Louisiana, where scandal-tarred Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) was forced into a runoff against another Democrat.

As the 2006 midterm campaign began, Republicans were optimistic they would extend their reign because they had limited GOP retirements, leaving fewer open seats as targets for Democrats.

Then violence increased in Iraq and scandals erupted in the House — knocking the GOP off course.

[Pedro56]

We are doomed. Time to move to a nice Compound in the middle of nowhere stock up supplies and wait for these asshats to screw it up as bad as the rest of em will.

[Andrewtx]

Thanks, "swing voters."

"The swing voters---I like to refer to them as the idiot voters because they don't have set philosophical principles. You're either a liberal or you're a conservative if you have an IQ above a toaster." - Ann Coulter

[Terminator]

These election results have me seriously concerned. Though as of post time, it is still too early to tell, hopefully the Republicans pulled out the Senate.

[Welpe]

Oh man now we get to listen to Pelosi.

I just forsee this giving more momentum towards Hilary '08 and that scares the crap out of me.

[dadyswat]

Turn in all your guns and give them the rest of your pay check so we can support the poor immigrants.

[TXCharlie]

Although I voted a straight Republican ticket (and our Republican Congressman won by a very wide margin), I think this election will be good for the soilders on the ground in Iraq in the next year.

For example Donald Rumsfeld is toast - Good riddance. He is the Michael Brown of the Pentagon. Now perhaps we'll see someone who doesn't make silly excuses about such minor things as transitioning from an air war to sending in ground troops before they have adequate body armor and armored Humvees.

However, I fear that the ground war will heat up for a while, since the election will embolden the terrorists - In that case we should pull back the ground troops and bomb the shit out of them. Who says an air war doesn't work? It depends on what size bombs you use. I'm thinking Daisy Cutters and MOAB's.

[bayern]

This is what the US Capital is going to look like before we know it. Just my opinion and if I hurt any ones feelings, to bad.

[Jenna]

Yayyyyy!!!!!!! It's morning in America! The American people have spoken, and even in erstwhile red states they want checks and balances!


Historic "first women ever" were elected in several states and districts. And a district of Minnesota with a lot of Somali immigrants will be sending the first Muslim ever to the US House of Representatives!

George W. Bush will be seeing a lot more of this "Oh no you don't!" expression from the first ever female Speaker of the House!

[Andrewtx]

Yayyyyy!!!!!!! It's morning in America! The American people have spoken, and even in erstwhile red states they want checks and balances!


Historic "first women ever" were elected in several states and districts. And a district of Minnesota with a lot of Somali immigrants will be sending the first Muslim ever to the US House of Representatives!

George W. Bush will be seeing a lot more of this "Oh no you don't!" expression from the first ever female Speaker of the House!

Who are you? From what galaxy do you come? What do you want with us? Who are you working for?

I think Jenna's a plant.

[Virginian]

At least when people see the Dems don't do everything they promised, we'll have a better shot at the White House in the next election.

Thanks a ton for the media attention, Foley. Jackass.

[Virginian]

I think Jenna's a plant.

That explains her Green Party views

[Andrewtx]

That explains her Green Party views

I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[cntryboy0531]

Well, we're fucked. Run for the hills. If Hillary gets elected, I'm going to Cuba. Me and Castro will be real good friends.

[Virginian]

I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Awww comon judge, I was rather proud of that one

[Five-0]

Oh man now we get to listen to Pelosi.

I just forsee this giving more momentum towards Hilary '08 and that scares the crap out of me.

I think this will make it harder for Hillary. The crazy far left folks like Pelosi will only be able to maintain their composure for so long. Then they will show the nation what they are capable of. The illegals issue will be the first in my opinion. The house was the only thing standing in the way of amnesty. Now that the dems control that they will look to expand their voting base. The Republicans actually needed to lose. Now they might start acting like conservatives again. That is the good news. The bad....islamic jihadist the world over are cheering and that scares the hell out of me.

[Andrewtx]

Awww comon judge, I was rather proud of that one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgTpSt39ojQ

One of my favorite movie moments ever.

[Virginian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgTpSt39ojQ

One of my favorite movie moments ever.

haha yeah I had to look it up before it rang a bell, but it is indeed awesome

[Willowdared]

Meh...you guys are such alarmists!

This is what it sounds like when the traditional Republicans start flexing their muscles.

We don't like hand outs - to anyone - including big corporations.

We don't want to be in anyone's bedroom either.

We don't like extreme viewpoints - on either end of the political spectrum.

We are moderates! Hear us roar!

[E-man]

I have a question. First I think TERM should sticky this thread as it is of utmost importance...
Now on to the question. Iam a right wing conservative and unfortunately not the brightest tool in my shed. That being, I really want to hear from a Left Winger on here {are there?} who can tell us conservatives just what the Dems plan is...
I want to know ahead of time, how many guns I need to buy...
Seriously, I and all my conservative brothers need to hear from someone, Right winger can answer what he-she thinks we are in store for... NO Jenna you CAN NOT answer....
I do believe the first thing their gonna do is Raise the minimum wage {wont really affect us} BUT they are going to RAISE EVERYONES TAXES and the mortgage rate is going up to about what our parents used to pay, maye 10-12%...
The stockmarket??? What about that...
The amnesty is going to KILL us...


Can someone point out the Dems plan???