Atlantic Review has a good rundown on the reactions in the German press concerning this week’s huge win for the US Democrats. There is a new sense of hope and optimism that Europeans and Americans can work constructively together. Back in the dark days following the 2004 presidential election I wrote that US and German values were apparently moving apart. That is clearly not the case. Republicans overplayed the social conservative issues like abortion, gay marriage, and gun control, but the results in Arizona (rejection of gay civil union ban), South Dakota (rejection of abortion ban) and elsewhere show that these issues only resonate mostly with evangelical and authoritarian base of the Republican Party. Independent voters – who swung to Democrats this time – have moved on. This paragraph in the DW World article on "A New Beginning" caught my attention:
"Voigt said US President George W. Bush continued to be the most important and decisive contact for the German government. But he said the German parliament would increasingly seek contact to the House, in particular to new congressmen and women.
Experts agreed that it was important to seek a dialogue to new representatives, in particular as many of them were lacking international experience.
"This is an opportunity to develop a new relationship," Voigt said.
Guérot said European delegations should travel to the United States and US representatives be invited to Europe.
"What we need to do now is reach out," she said. "This way, we can better convey European positions on major international issues and make concerted efforts to find constructive political solutions for the future."
Back in June, long before a Democratic win was projected, I had advocated that Angela Merkel should "reach out to US Democrats", pointing out the commonalities between the objectives of the Grand Colation in Germany with US Democratic Party agenda. For this modest proposal I was subjected to a great deal of scorn and hate mail.
There is a much discussion that the Democratic majority in congress should resist the idea of holding hearings into the corruption and deceptions of the Bush administration and instead focus on "bipartisan programs" with the President . Fine, but Paul Krugman in the NY Times reminds us today why the Democrats won on Tuesday:
"Two years ago, people were talking about permanent right-wing dominance of American politics. But since then the American people have gotten a clearer sense of what rule by movement conservatives means. They’ve seen the movement take us into an unnecessary war, and botch every aspect of that war. They’ve seen a great American city left to drown; they’ve seen corruption reach deep into our political process; they’ve seen the hypocrisy of those who lecture us on morality.
And they just said no. "
And Eugene Robinson, in the Washington Post today, says "not so fast":
"I haven’t seen any indication that Bush is ready to ask himself the questions that millions of Americans posed on Tuesday: What are we accomplishing in Iraq? What kind of country, realistically, will we leave behind? Will leaving Iraq, in, say, five years make us any safer than leaving Iraq now? Will our extended presence even make life better for Iraqis?
Democrats were restrained during the campaign, which was smart. But now it’s time for them to ask those hard questions — and use their new power to compel answers. Even if they have to be unfashionably partisan about it."
Let the hearings begin – and soon!
