The Libertarian Democrats: [Oppose "big government" when it comes to the economy, and also oppose big government interference in personal matters, such as religion and lifestyle decisions.] "About 9 percent of all Democrats."

This group contains the highest percentage of full-time workers as well as the largest proportion of Democrats earning more than $50,000 a year.

Washington Post Article Describes Pro-Freedom Democrats

Rep. Alcee Hastings (FL): Tapped to chair the House Permanent Standing Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Without a serious intel/national security background, Hastings is said to have gotten up to speed on the material since joining the committee. Still, there's a congressional impeachment in his background, and charges of a $150,000 bribe from his days as a judge. In the wake of major corruption scandals in the intel world, is it so hard to find a little less complicated candidate to oversee them?

The worst thing the Dems can do right now is put people in power who are likely to wind up abusing it. The order of the day should be professionalism.

TPMmuckraker New Dem Leaders have their own problems

One Democratic win that I think folks on MemeStreams might think twice about cheering is the close Senate race in Montana which gave Republican Conrad Burns the boot. Burns has been a leader in Telecommunications and Internet Policy for many years. I don't agree with everything that he has done in the space, but there is a lot this community would thank him for. Most importantly, I think, is his successful effort to liberalize Crypto export controls. I'm linking a speech he gave on the subject in 1996:

American businesses and computer users face a threat _ and it's a threat from their own government _ because the current administration won't let American companies export encryption at a level higher than 40 bits....

What this means is that commerce and communication on computer networks including the Internet is not reaching its full potential.

While certainly there is a lot of potentially valid criticism of Burns out there, the Internet probably won't be better off for having him out of office.

One Democratic win I'm not happy about...

Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds _ "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.

I like all of this. Financial conservatives are worried that an increase in the minimum wage will create unemployment. However, the Administration seems amicable to it...

Pelosi Says She Would Drain GOP 'Swamp' - washingtonpost.com

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the controversial face of U.S. war policy, quit on Wednesday after Democrats rode Americans' anger over Iraq to victory in Tuesday's congressional elections.

That was too fast. It was planned. But, I'm still suprised to see Rumsfeld being offered up as a sacrifice to a Democratic voting public. I would never have imagined that two years ago, when it appeared that social conservatism was more important to America than running an effective war.

It strikes me that the right didn't have a really good social wedge issue for this election. They are saving up. I imagine they'll have one for 2008. They'll claim the blue Congress has obstructed them on something, likely abortion, and they'll ride back into power on it.

Rumsfeld quits after Democrats ride Iraq to win - washingtonpost.com

The Roveian fire-up-the-base-and-screw-the-middle strategy only works mathematically if losses in the political center can be minimized. Now they can't and the GOP is likely to pay the price--and very probably not just in this election.

The post I'm linking here is very good. There is nothing America needs more right now than an end to partisan extremeism. I hope this result gets the country to mellow out.

SHOWDOWN 06: The Washington Monthly

Members of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys believe the bankruptcy law overhaul has made the process more costly and complex, without making it more effective. "In practice, the new bankruptcy law changes have proven to be a nearly total bust in terms of what the proponents of the change had forecast," said Ike Shulman, a California bankruptcy lawyer and an officer with the association.

I'd like to see a wish list from the Dems. At the top for me would be to undue the bankruptcy "reform" bill from last year which has both hurt people and cost the insurance industry money. If someone is benefiting from this bill, I can't figure out who. We tried this. It doesn't work. You should have known better. Can we please stop being stupid now?

What should be on the Dems agenda?

Today is an election day in the United States. Go Vote. When you're done, click on this link.

Go Vote

"HBO's controversial special 'Hacking Democracy' on issues with Diebold voting machines is now available in full on Google Video."

This was discussed here. I haven't seen it yet. Have you?

Slashdot | HBO's Hacking Democracy Available Online

I believe that Republicans vote Republican and Democrats vote Democrat....the campaign managers know this and they have a pretty good idea of how many of each demographic they have to work with. So, their job isn't to try and convince you who to vote for, you've already decided that. Their job is to get you into the polls so you can actually cast that vote.

Somewhere along the line, they decided that the best motivator was to get you pissed off enough at the other guy that you would make the time to get into the polls.

I think this is basically true. Most people who care about politics are too brainwashed by punditry to take an objective position on various candidates for office. Most people who don't care about politics are too overwhelmed by the sheer number of different little offices and races they are asked to vote for, and the dearth of good information about the candidates running for them, that voting a party line is just easier. Then there is social peer pressure. "You're not a pussy liberal are you boy?" or "God! You're not a Republican, are you?! Yuck!" No one likes an independent. It means you're everyone's enemy.

Republican Robocall Pretexting Campaign