The ‘silly season’ begins as both sides gear up for elections
At one time, Labor Day marked the beginning of election-year campaigning. Now it seems as if the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has become the new launch date. Even before the actual anniversary, everyone — President George W. Bush on down — sought to exploit the 9/11
commemoration for all its political worth.
Bush delivered three major foreign policy/Iraq/terror-related speeches invoking the 9/11 events: a prime, time speech, an Oval Office address, and a national television appearance. He spent the better part of two days laying wreaths and attending 9/11 memorial ceremonies and services.
New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg chose the week before the anniversary to unveil for the umpteenth time — and with full pomp and circumstance — the new, revised, and improved World Trade Center memorial and reconstruction plan.
Two different congressional committees held hearings — one in the proximity of the World Trade Center site — on health and environmental issues related to the 9/11 victims and rescuers.
The Senate Intelligence Committee chose last week to release the most incriminating report — so far — on U.S. preparedness, intelligence, and policy falsehoods preceding and following 9/11.
Even prime-time television got drawn into the controversy with a debate over the accuracy and politicization of a 9/11 docudrama broadcast on ABC.
And for every hearing and every event, big-time political heavyweights and pundits in full throttle weighed in on the never-ending loop of talk shows, discussing and debating the various opinions being floated.
Congress has an enormous amount of business still ahead, with a lame-duck session virtually inevitable. Elections are likely to distract legislators from the full agenda they face. Compulsory action on more than three of the 13 appropriations bills for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 seems unlikely. Plus, there is an energy bill, a tax bill, and a final foray at immigration reform, which Congress still will try to enact before breaking for the campaign circuit. Now President Bush has called for congressional authorization of special courts that will meet the guidelines set forth by the Supreme Court to try prisoners incarcerated during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and which would at the same time grant the administration unprecedented power to interrogate, control, and manage trials for alleged conspirators and terrorists.
And all of this congressional activity is occurring against a backdrop of Republican fears of a possible Democratic turnover in the next Congress. This genuine concern provides pressure for the Republicans to get things done now while they control both Houses. Democrats — sensing an impending power shift that will give them control of the agenda in one or both chambers of the next Congress — will work forcefully to frustrate any action.
For Bush, his entire presidency may come down to these elections. Leaving aside the substantive issues, the president faces the possibility of a much more hostile environment should the Democrats gain control of one or both houses. A Democratic House and/or Senate would subject the president and many of his past actions to scrutiny, investigation, and accountability — moves that the Republican-controlled Congress has largely avoided over the past six years. Finally, Bush faces the fact that his possible loss of control of the congressional agenda during his final two years may negatively affect the final determination of his presidency’s place in history.
The nation’s political funny season has begun with unprecedented sums of money being poured into both Democratic and Republican congressional campaigns. Both parties are making efforts to increase voter turnout in November; pundits are predicting that there may well be a dramatic increase in voting for this off-year election.
The voting public actually seems to have become more energized and aware of the issues facing the nation. The war in Iraq, the terror threat, the price of oil, immigration reform, the economy, and especially political accountability all seem to have captured the attention of the American public. Once more, voters will be asked to choose not only between parties but also between governmental institutions.
The president’s and Congress’ prestige will face the American voting public’s scrutiny as to which institution is doing a better job or, perhaps, which is doing a less bad job.
Both parties and all political handicappers know one critical fact. There are still eight weeks before the actual elections, and a lot can happen both at home and abroad. No one today doubts that America should never be surprised by political “October surprises.”
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