Flashback to the morning of November 8, 2006. My boss, Senator Bill Nelson, has just been reelected beating Katherine Harris by a huge margin. It's a beautiful morning and we're all quite happy down in the Sunshine State. I receive a call from a dear friend working in the office of a prominent republican committee chair (who shall remain unnamed). His end of the conversation in question goes something like this: 'We're so excited. With a Dem majority that won't be able to do much in two years, come 2008 everyone will claim you guys [Democrats] had your shot and blew it. Our team [Republicans] will be set up perfectly to take over.' Good, bad, or otherwise, the message I got loud and clear is as the voting American public, we could all do well to pay a little more attention in social studies class. Elections should not be won and lost over party affiliations, media strategies, campaign contributions, or - most often I suspect - a generally poor understanding of the way Capitol Hill works. Issues of global and national priorities are hanging in the balance and if we're too quick to attack parties without arming ourselves with information... if we continue to be swayed more often by mass media spin, propaganda, and mud slinging... if we don't wake up and become engaged in the political process... Well, we deserve what we get. But fortuntately, I suspect we're far smarter on an individual basis than we're given credit for, don't you?
