THE DEMOCRATS

When I was asked a few days before the recent elections what the outcome would be, I said the Democrats would take the house but the senate would be an even split (with Lieberman straddling the divide). So I was close. I didn't think Webb would pull it out, and am impressed that he and his team did. Now what I say is the Democrats have to be wary of the revenge of the right.
When Jimmy Carter captured the presidency, he moved to remove some of the bad apples in the various intelligence departments, like the CIA, all of whom remained connected and came back with a vengeance when Reagan replaced Carter, thanks to the Iranian hostage crisis which was miraculously resolved when Reagan won.
Hmmmm.
The great thing about Clinton, besides his obvious intelligence, was his ability to play hardball with the big boys, unlike the more trusting Carter with his genuine Christian piety and principals. But even though Clinton could fake the neocons, and other rightwing manipulators who would do anything to retain or regain power, into making false moves that made them look bad and Clinton look good or not so bad, that didn't stop them from exploiting any opening, including Clinton's Lewinsky shortsightedness, to their benefit.
Their benefit being not only to shrink the government, or those aspects of it with the ability to regulate and police their profit making activities, by overextending it in foregin adventures or bankrupting it, among other things, but also the creation of smoke screens usually consisting of "values issues" behind which they can carry out their manipulations.
This time the smoke screens evaporated in the light of their own "values issues" i.e. Foley et. al. But do not think they will go quietly, or in fact go at all. They have placed their people in positions of power throughout the courts and the rest of the government, including behind the scenes in intelligence agencies etc. and they will be ready to spring whenever the Democrats let down their guard. And, of course, they contriol a lot of the media (while still savy enough to keep screaming "liberal media" at what little they don't control or influence strongly, or "Hollywood values" or "Hollywierd" at any use of entertainment fame other than their own, which fortunately backfired in the case of Michael J. Fox thanks to his natural likeability. By the way, in all the movies and TV shows I acted in during almost twenty years in "Hollywood" most producers I met were Republicans, as well as many directors, studio heads and other higher ups and even many actors and comedians and people in the music business as well. When the rightwing attacks Hollywood they throw out names like Barbara Streisand, a star from the 1960s and '70s, and two or three other active Democrats, while ignoring the more powerful Clint, Arnold, et. al. My experience was there were a handful of lefties, a lot of people unwilling to take any position, and a handful of rightwingers in the "Hollywood" establishment, and the higher you went in terms of power, the more rightwing it got. But that's just my experience.)
They've already blemished Pelosi's image with the Murtha business, (yeah, yeah, Democrats brought it on themselves, no, they just put up some nominees and voted on them, the media made it the look-how-the-Democrats-are-already-divided and both-candidates-are-tarnished-by-ethics-problems etc. while the same media continue to hardly bother—outside of sexual transgressions—about the Republican corruption and crimes that dwarf almost anything in the history of our country, i.e. the billions that have disappeared in Iraq reconstruction contracts etc.). Thanks to the usual human foibles Democrats will continue to create situations and statements that provide amunition for the rightwing's crusade against all things "Liberal" but, and this is the big but, that's playground mischief compared to what they will do if the Democrats look like they might secure the presidency and retain the congress.
Fortunately Harry Reid is a pretty tough cookie, as well as Nancy Pelosi, but they are not so smooth with reporters and interviewers and their public image, an area where the right has had the upper hand for decades, thanks to the combination of Nixon's mastery of behind the scenes chicanery, Reagan's onscreen TV spokesman chops and Hollywood grooming, and Karl Rove's message discipline. I only hope Democrats can keep their eyes on the ball the rightwing plays with and the game is all about for them—power.

Lally