The
Democrats are jubilant over the results of the U.S. 2006 midterm
elections. It catapulted them to the majority position, winning 230 out
of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives; gaining 51 out of the
100 Senate seats; and 28 out of the 50 gubernatorial positions.
November 2006 proved to
be an embarrassment for the Bush regime, which saw its candidates
trounced in the U.S. midterm elections |
Exit
polls revealed that 55 percent of voters said they disapproved of the war
in Iraq and were far more likely to vote for Democratic House candidates.
Six out of 10 believed that the war in Iraq did not make the U.S. more
secure. And 55 percent favoured bringing home U.S. troops in Iraq. Other
issues of concern were the incompetence of the Bush administration in
managing the disaster caused by the Katrina hurricane; the spiralling
costs of health services; and issues of corruption, of the financial and
moral kind, haunting Republicans. Worth noting are the Enron scam, of
which George W. Bush, had some business interests, and the cornering of
reconstruction contracts in Iraq by Halliburton, which is linked to U.S.
Vice-president Dick Cheney.
|
But the
result of the U.S. 2006 midterm elections is not so much a vote for the
Democrats but an indictment of the Bush administration and its policies.
George
W. Bush was right when he said, during the recent election campaign
period, that the Democrats have no clear policy regarding Iraq. Most of
the statements of the Democratic Party are motherhood statements, such as
the need for a new policy direction in Iraq. It did categorically call for
or proposed a definite timeframe for the total pull-out of U.S. troops in
Iraq. It took up the issue of the spiralling costs of health services but
did not include the reversal of the government’s policy of privatizing
social services in its platform. The Democrats are not also clean as far
as corruption issues are concerned, whether of the financial or the moral
kind. Most if not all U.S. Secretaries of State, who are appointed by the
President, came from U.S. companies in oil, construction, military or
automobile industries. Also who would forget the Monica Lewinski affair
that almost brought the downfall of the Clinton administration?
The
conservative trend in world politics since the 1990s has blurred the lines
of distinction between political parties. The Republican and Democratic
parties may argue on certain issues but there are no policy differences in
big issues. There has been no essential change in the policy direction of
the U.S. for years even when the Democrats were in power. Much is the same
with England where there were no major distinctions in the policy
direction of the Conservative governments of Margaret Thatcher and
subsequently John Major, the closest allies of George Bush, the father,
and the Labour government of Tony Blair, the closest ally of George W.
Bush, the son
The
defeat of the Bush administration in the recently-concluded midterm
elections is a vote of protest by the American people on the Bush
administration’s policy of terrorizing the world, through its “global war
on terror;” on the hardships caused by the privatization of social
services; and on the issues of corruption haunting the government.
The
result of the midterm elections is a portent of things to come for the
Bush administration and the Republicans. The next U.S. presidential
elections will be in November 2008.
Warning
It is
also a warning to the closest allies and followers of the Bush
administration. Already the Blair government of England is enmeshed in a
political crisis brought about by the Iraq invasion. Blair is also a
casualty of the Iraq war: Under pressure by his own Labour Party for
supporting the failed war, he has promised to step down before the year
ends. The followers of the Bush administration (the big and small ones)
should also take heed.
The
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s support for the U.S. “global war
on terror” and its local version, dubbed Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation
Guard Freedom) which is a poor but no less virulent copy of the U.S.
Operation Enduring Freedom, have resulted in numerous violations of human
rights, including political killings and forced disappearances, and the
suppression of the Filipino people’s civil liberties.
The
reduction of government budget for and the continuing privatization of
social services, including the streamlining of government hospitals and
medical tourism, have worsened the lack of access of most people to
essential services. The policies of liberalization and deregulation have
caused the bankruptcy of local manufacturing and agriculture, and the
spiralling costs of basic commodities.
The
incompetence of government in responding to and managing disasters in the
country and in evacuating OFWs in critical areas abroad have caused
sufferings to victims. And corruption scandals have incessantly haunted
the Arroyo administration.
Perhaps
the only problem with next year’s elections in the Philippines (if it will
push through) is that the opposition cannot get their acts together.
But the
American people are not known for political action, the Filipino people
are. Bulatlat
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