The New Front at Capitol Hill

So the Democrats won the Battle of Stirling. What now?

It's very likely that the war at the Capitol will rage onwards after a brief truce. With only a meager two years before the next Battle of the Ballots, will the Democrats go ahead and win their Battle of Falkirk as well?

As much as the election proved that the people of this country were tired of the way the Republican congressional leadership ran the nation, it does not mean that the Democrats can look forward to enjoying rule over Capitol Hill for at least as long as the Republicans enjoyed their rule.

The slate of Democrats that won key races included candidiates that were not cut from the usual Democratic cloth. Although the public is clamoring for resolutions to issues such as the Iraq war and the corruption problems that afflicted the outgoing Republican majority, there are other issues important to the people that have been left unaddressed by the departing 109th Congress. The promises that the Democrats have made must be kept. All of America is watching.

The Democrats have promised to raise the federal minimum wage. As soon as the 110th Congress is in session, the Democrats must pass this bill. The opinion of the American people has been made clear on this issue. Minimum wage raises were approved in several states on Election Day and now over half of the nation's states have minimum wages higher than the $5.15 federal minimum.

The Democrats have also promised to cut the interest rate on student loans. It is critical that this is passed.

With the cost of college already rising at exceedingly high rates due to tuition hikes that far outpace the rate of inflation, why penalize the middle and lower classes further for wanting to get ahead? Republicans have complained that although the economy is growing at a steady pace, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is rising through the roof, and unemployment rates are below average, many people across the country do not have a sunny outlook on the economy. This double whammy that makes college much more expensive is but one reason that many Americans are not feeling so well on the economy.

The Democrats must also be willing to work with the Republicans. An important appointment up for confirmation will be coming while the 109th Congress conducts its lame duck session before becoming a product of history. Former CIA Director Robert Gates is up to be confirmed to the post of Secretary of Defense. After years of clamoring for Donald Rumsfeld's ouster, the Democrats finally have their wish, with the added bonus of it not happening during the year's election season, when it could have swayed some voters to vote Republican.

Gates needs to have a confirmation hearing where Democrats offer tough questions and allow Gates to clearly state how he wants to execute the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democrats should also let it be known that they will involve themselves in the process, providing the political backing needed for new plans for these wars, especially for Iraq. After that, it would be wise to confirm Gates as the new Defense Secretary. It would not only show that the Democrats can work with the Bush Administration, but that it will be deeply involved in the direction that hopefully charts our involvement in Iraq towards a better conclusion than the current "stay the course" plan is working now. If there ever comes a time when the United States needs to withdraw some, most, or all of its soldiers in Iraq if there is no way that an effective Iraqi government can take hold of the country, then the Democrats must be willing to work with the Administration and the Pentagon to ensure that the United States leaves on the best possible terms.

There is no doubt that the public expects the new Democratic Congress to stand up to the President and his Administration. However, fighting for the sake of fighting and grandstanding will not play well with the public and will endanger the Democratic hold on Congress in only two years' time. As the Battle of Falkirk approaches and politicians are looking to 2008, the Democrats need to show that they can govern and not simply bicker.

The American people are trusting them to take the country in a new direction, a direction different from that offered by the Republican leadership in both the White House and on Capitol Hill. The Democrats can only help themselves by fighting strategtically on important issues and governing and reaching out the rest of the time. The Democrats can use this approach of moderate government while fighting the good fights when they need to be fought to improve their chances in 2008, regardless of the direction the Republican Party takes after its upcoming leadership fight.

Whether the Republicans choose to work with the Democrats or fight them every inch of the way, the Democrats can win their Battle of Falkirk by showing Americans that their trust and their hopes were not misplaced.