[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23862]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            ELECTION RESULTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, on November 2, George W. Bush was reelected 
President of the United States, and the Republicans expanded their 
majorities in both the House and the Senate. I congratulate President 
Bush and his party on this victory.
  I also congratulate the American people for once again proving the 
brilliance and foresight of our Founding Fathers who designed a system 
in which those who hold power are replaced or affirmed, peacefully and 
according to the rule of law.
  Never in my lifetime have the American people expressed more emotion 
over their choice for President. It is a testament to our Founders and 
to present-day Americans that this passion did not devolve into 
violence and lawlessness when the results were finally in and the 
fervent desires of so many of us were rejected.
  I remain deeply disappointed by the result of the 2004 election. This 
election exacerbated the main problem that has been at the root of all 
the other problems that we have experienced over the past 4 years; that 
is that our usual system of checks and balances has been replaced by a 
monolithic Federal Government.
  It is not just that the legislative and executive branches are 
controlled by the same party that I find disturbing. It is that the 
leaders of the majority party in Congress refuse to even question the 
judgment and the policies of the Bush administration. While partisan 
Republicans would view this as admirable party discipline, I see it as 
an abdication of constitutional responsibility.
  Now President Bush is claiming a mandate, saying that he intends to 
spend political capital he earned during the campaign. He has stated a 
willingness to reach across party lines, but all his actions and most 
of his words belie that sentiment.
  The President seems determined now to surround himself only with 
those who share his ideology. An administration already known for 
marching lockstep behind its leader will now have even fewer dissenting 
voices.
  Neither will alternative viewpoints be found in the Republican 
congressional leadership. Witness the attacks on Senator Specter by the 
conservative base of the Republican party. The Senator apparently must 
agree to act merely as a rubber stamp on President Bush's judicial 
nominees or be denied the committee chairmanship that would otherwise 
be his.
  Some may look at the Republican electoral majority and this victory 
and see a much diminished role for the Democrats. On the contrary, 
never has there been a greater need for a strong and vocal opposition.
  Considering the closeness of the election that initially brought 
George W. Bush to the White House in 2000, this administration's lack 
of regard for dissenting views has been shocking. We can only imagine 
how much more arrogant the Bush II administration will be on the 
strength of its 51 percent victory.
  Where some see a mandate, I see a country deeply and passionately 
divided in its opinion of this administration. While we respect the 
Office of the President and the system through which its occupant is 
selected, we in the opposition have a duty to continue making our 
voices heard more enthusiastically and more effectively.

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