How Would Democrats Reshape Congress?

We are now just one week away from the mid-term elections. The Democrats need to pick up 15 seats to win back control of the House of Representatives. They need six seats to capture the Senate. Some analysts predict they can do it.. In Washington D.C., there's one thing as sure as death and taxes. Change. Presidents come and go. So do the cherry blossoms. And in one week, Republican power could be a thing of the past too. Democrats are already predicting victory. Democratic Strategist Victor Kamber said, "I think it's a sweep, not just a win. I think we're going to see a much bigger victory than people have predicted." If Democrats take control, how would things be different? Let's start in the house. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi would become the new speaker, third in line to the presidency. She once said that she doesn't consider the U.S. "at war" with terrorism. Rather, it's just a struggle. "The war has not made our country safer," Pelosi said. "It has not made our military stronger, and it has caused great damage to our reputation in the world. It has hindered the fight against terrorism." But the power in Congress really lies with committee chairmen. They can push legislation through or stop it completely. Some believe that Democrat Rep. John Conyers, Jr. would use his new power as head of the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on impeaching President Bush. "We've had so many misstatements of the truth around the war in Iraq that people don't know what to believe," Conyers said. Charlie Rangel would take over the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He regularly calls for the cancellation of President Bush's current tax cuts. Rangel said, "The President should be embarrassed to be asking for further tax cuts." If the Democrats take control of either the House or Senate, or both, one of the most dramatic differences on Capitol Hill will be in the area of oversight. Democrats believe that the Republicans have given the Bush administration a free pass on a host of issues. First and foremost will be tough questioning on the Iraq war. "We need to get to the bottom," Kamber said. "We need open, honest hearings to understand what our military is saying, what we really know and didn't know, when we knew it and why we're there. And more importantly, what's the answer to get out." GOP strategists say that, in addition to the extra oversight, they expect some of the same legislation Democrats introduced last year. They called for a Department of Peace, a Freedom of Choice Act calling for taxpayer-funded abortions, and a measure called the End the War in Iraq Act that would de-fund the war, forcing troops to come home right away. Democrats realize they need a play for Iraq, but on other issues they say their playbook is ready. Their priorities include increasing the minimum wage, repealing the oft-criticized Medicare legislation, and using tax money to pay for stem cell research. "I think most of the legislation that we've been talking about will be centrist legislation," Kamber said. In the Senate, democratic priorities would be pretty much the same. But the biggest change will be in the area of the President's judicial nominations. Bush would be hard pressed to get more strong conservatives on the bench. It's something conservative activists worry about, especially if a Supreme Court justice retires. So one key question remains -- with a White House controlled by Republicans and a Congress possibly controlled by Democrats, how much friction will there be? NRCC Press Secretary Jonathan Collegio predicted, "I think you're going to see a lot of gridlock. I think you're going to see an increased degree of partisanship. I think you're going to see a lot of bomb throwing." Democrats think that would be a mistake, especially for the President. Kamber said, "He doesn't want to leave as the most unpopular President in recent history, so it's going to be to his advantage and his administration's to work with the Congress." Bush hopes it'll be a Congress that's to his liking.