Dems take over Congress

Democrats obtained a significant gain in the House of Representatives and Senate at both… Democrats obtained a significant gain in the House of Representatives and Senate at both national and state levels on Tuesday, overtaking several Republican seats and expanding on the Democratic congressional majority. ‘ ‘ ‘ As of Thursday afternoon, the Democratic Party won 254 projected seats in the United States House of Representatives, giving the party its largest majority in 15 years, according to statistics on CNN.com. The Republicans, on the other hand, won 173 projected seats. Eight seats were still undecided. In the United States Senate, Democrats won 17 projected seats, while Republicans won 14. Sixty-five seats were not up for re-election this year, and four seats were still undecided. Jennifer Victor, an assistant political science professor, said that although the Democratic majority in the Senate is strong, it is not overwhelming. ‘If united, the Republicans have enough votes to stop any proposal that President-elect Obama may like to set forth,’ she said. ‘What the Democrats have gained in the Senate is leverage and cushion. They control the agenda and can afford to lose a few of their own on merit votes, but they do not have enough votes to thwart Republican opposition, which is likely to be fierce.’ An expert on American politics, the U.S. Congress, lobbying, interest groups and campaign finance, Victor also acknowledged that President-elect Obama appeared gratified but sobered during his victory speech Tuesday night. ‘The weight of the great tasks before him appears to be foremost in his mind,’ said Victor. ‘As the economy drifts deeper into recession and the federal government has less income from taxes, it will be impossible for Obama to financially accomplish all that he hopes to. He will have to prioritize, and it is unclear which tasks he will put first.’ In Pennsylvania, Victor said, the Democratic Party picked up one seat in the House of Representatives but still holds a very narrow majority. ‘Gov. Rendell has an ambitious legislative agenda,’ she said. ‘But it is unclear how much of it he will be able to accomplish with a sagging economy and narrow majority support in Harrisburg.’