A Few Observations on Yesterday's Election

First, it is clear the voters of Illinois were not enthusiastic about Rod Blagojevich. The subpoenas, the scandals, and the unpaid bills took their toll. In a year when Democrats were winning all over the country, and throughout Illinois, Blagojevich could not even win 50% of the vote in Illinois. But the voters were not happy about Judy Baar Topinka either. Therefore, an unknown Green Party candidate got 10% of the vote, essentially a "none-of-the-above" vote by the people of Illinois. Now the question is what happens next in Illinois. My guess is Blagojevich will try to reclaim his popularity by proposing even more new programs without raising taxes, thereby pushing Illinois farther and farther into a fiscal hole. The only question is whether (and this assumes Patrick Fitzgerald stays US Attorney for Northern Illinois) Blagojevich will be able to make it through his full four-year term.

Second, I was glad to see Peter Roskam win the sixth district in Illinois, which was Henry Hyde’s old seat. Henry Hyde was a great politician and a good man. He was first elected to Congress in 1974, the only new Republican congressman elected in that year of Watergate. After 32 years in Congress, it would have been sad to see his seat go to a Democrat.

Third, the Republicans have lost the House, as they probably deserved to do. It is sad for the good people who lost. It is an unfortunate thing about politics that sometimes good people lose because of factors beyond their control, whether a war, a scandal, or just a change in national feeling. But if this loss puts the Republican Party back on the road of principle, as opposed to pork, if it revitalizes our commitment to limited government, close to the people, as opposed to a national government in Washington trying to decide all things for the whole country, it will be a good thing in the long run.

Finally, a personal comment: Our daughter got a job on the Capitol Hill staff of Representative Frank Wolf, from the tenth district of Virginia, last May. As we have learned about Representative Wolf, we have been impressed. He cares about his district, but he also cares about the world. The Iraq Study Group, headed by Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton, was his idea. He has been to Darfur several times and is pushing for action there. Some day in the future, people will say we should have done something about Darfur. Representative Wolf is trying to do something now. Finally, he is a good fiend of Chuck Colson, and he mentions Witness by Whitaker Chambers at campaign rallies. If you are a Republican of a certain age, you have to like a man like that.