As the results of Tuesday's election trickled in last week, liberals around the country headed to the nearest pub and drank themselves into a stupor, hoping the past six years would fade to a blur.
Unfortunately, the damage the federal government has caused during the Bush administration is a major reality. Now, the Democrat majority must start dealing with the mess they inherited from the GOP.
Many idealistic Democrats who got out the vote by promising real change are sure that a Democratic majority can clean up the corruption, foreign policy, environmental and social-service disasters in this country.
They are wrong. No significant, lasting change can happen in this country without genuine bipartisanship. In two years, there will be another election, and then, or at some other time in the near future, Republicans could regain control of Congress and reverse whatever good partisan policies the Democrats do get passed, unless the new legislative sessions are tempered with real cooperation.
With the victory of Democrats like anti-choice, pro-gun Heath Shuler from North Carolina, the Democratic Party is building consensus by moving toward the right.
But there is an alternative bipartisanship that does not involve compromising progressive values. We can move the Republicans to the left.
To marginalize the good ol' boys, Democrats cannot simply ignore the Republican Party. Instead, Democrats must actively work to support a Republican Party that is also full of moderates and progressives.
Last week, two of the best Republican voices in Congress were lost. Lincoln Chafee from Rhode Island and Jim Leach from Iowa both lost their re-election bids. Unfortunately, they were the best hope for a progressive, bipartisan legislature.
Chafee is more liberal than many Democrats. He has made clear statements in favor of progressive legislation on everything from gun control to same-sex marriage. He has condemned the death penalty, tax cuts for the wealthy and the Iraq war.
In fact, Chafee was the only Republican senator to vote against the Military Commissions Act and the only Republican to vote against the war. To give you a little context, 12 Democrats voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act and 29 voted in favor of the war.
Like Chafee, Leach is a progressive. As a congressman for 30 years, he has often voted against his party and with the Democrats. He, too, voted against the Military Commissions Act, against continued use of force in Iraq and tax cuts. And, like good liberals, he supports abortion rights, stem cell research and stronger environmental policies.
For the next two years, Democrats should be encouraging Republicans like Chafee and Leach. Democrats should be hoping they find influential positions in government.
A greater number of progressive Republicans will shift government to the left and ensure that the gains Democrats make while they have a majority will not easily be lost in the future.
Some might think that making the Republicans progressive is about as likely as spreading democracy to Iraq. Those people may be right, but if we don't moderate the Republicans, the U.S. may not only try to spread democracy in Iraq, but also in Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.
If we can move the Republican Party to the left, we can encourage a genuine conversation in this country about how to better the lives of citizens and create a more just world order.
Alex Ginsburg is a religious studies senior who is letting you all know two years in advance that Evan Bayh will be the next president of the United States. Your complaints about the conservative loss will be received unsympathetically at: Alexander.Ginsburg@asu.edu.
