Democrats Officially Gain Control of Congress

Despite some earlier rants, the overall mood today was... encouraging. We made it.



Text of Speaker Pelosi's speech- here. It was a good speech and seemed to be pretty well-received. Only odd moment, though, not sure how it came off to most, after she finished speaking, Pelosi invited all the children present to come up and touch the gavel. I hope they washed their hands, damn thing probably still had Dennis Hastert's cooties all over it.

Day 1 wasn't just spent on procedural stuff, though. They got started on their agenda-

The U.S. House of Representatives, after installing its new Democratic leadership, voted to ban lawmakers from flying on corporate jets and accepting gifts and meals from lobbyists.

The House passed, 430-1, a package of rules aimed at demonstrating Democrats' commitment to cleaning up Congress. Tomorrow, the House will vote on rules designed to end the anonymous sponsorship of pet projects, or earmarks, that have been quietly tucked into spending measures...

The one 'no' vote? Republican Dan Burton of Indiana. Over in the Senate, meanwhile, there is concern about how strong a reform package Democrats can get through with a tighter majority than the House has. Hey, it's a start, I guess.

Looking forward to seeing what days two, three, and so on have to offer.