Republicans must avoid extremes in wake of election victories
Joanna Mikulski
Tuesday Voice
Students often go to extremes at this University. From Sunday until Thursday, they pour over books at the library until 2 a.m., attend endless lectures and meetings and spend hours working out at Rolf's. They counteract each responsible moment during the week with an equally irresponsible one on the weekend.
For better or worse, my friends and I are no exception. We don't just study; we pull all-nighters. We don't just party; we make a game of it. Last weekend my roommates and I fared particularly well in this University's cultural competition of "going to the extreme." When on Sunday everyone began to tell their stories from Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we could definitively prove that we had mastered the art of enjoying a weekend that starkly contrasted with the week before it.
Like my roommates and I last weekend, Republicans dominated on Election Day. They retained their hold on the House and gained the majority in the Senate. They also fared well in gubernatorial races. The country seems to be moving towards an extreme — a political one.
I have learned over my years at Notre Dame that going to the extreme has its benefits. Every morning that I wake up at 6 a.m. to finish a paper, I think of the weekend. The possibility of fun with friends a day or two in the future allows me to resist the urge to fall asleep and get my work done.
Republican dominance could help politicians get something accomplished in Washington in the next two years. It might allow for the passage of legislation for which the country demonstrated its support last Tuesday. In addition to pushing through policies that stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate, Republicans are also aiming to get approval for a number of conservative judicial nominees in the federal courts.
However, Republicans need to recognize as they pursue their agenda and push for judicial nominees that going to the extreme could harm the country in the long run — especially in regard to the civil liberties and the environment.
The Homeland Security Act, legislation high on the Bush agenda, could allow intelligence officials to compile data on the private lives of Americans. The Bush administration may also consider a second attempt at drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve — a move that would threaten one of the country's most magnificent natural treasures. Furthermore, judicial nominees favored by the Bush administration have a track record of striking down environmental regulations in favor of business.
After all, anyone at this University would tell Republicans that extremes aren't always healthy. Students sometimes drink too much and get sent to the hospital. Exhausted from a week of practical all-nighters, I collapsed after the Boston College game two weeks ago and slept for 16 hours. In the end, I only survive here by trying to strike a balance between doing what I have to do and doing what I want to do.
Republicans might want to enact a very conservative agenda, but for the health of the country they need to listen to the moderates in the fold. In reality, they did not receive a definitive mandate from voters to go to the extreme. The races in Missouri and Minnesota that shifted the balance in the Senate were both determined by less than three percentage points.
The responsibility falls on Democrats to stand their ground over the next two years to ensure that Republicans maintain a balance. Like the students here, the Bush administration and House and Senate Republicans must realize that moderation is the key. It might not be what they really want, but in the end, it's in the country's best interest.
Joanna Mikulski is a senior English and German major. Her column appears every other Tuesday. Contact her at mikulski.1@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, November 12, 2002
