Liberal Democrats

What can we expect from the next Congress? Despite the lack of a public blueprint comparable to Newt Gingrich's 1994 "Contract with America," there are some reliable signals. It promises to be a dramatic environment characterized by more heat than light, one in which politics consistently trumps policy. Don't bet on bipartisan agreements to slash the deficit or reform Medicare. Let's assume that the conventional wisdom is correct: The House will have a modest Democratic majority and the Senate will be nearly evenly balanced.

LONDON -- In the closest general election in years, Britain's voters yesterday poured out in record numbers, and early today it appeared that they had given Prime Minister John Major, who waged a come-from-behind campaign for the Conservative Party, a slim mandate to govern them for the next five years.With results in hand from 362 seats out of 651 contested, the British Broadcasting Corp. projected that Mr. Major's Conservatives would win a total of 328 seats, two more than a majority in the House of Commons.

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair, hobbled by having joined the United States in the war in Iraq, was returned to power yesterday but with a sharply reduced majority for his Labor Party and with the lowest share of the vote for any leader in British history, according to projections from exit polls. If Blair's victory is as weak as projected, it could seriously complicate his ability to govern and will likely create pressure to step down well before the end of his third term. Based on exit polling commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corp.

LONDON -- Whichever of the parties wins the British national election May 1, the question has to be asked, win for what? Win for the sake of winning is all that is discernible now; this is a campaign with few serious promises made, and without a vision.Labor and the Liberal Democrats make proposals for constitutional change -- devolution of power to Scottish and Welsh assemblies in Labor's case, a move toward proportional representation in voting should the Liberal Democrats do well enough, or Labor poorly enough, to force the latter to make concessions to the former in order to govern.

WHEN Congress was run by Democrats and the White House by a Republican, congressional Democrats frequently called for the restoration of U.S. cities before money was spent on other programs.When Republicans became a congressional majority and tried to create tax incentives for individuals and businesses in order to rebuild decaying neighborhoods, they were blocked by liberal Democrats, who feared that success in this area would end the cult of dependency that is their political bread and butter.

SEE THE jackass squeal. Squeal, jackass, squeal. The Democratic Party jackass, running roughshod and over-governing Maryland these many years, has finally been forced to squeal. And yelp. And howl. And protest. This is a most pleasing event for those of us weary of liberal Democrats poking their noses into our lives here in the People's Republic of Maryland. And the thing that pleases most is that the squealing, wailing and gnashing of teeth are being caused by a Democrat. Last month, state Sen. Clarence M. Mitchell IV of the 44th District said he was leaving the Democratic Party.

WASHINGTON -- Liberal House Democrats, listening to Newt Gingrich at his swearing-in as the first Republican speaker of the House in 40 years, could not be blamed if they thought there was something wrong with their hearing.Their ears told them he had just extolled Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt as "the greatest president of the 20th century," praised FDR Democrats for creating "modern America," referred to the New Deal as "that great heritage" and observed that "it was the liberal wing of the Democratic Party that ended segregation."

LONDON -- Compared with national elections in the United States, Britain's parliamentary contests have been relatively civil affairs, with issues debated more than personalities and attacks waged on policy proposals but rarely on candidates. This time around is different. As Prime Minister Tony Blair seeks a third term in Thursday's election, his Conservative opponent, Michael Howard, has gone on an attack as fierce as any in memory here, branding him a "liar" undeserving of a third term, which would be a record for a Labor Party leader.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- It has taken nearly two months -- two agonizing months during which California has been forced to pay it bills with IOUs, seen its once-enviable credit rating ruined, its old and poor threatened with loss of health care, and college classes shut.But it appears now that California, paralyzed by recession, is finally close to passing a budget.Weariness, lack of pay, panic over getting re-elected, public ridicule and political realities are combining to force members of the Legislature to end a protracted stalemate with Gov. Pete Wilson in erasing a $10.7 billion budget gap.The likely winner in this stand-off, at least in the short run, is the Republican governor, but it remains to be seen how the public will respond to the painful cuts in public services he would impose.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's proposal for $50.4 billion in defense spending cuts encountered its first sign of trouble on Capitol Hill yesterday, as some Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee branded it inadequate and demanded larger reductions to finance domestic programs.At an initial hearing on the proposal, committee chairman Jim Sasser, D-Tenn., dismissed the Bush plan as "hesitant when it should be bold" and "indecisive when it should seize the historic opportunity to convert peace to domestic gain."