By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

While Republicans celebrated their parties numerous victories from Tuesday’s elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she was not disappointed by the results.

“From our standpoint, we picked up votes last night, one in California and one in New York,” Pelosi said during a press appearance, referencing the special elections held in New York’s 23rd Congressional district and California’s 10th.

“From our perspective, we won last night,” Pelosi added. “From our standpoint…a candidate was victorious who supports health care reform.”

The Speaker did not acknowledge the fact that Democratic gubernatorial losses in New Jersey and Virginia may have a negative political impact on her efforts to win votes to pass the America’s Healthy Choices Act, the bill to reform the health care system, through the House.

Pelosi instead focused on the Democratic wins in the two special elections for House seats.

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  I want to say a few words about this week’s election in Afghanistan.  This was an important step forward in the Afghan people’s effort to take control of their future, even as violent extremists are trying to stand in their way. (more…)

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, experts from the Inter-American Dialogue warned that Honduras would continue to be unstable as long as ousted President Manuel Zelaya was not allowed back into the country.

“Zelaya is the elected President… If things degenerate further you won’t have good elections,” said Peter Hakim, President of Inter-American dialogue.

Hakim advised the international community to pursue “open negotiations involving [the] interim government.” Once an agreement is reached among the global community, Hakim advised Honduras to hold an election but warned that the quality of these elections depends on the stability of the country.

On June 29th, the Honduran military led a coup to overthrow President Manuel Zelaya. Armed forces intervened hours before a national referendum was due to take place to determine whether the constitution could be modified to allow the President to assume a second term, rather than the single term outlined in the country’s constitution. Zelaya was replaced by interim-President Roberto Micheletti.

Though the future of Honduras is nothing short of uncertain, many actors, including the international body Organization of American States, have gotten involved in the reestablishment of peace and stability in the Central American country.

“The OAS could take a strong position but then [it could be better to] not put the de facto Honduran government against the wall,” Hakim said

Genaro Arriagada, a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, added that besides the obvious necessary changes that should be brought to the Honduran government and constitution, further changes should involve the OAS 2001 democratic charter which was adopted by member states in order to ensure the presence of democratic institutions in all countries of the Americas.

The Charter needs to be reconsidered, explained Arriagada, “because it gives protection to the government but not to the opposition to the government.”

Graeme Bannerman, a Middle East Institute adjunct scholar, explains that there has been no change in the balance of power in Lebanon, with all ethnic groups being represented through the elections. (0:42)

 

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Graeme Bannerman, a Middle East Institute adjunct scholar, says that the Lebanese Minister of Interior is to thank for the success of the June 7th election. Bannerman explains that the Minister was a non-partisan in the elections, and in a surprising move, the opposition parties agreed that the job was well done. (0:25)

 

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen answering the question of when we could judge whether the mission in Afghanistan has been successful or not. Mullen explains that the upcoming elections are paramount in determining this deadline, but also the experience gained through policy learning from Iraq. (1:01)

 

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Naturalized citizens and New Americans, the children of immigrants, will be playing an increasingly important role in the electorate, agreed all of the participants in a call conference held by the Immigration Policy Center.

New Americans registered in significant numbers in several battleground states for this election. In some swing states, such as in Colorado and Florida, New Americans make up a percentage of the electorate which is larger than the margin of victory during the 2004 election. This means that New Americans could tip battleground states and will be critical in this and future elections.

New Americans are sensitive to immigration issues, and a significant amount of New Americans are Latino and Asian. Republicans need to make sure that they are not perceived as anti-immigrant or anti-Latino, said Frank Sharry of America’s Voice. Sharry predicted that the record number of New Americans registering to vote would create large momentum towards immigration reform. “The fact is is that it’s very hard to be competitive in a presidential year if you’re perceived as anti-immigrant by the fastest growing group of new voters in the country,” said Sharry.

Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) describes the great risks of permitting elections fraud to continue. He says voting fraud can threaten the Constitution and the “very foundation of our democracy.”(0:35)

 

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The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee held a press conference to discuss elections being held in November. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told the press that Saturday, July 29 begins the 100 day countdown to the November election, saying that the DSCC has overwhelming evidence that Americans are looking for change and finding it in Democrats.

Schumer said polls indicate that Americans are more concerned over topics like health care and education rather than national security and abortion, a concern he said shows a preference for Democratic policies. He noted Mississippi, which he described as the most conservative state, is leaning Democratic in November and becoming a swing state. Schumer, who said that only 3 of the 35 seats contested in the fall are in blue states, said Sen. Barack Obama’s popularity in the Republican Deep South is a valuable asset for Democratic senatorial contests. Schumer said Democratic senatorial candidates are well ahead in Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico, and Alaska while candidates in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska are behind but gaining momentum.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) stated that elections are also looking promising for Democrats on the House side of the Hill. He said that the DCCC is focusing on early contact and persuasion, launching “Get Out and Vote” campaigns in 50 districts throughout the United States. With a Democratic-controlled White House and Congress, Van Hollen said policies concerning stem cell research, children’s health care, Iraq, and gas prices would be successfully addressed.

Vice President Dick Cheney criticized the press at the National Press Club when referring to the Pulitzer Prize won by the New York Times for a piece that divulged information pertaining to US security, an action that he deemed was “less than honorable.” When asked, Cheney said that the most difficult part of his jobs involves the press since his role as an adviser necessitates an ability to keep important information secret. (more…)