One day after the midterm elections jolted the national political landscape, several dozen faculty and students gathered to assess the fallout.
“Since the Democrats have ruled out impeachment,” said Political Science Professsor Zoe Oxley, “we'll probably see more congressional oversight of Bush Administration activities and officials-especially concerning Iraq. Even if Republicans maintain control of the Senate, I'm confident we'll see a change in foreign policy with regard to Iraq because of concern for the '08 election.”
The bipartisan crowd responded with pessimism to the future of Bush's presidency, the war in Iraq, a cohesive Democratic plan and the '08 election as a tag-team of issues and viewpoints passed between Political Science Professors Richard L. Fox, Terry S. Weiner, John G. Zumbrunnen, Thomas Lobe, Clifford W. Brown and Robert Hislope, and Economics Professors Lewis Davis and Eshi Motahar.
They applauded in unison, however, at the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, announced just as the group met.
Alla Abramov '07 represented the optimistic minority when she asked, “Will the focus of foreign policy turn to humanitarian efforts instead of war?”
Oxley pointed out that controlling the House of Representatives wasn't enough, so Democratic humanitarian efforts would be limited-a view which Zumbrunnen echoed.
“Despite how this election was touted,” he noted, “there is not a referendum on Iraq. It's my suspicion that the Democrats will avoid foreign policy right now and make a pitch on domestic bills that Bush can pass or not.”
The Pizza and Politics event was sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society and the Political Science Department. It was funded through an Intellectual Enrichment Grant and organized by Dan Amira '07 and Oxley.
At the conclusion of the hour-long discussion, the winner of Pi Sigma Alpha's contest was still unable to be determined. The individual correctly predicting the breakdown of the House of Representatives following the election will garner a $50 prize. The winner will be announced once the 10 remaining undecided votes in the House have been determined.