Angelika I had already given up hope, but Bush finally received a lesson for his policies in the congressional elections on November 7. Not only the House of Representatives, which had been firmly in the hands of the Republicans since 1994, but also the Senate returned to the Democrats after a long time.

The people have spoken and have settled on the golden mean. Although ultra-right Christian groups were mobilized, their tasteless propaganda campaign ads did not have the desired effect. Moderate to conservative Democrats gained votes. The Iraq War is no longer well-received by the population, and since there were no presidential elections, voters could only indirectly punish Bush by voting for the Democratic Party. The House of Representatives in the USA consists of 435 members, who are directly elected every two years. The number of representatives allocated to each state is determined by the population of the respective state. For example, the populous state of California elects 53 representatives, while the small state of Maine is only allowed to send two.

Within a state, there is an electoral district for each representative to be elected, known as a "congressional district." However, these districts are not always aligned with city boundaries and sometimes appear to be drawn quite arbitrarily. For example, the 8th Congressional District comprises almost all of San Francisco, with the exception of the 'Sunset' district. This predominantly Asian-inhabited neighborhood, on the other hand, falls within the '12th Congressional District,' which also includes the entire Silicon Valley.

The boundaries of the electoral districts are redrawn every 10 years after the census by the incumbent government of the respective state, which is interested in dividing the constituencies in a way that gives its party an advantage. Through clever so-called gerrymandering, it is rare for incumbents of the respective electoral district to be voted out. This practice is, by the way, Gerrymandering, is named after the former Governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), who initiated it. The created electoral district resembled a salamander in shape on the map (Gerry + Mander = Gerrymander).

Electoral district boundaries are drawn based on factors such as the age, race, income, and religion of the voters, so that the opposing party's candidate cannot win there, effectively rendering the votes for the opposition irrelevant.

The 100 senators in the Senate are also directly elected. However, the crucial difference is that each state, completely independent of its population density and size, sends two senators. Senators are elected for six years, so approximately one-third of the senators are up for election every two years. The Vice President presides over the Senate. The fact that each state provides two senators is intended to give sparsely populated states more weight in political decisions.

And the election for the Governor of California was also happening, where our "Gouvernator" Arnie Schwarzenegger won by a landslide. You might be wondering how it is possible that in the House of Representatives and Senate elections the Democrats were successful, and yet in California, which usually votes for the Democratic Party, Schwarzenegger, who belongs to the Republicans, is still in office.

This was partly due to the unremarkable figure of his Democratic challenger Angelides and partly due to Schwarzenegger's skillful distancing from Bush. Schwarzenegger also emphasized bipartisanship in most of his commercials, which many voters appreciated. Some even go so far as to consider Schwarzenegger a closet Democrat, as he not only supports stem cell research but also wants to aggressively advance California's leadership role in environmental protection. In general, he approaches political matters quite pragmatically, which is well-received in laid-back California.

Another historic event is credited to California, specifically San Francisco. Nancy Pelosi, 66 years old and representing San Francisco in Congress since 1987, will become the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, which formally elevates her to the third most important person in government. Pelosi belongs to the more left-leaning spectrum of the Democratic Party. However, it remains to be seen how many compromises she will have to make in her new position, but hopefully, the liberal spirit of San Francisco will continue to accompany her.

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• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Through the Land of the Mormons
  	Hard Times With Alcohol
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  	The Simpsons Mocking the US Army
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