'Democrats will have total control over W'ton if Obama wins'

Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Oct 26 (PTI) Seeking a mandate for himself in the upcoming Presidential polls, Republican John McCain has warned that an Obama victory would lead to Democrats taking a total control over Washington, a prospect that would undermine the system of checks and balances in American politics.

"Are you ready for Obama, Pelosi and Reid?" asked McCain,
at a campaign rally in New Mexico, underscoring the point that
Democrats already have control over House of Representatives
and the Senate and a victory in the November 4 election would
add the White House to their kitty.

Traditionally Americans have gone to split the election
by way of the checks and balances method, ensuring that one
party did not controlled both the Executive and Legislative
branches, said McCain, who is trailing Democrat rival Barack
Obama in opinion polls.

"Senator Obama's tax increase would put even more people
out of work. We've seen this before in other countries. It
doesn't work. The answer to a strong economy is not higher
taxes," the Arizona senator said.

"But that is exactly what's going to happen if the
Democrats have total control of Washington. We can't let that
happen. Are you ready for Obama, Pelosi and Reid?" he asked in
a query that is resonating across the board with Republican
candidates seeking re-election.

With barely nine days to go for the election and several
polls showing Obama walking away with victory, the Republican
candidate has not shown signs of giving up and is depending on
last minute vote to win the Presidency.

The message from McCain comes in the backdrop of
expectations that Democrats are likely to gain 25-30 seats
over their current 235 members in the House of Representatives
and can come close to 60 seats in the Senate from their
current 49 members it has.

"If I lose this seat and one party has control across the
board, then you'll see changes," remarked Senator Norm Coleman
of Minnesota. Senator Coleman is running a tough re-election
against Al Franken, the comedian-turned-politician.

Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, who is running
a tough battle this year against her Democratic rival Kay
Hagan also stressed that Democrats will "get a blank check" if
her challenger makes it on November 4.

The fear ingrained in the G.O.P. of a possible rout on
election day has been borne out by at least one major poll
that shows Americans having little or no qualms over one party
controlling both the Capitol Hill and the White House.

A tracking poll of The Washington Post and A.B.C. News
has shown that 50 percent of the likely voters wanted one
party to control both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, and that
only 30 percent preferred split-party rule.

In 1992 President Bill Clinton came to office with a
Democratic controlled Congress with 258 members in the House
and 57 in the Senate.

The short honeymoon soon gave way to the G.O.P. landslide
in 1994 that came to be known as the Republican Revolution
that ended several decades of Democratic grip on Congress. PTI
S.K.