Sludgie

Environmentalists, along with sane people, had much to rejoice over yesterday’s election results, as the House fell solidly in Democratic hands and the Senate hanging in the balance by literally a few thousand votes. Of the LCV’s notorious “Dirty Dozen” candidates (of which there was a total of fifteen – don’t ask me why,) TEN were unseated and two more are still too close to call. (Strangely enough, I profiled both of those candidates together in one entry. Is it a coincidence? The incredible and mysterious sway that Sludgie holds over the populace? My secret ability to predict the future revealing itself, which until now only manifested in the sloppy paintings of cheerleaders and Japanese guys I made in angry, alcoholic isolation in my Manhattan apartment? You’ll never know…)

But perhaps the biggest smile creases on my cheeks come from the defeat of Richard Pombo in the 11th District, the man who sought to single-handedly unravel every shred of wildlife and wilderness protection in the nation. Someone on NPR last night referred to him as a “cheap target for environmentalists,” citing the huge national anti-Pombo effort for his loss. I wouldn’t call him “cheap” by any stretch – in his time heading the House Resources Committee (House Natural Resources Committee to you, Mr. Don “Cranky” Young,) his actions were very, very costly for our natural treasures. While the House flip would unseat Mr. Pombo from his chair anyway, it’s a wonderful message to send Washington that you can’t go on an incredibly blatant, drill-any-pristine-spot-of-land, kill-defenseless-forest-animals binge, and get away with it.

Santorum and his weepy clan waved good-bye, Conrad Burns and his 10-gallon hats, Robert Ehrlich and his power plant pandering – so many detestable leaders of government are gone. The dawn of a new era.