The Obama Administration

One thing we pride ourselves on at WAYLA is how we give you the information you need in one place - so you don't always have to scurry around the internet to find what you want to know.

One thing you may have been looking for is updates on the make-up of the up-coming Obama Administration. So who are we looking at?

Secretary of State

There were many in the running, but Politico.com reports today that Sen. Hillary Clinton is almost certain to get the job. Two Obama aides have confirmed that the President-Elect is "on track" to nominating her, and she is likely to accept. Thomas Friedman wrote an interesting editorial about a Secretary Clinton in the New York Times on Tuesday.

Secretary of Defense

So far there has been little word about a successor to current Secretary Robert Gates. As a result, he is still considered likely to stay on for some time after Obama moves into the White House. The AP also lists former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).

What we find interesting here is the absence of former Presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark. He was blasted by the press for questioning the impressiveness of John McCain's service - but he was considered a shoe-in for the job a year ago by many Democrats.

Secretary of Treasury

For a position that is being watched more closely than it normally would, the Secretary of Treasury has garnered only a few speculations, including New York Fed Chair Timothy Geithner, and two former Fed chairs. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) - the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee who is undoubtedly aging fast these days - weighs in.

Attorney General

It is almost sure to be Eric Holder, a former Judge nominated by Reagan and former deputy attorney general in the Clinton Administration. His prosecution of individuals within the government gives him unmatched credibility to run a department which is heavily criticized by Congress for being protective of Republicans.

Secretary of DHS

The press is reporting Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) has already been chosen (albeit, not yet formally) for leading the troubled Department of Homeland Security. Her leadership in a conservative border state will give her credibility for cleaning up the organization which handles terrorism prevention, natural disaster relief, and immigration control.

Secretary of HHS

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) appears to have been chosen to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He is a close advisor of Obama's, and was considered to be on the short-list for White House Chief of Staff.

Secretary of Energy

On the short-list is Dan Reichner, the energy and global warming director at Google, President of Resources for the Future and former Rep. Philip Sharp (D-IN), and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS).

Secretary of Commerce

Penny Pritzker, a businesswoman and important Obama fundraiser, has said she would not take the job of Commerce Secretary. She cites business deals in the past that would not go over well in confirmation hearings. The other name on the short-list is Laura D'Andrea Tyson, a top economic advisor to President Clinton.

Secretary of Labor

At the top of the list is Ed McElroy, the former President of the American Federation of Teachers. His name stands out because Obama will want a union-friendly leader when the NLRB implements the Employee Free Choice Act.

Others on the list include former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), former AFL-CIO President Linda-Chavez Thompson, and former Rep. David Bonier (D-MI).

Rep. George Miller (D-CA) has indicated he will not get the job - but then again, Joe Biden said the same thing about the Vice-Presidency. Miller is currently the Chair of House Education and Labor Committee.

Secretary of Transportation

Obama has indicated his desire to rebuild American infrastructure in order to support carbon reduction, fix outdated transportation systems, and pump money into the economy.

On the short-list is Jane Garvey (former head of the FAA), House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Mortimer Downey, and Rep. Peter DeFrazio (D-OR)

Secretary of Agriculture

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA) is the top name for the job. Tom Buis of the National Farmers Union is another possibility. Believe it or not, many Washington insiders will pay close attention to the running for USDA due to friction over Farm Bill reform.

Secretary of the Interior

Unless Obama says he plans to implement a new CCC for a new New Deal, don't count on the media reporting on this position short of a national park-bench-naming crisis. But the short list includes former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D-OR), former Gov. Tony Knowles (D-AK), and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO).

Secretary of Education

Believe it or not, Colin Powell is considered a contender for this job. More likely candidates include New York schools chief Joel Klein, Arne Duncan (CEO of Chicago Public Schools), and Inez Tenenbaum (former state superintendent of South Carolina).

Secretary of HUD

The only name on the short-list was Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC). However, Clyburn said he has "no interest in leaving Congress" in a telephone interview. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will be a particularly important cabinet post as the government tries to relieve the ailing housing market.

Other

Sources say that former Marine General James L. Jones is likely to be Obama's National Security Advisor.

As the smoke around the Obama Administration clears, we will provide further analysis of the new cabinet and their role in Change.

Know Your Third Parties: Part 2 - the Libertarian Party

The self-proclaimed "Party of Principle" credits itself with being the fastest-growing political party in the United States. Between their laissez-faire market and small-government fiscal views and their liberal social and foreign policy views, it is understandable that the Libertarian Party is attractive to many Americans.

Membership: 115,401 (April 2004)

NOTE: Since the Libertarian Party was founded in 1971, they have maintained a "signature member" program, in which dues are not required. In fact, the issue of dues is very controversial within the party, as many members believe they shouldn't exist at all. The website, www.lp.org, encourages paying for membership by not really mentioning signature membership.

But it forces us to beg the question "is it really that difficult to be the fastest growing party in the country when you don't require members to pay?"

Members Holding Office: 439 (get full list here)

Although the Libertarians have successfully been elected to State Legislature positions since the 1970s, there are currently no members holding a partisan position. The list is made up of mayors, sheriffs, council members, etc.

History:

The Libertarian Party was created in 1971 by the Committee to Form a Libertarian Party. This was, in part, a result of Richard Nixon ending the Gold Standard - an action that has been criticized by the Libertarians to this day.

The first Presidential candidate for the party ran the following year. Although the ticket of John Hospers and Theodora Nathan earned less than 3,000 votes, they did receive an electoral vote from an Elector pledged for Nixon.

By 1980, the Libertarian Party ticket was on the ballot in all fifty states - a seldom achieved victory for a Third Party. However, they were setback by inter-party riffs over the role of government (those who felt government was problematic versus those who thought government should be abolished). Since then, the Libertarian Party has always struggled with the question of pragmatism.

In 1983, several prominent members of the Libertarian Party abruptly resigned (including the first Executive Director, Ed Crane, and David Koch of the Cato Institute) because of the plurality of purists elected to the Libertarian National Committee.

In the mid-1990s, a similar debate came up when the Committee for a Libertarian Majority was formed to bring the party into the mainstream. The counter committee, PLEDGE, held them off. In 2004, another inter-party conflict started as the Libertarian Reform Caucus formed to make the party more pragmatic. In response, the Radical Caucus organized a majority of Libertarian activists to keep it "the Party of Principle".

Throughout the 1990s and current decade, the Libertarian Party continued to grow at a steady rate. This year, former Congressman Bob Barr ran as the Libertarian candidate and appeared on 46 state ballots.

On the Issues:

For the most part, the Libertarian Party is economically conservative and socially liberal - although there is a debate in the party over abortion. They tend to believe that government should completely stay out of the free-market, while supporting civil liberties and individual rights. They are also non-interventionist - even after September 11, they stood against intervention in Afghanistan.

The basic principle of the Libertarian Party is that "politics [should be] based on the moral principle of self-ownership. Each individual has the right to control his or her own body, action, speech, and property. Government's only role is to help individuals defend themselves from force and fraud." You can read the platform here.

Final Thoughts:

If any Third Party could come into the mainstream and achieve regular electoral victory, it is the Libertarian Party. However, the ideological dogma that prevails with the Radical Caucus continues to set back the party.

A party that supports neo-conservative economics can be successful - a party that supports strictly laissez-faire governance cannot. A party that supports civil liberties can be successful - a party that supports the right to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater cannot. A party that opposes the Iraq War can be successful - a party that opposes combating terrorism cannot.

Libertarian Party members would do well for themselves to support the goals of the Reform Caucus and make the party moderate. They would be able to pick up support from both Democrats that feel their own party is moving too far left as well as free-market Republicans that are disillusioned with the power of Evangelicals in their own party. After all, Freedom is a very powerful idea in American politics, and no party is more supportive of all-around Freedom than the Libertarians.

But until then, don't expect the "fastest-growing party" to grow into anything significant.

Coming Monday - the Constitution Party.

Decision 2008: Still Not Over

It's been over two weeks since Election Day. Here are the latest developments in the Battle for Congress.

Alaska

In Alaska, Mark Begich, the Democratic Mayor of Anchorage, topped incumbent Republican Senator Ted Stevens. With just about all of the ballots counted, Begich leads Stevens by just over 3,000 votes. However, Stevens might call for a recount.

The Democrats appear to be one seat closer to having a filibuster-proof majority of 60 for the 111th Congress due to the current corruption scandal surrounding Stevens. The Alaska lawmaker, who was recently convicted on corruption charges, says he will not ask for a pardon from President Bush. Of course, that may be because he still claims innocence.

Minnesota

The Minnesota race between GOP incumbent Senator Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken will be decided by a recount that started today. The state Canvassing Board has decided to do a statewide hand recount of 2.9 million ballots. The status of previously rejected absentee ballots is still unknown - the Canvassing Board said they needed more time to consider the arguments, but will have a decision within the week.

Under Minnesota law, the voter's intent is what determines how they voted when recounting ballots. Because intent is sometimes debatable, both campaigns have already been challenging ballots today to try to throw out votes against them. Overall, Coleman has between 107 and 155 lawyers on top of the recount, Franken has about 250.

Virginia

Although Democrat Tom Perriello has been the declared winner of the race for the 5th Congressional District for some time now, incumbent Rep. Virgil Goode has not conceded. He explains why in a telephone interview.

Goode won't concede because one precinct (which he won't identify) just didn't have the results he expected. He has still not ruled out a recount.

As mentioned in the video, Perriello was in Washington for freshmen orientation this week, despite GOP uncertainty about the race. But what if the state of Virginia had not declared a winner yet? Better yet, what if they hadn't declared a winner AND Goode would have been a freshman?

California

Because those are the exact circumstances in California's 4th Congressional District where the race between Republican Tom McClintock and Democrat Charlie Brown is so close, there is still no clear winner.

As a result, they both went to freshman orientation.

As of yesterday, McClintock leads by 562 votes, but both campaigns are confident that they will come out victorious after thousands of ballots are finished being counted in the more Brown-leaning counties.


As always, WAYLA will keep you up-to-speed with the latest developments in the undecided House and Senate races.

A Runoff Can Only Mean One Thing: Bad Allusions

It's Tuesday, November 18, 2008. Here is what we are looking at:

With the runoff election for US Senate between incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Democrat Jim Martin, pundits are coming up with mind-numbing allusions about Georgia.

Politico.com proclaims "AFL has Georgia on its mind" referring to a mailer sent out to Georgia union workers from the AFL-CIO.

The Daily Show explains how a runoff works with a parody of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."





You can expect the next surrogate stumping for either campaign to be described as taking a Midnight Train to Georgia.

Know Your Third Parties: Part 1 - The Green Party

The Green Party is part of a worldwide movement that intends to raise environmental awareness. The Global Greens have established political parties across the planet to elect environmentalists to office.

But as is the case with many single-issue parties, the environmental concerns of the Greens have been picked up by the more progressive of the two major parties. Now the Green Party preaches a broader leftist message. Although they continue to decline in electoral success on the national ticket, they have succeeded in electing their members to local offices across the country.

Membership: 304,796 (as of May 2005)

Members Holding Office: 220 (get full list here)

Most Greens hold office in local governments including City Councils, School Boards, and other small entities. They do, however, claim a few State Legislature seats as well.

History:

The Green movement made its way to the United States in 1984, with the establishment of the Greens/Green Party USA. The Association of State Green Parties made Ralph Nader the candidate of its first national ticket in 1996. The ASGP then split from Green Party USA to become the Green Party of the United States. The Greens/Green Party USA remains a political organization today, but is separate from the political party.

Nader was the Green Party nominee again in 2000, though it would be his last time seeking the nomination. Nevertheless, Green Party delegates have supported him in the last two election cycles. The success of Nader split-off several voters that Al Gore could have picked up in order to win the election. As a result, most Democrats have had a negative view towards Nader and the Greens alike.

In 2004 the Green Party nominated David Cobb as its Presidential candidate, but failed to appear on 16 of the 44 state ballots that it managed in 2000. Without the prominent Nader name, the party saw a decrease in support.

In 2006 the Greens led several campaigns for candidates that received 10% - 20% of the vote in Gubernatorial and Congressional races. They also led an effort to put Iraq Withdrawal referenda on many state and local ballots, including a majority of localities in Wisconsin and 11 in Illinois.

In 2008 the party nominated former Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia and managed to appear on 32 state ballots, but still only garnered a small number of votes.

On the Issues:

The Green Party supports leftist positions on social and economic issues including healthcare, gay rights, civil liberties, and of course the environment. You can read the Green Party Platform here.

The Green Party also stresses their 10 Key Values:

1. Grassroots Democracy
2. Social Justice
3. Ecological Wisdom
4. Non-Violence
5. Decentralization
6. Community-Based Economics
7. Feminism and Gender Equality
8. Respect for Diversity
9. Personal and Global Responsibility
10. Future Focus and Sustainability

Final Thoughts

For what it is worth, the liberal views of the Green Party have made the Democrats stick closer to their base in recent years so as to not lose voters to a splinter party. As of very recently, both of the major parties have responded more urgently to the concerns of global warming - concerns the Green Party has been pushing now for decades.

Despite the election they cost Gore in 2000, the Green Party has been successful for a Third Party's purpose - namely forcing the major party it splinters from to re-examine itself.

Coming Thursday - the Libertarian Party

Know Your Third Parties – A Series

Now that the 2008 Elections are over and the news media is winding down their political coverage, we felt it was a good opportunity to take an in-depth look at the seldom talked about political forces of the United States.

The first that comes to mind are America's Third Parties. There are a countless number of them, and sadly we will be unable to cover them all. But we will take a look at the most prominent and most interesting.

Among the topics we will cover for each is membership, history, viewpoints, and number of elected officials.

Unfortunately, we will limit the discussion to current Third Parties only, meaning we will not be able to cover the short-lived Unity08 or the hilarious Natural Law Party. We will also decline from covering independent candidates such as Ralph Nader.

The prominent Third Parties we'll look at include the "Big Three" (Green, Libertarian, and Constitution) as well as the Reform and Independence Parties.

Other interesting parties will include the American Nazi Party, the Prohibition Party, as well as the many socialist and communist parties.

We will devote a day to each party we cover. We hope you will find this series to be an informative and humorous exploration into some of America's smaller, more obscure, and often more absurd political organizations.

Coming tomorrow – the Green Party.

UPDATE: Outlook for the Next Senate

In Alaska, Democrat Mark Begich has passed Republican incumbent Ted Stevens in their race for the US Senate. As of yesterday, Begich now leads Stevens by 814 votes. The before-mentioned 40,000 uncounted ballots will be completely tallie by Tuesday - the majority of them being counted today.

In Georgia, Democratic challenger Jim Martin is still within reach of upsetting GOP Senator Saxby Chambliss in their December runoff election. A Dailykos/Research 2000 poll shows Martin trailing Chambliss 49% - 46%. Pundits have long assumed that a runoff would favor Chambliss.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Democrat Al Franken filed a lawsuit for access to voter data of rejected absentee ballots in Ramsey County. According to the AP, the goal was for a favorable ruling to eventually be applied for the entire state.

Senate Democrats must win all three of these races in order to achieve a filibuster-proof majority. DSCC Chairman, Sen. Chuck Schumer, told reporters yesterday that this was possible but an "unlikely" prospect. Despite the electoral pessimism, Schumer said "but we certainly added enough Democratic seats in the Senate to create real change."

New History Was Made - But Our Old History Lingers On

In his recent editorial in the Miami Herald, African-American columnist Leonard Pitts writes "we shall overcome." But it was not a declaration referring to his race, but rather to the millions of LGBT Americans discriminated against nationally.

Pitts wrote this column in regard to the recent outcomes of the gay marriage referenda in Florida, California, and Arizona. He points out that although black voters came out in record numbers to elect Barack Obama the first African-American President, they also supported a ban on gay marriage by a 2 to 1 margin.

Pitts acknowledges that the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in indeed different from the gay rights movement today, but writes:

"…that's not the same as saying blacks and gays have nothing in common. On the contrary, gay people, like black people, know what it's like to be left out, lied about, scapegoated, discriminated against, held up, beat down, denied a job, a loan or a life. And, too, they know how it feels to sit there and watch other people vote upon your very humanity, just as if those other people had a right. So beg pardon, but black people should know better. I feel the same when Jews are racist, or gays anti-Semitic. Those who bear scars from intolerance should be the last to practice it."

Although the civil rights movement is not over, and the chains of discrimination have not been fully lifted from the black community, a great deal of progress has been made over the past half century. Progress is equally likely - says Pitts - to come to the LGBT community as well.

Gay marriage is likely to become more accepted in the future, the Employee Non-Discrimination Act is likely to pass in the new Congress and signed by President Obama, and hate crime legislation is likely to be extended to LGBT individuals as well.

Yet, hate crimes have been part of the American judicial system for some time, and the violence still continues - as demonstrated by this disturbing video sent to us today.

Perhaps the saddest part of the story is how it is unsurprising. The anti-immigrant rhetoric mentioned by Ruben Navarrette is an obvious fuel for the fire. It is unsurprising because we've seen this movie before. As Bob Dylan wrote about the murder of Medgar Evers:

"A South politician preaches to the poor white man / "You got more than the blacks, don't complain / You're better than them / You been born with white skin," they explain / And the Negro's name / Is used it is plain / For the politician's gain / As he rises to fame / And the poor white remains / On the caboose of the train…

… He's taught in his school / From the start by the rule / That the laws are with him / To protect his white skin / To keep up his hate / So he never thinks straight…

… And he's taught how to walk in a pack / Shoot in the back / With his fist in a clinch / To hang and to lynch / To hide 'neath the hood / To kill with no pain / Like a dog on a chain…"

Dylan wrote "Only a Pawn in Their Game" over forty years ago - but today the words are still a reality to families like the Luceros. And the LGBT community, like the Latino community, has become a direct target of conservative politicians in recent years.

So even as the United States made history by electing its first black President, the old history of hate and discrimination sadly continues - and in new forms.

Or as Pitts writes, "Sometimes progress carries an asterisk."

The Battle for Congress Continues

Alaska

In Alaska, the Senate race between long-time Republican incumbent and convicted felon Ted Stevens and Democratic Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich rests on approximately 90,000 uncounted absentee ballots (or 30% of the electorate). Stevens currently leads by over 3,000 votes, but Begich is wisely waiting to see the results of the uncounted ballots.

The statewide House race in the Alaska is also in question as a result of the 90,000 ballots. Republican incumbent Don Young - who has had his fair share of troubles with corruption issues - leads Democrat Ethan Berkowitz by nearly 17,000 votes. Although the election could be overturned by these ballots, it is unlikely to see a scenario in which Berkowitz can win.

California

The extremely competitive Congressional race in California's 4^th District is down to a recount. As of Sunday night, Republican State Sen. Tom McClintock led Democratic challenger and former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Brown by 889 votes.

By yesterday afternoon, McClintock's lead grew to 1,192 votes (or from half a percent to two-thirds of a percent) after the recount in Roseville County was completed. 40,000 ballots are still to be recounted, and both campaigns have begun new fundraising efforts to pay for election lawyers.

In an email to supporters, McClintock said "this is still too close to call, but I'd rather be me than the other guy." In an email to Brown supporters, campaign manager Todd Stenhouse said that the votes yet to be recounted are in counties which did well for Brown, who originally ran for the seat against an incumbent in 2006 against the retiring GOP Rep. John Doolittle.

Georgia

In Georgia, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss faces a runoff with Democrat Jim Martin. Chambliss has recruited this year's GOP Presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to stump with him in Cobb County tomorrow. Former presidential candidate and governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) will be stumping for him as well, possibly on Sunday. Chambliss is also reported to have invited Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), though neither have confirmed.

While it is unlikely that Martin will be able to bring President-Elect Barack Obama out to Georgia, Martin is receiving GOTV help from now unemployed Obama staffers in the Peach State. This will be immensely important for him in order to bring back the large

African-American demographic that voted in record numbers on November 4^th - but mostly because Obama was on the ballot.

According to Martin "Those ground troops are more important than big-name politicians for getting voters back to the polls."

Illinois

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin was hardly at risk for his seat this year, but new speculations are being raised about the replacement for his colleague - the junior Senator from Illinois - Barack Obama.

Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich is facing pressure from African-American groups to choose a black successor - currently, Obama is the only African-American in the Senate. The most likely contender that comes to mind is Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a national co-chair of the Obama campaign. But Jackson has a long and well-known feud with Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, and a lesser known antithesis with Blagojevich.

The other prominent names that are being thrown out there (both Democratic) are Tammy Duckworth (the Iraq War veteran who lost her legs and ran for Congress in 2006) and Emil Jones (the73-year-old black State Senate President).

But as Josh Kraushaar of Politico points out, Blagojevich is an extremely unpopular governor, and an appointment from him could be a "kiss of death."

Louisiana

One competitive House race in Louisiana will also come down to a runoff election on December 6^th. In the 4^th Congressional District, Democratic Caddo DA Paul Carmouche faces the former Republican Webster Coroner Josh Fleming, to replace the retiring GOP Rep. Jim McCrery.

According to Politico.com, Carmouche has conducted a new internal poll which shows the District Attorney is up by ten points. The Democrats are already running an ad for the runoff, attacking Fleming for supporting a large national sales tax and privatizing Social Security. The NRCC says they will be running ads soon too.

Maryland

The Baltimore Sun reported last night that GOP State Sen. Andy Harris of Baltimore County has conceded defeat to Democratic State Attorney Frank Kratovil. He appears to lead Harris by about .6% in this hotly contested race in a conservative district.

According to Political Scientist Matthew Grenson of Johns Hopkins University, the national Democratic successes this year played a role, as well as the Libertarian candidate who managed about 2.5% of the vote.

Minnesota

The most anticipated recount in the nation is the Minnesota Senate race between GOP incumbent Norm Coleman and the Democratic former comedian, Al Franken. Since Election Day, Coleman's lead over Franken has dropped from 725 votes to just 221.

Most surprisingly, nearly all of those new Franken votes came from only three precincts. The new numbers are a result of correcting typos made by "exhausted county officials" according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The recount will begin on November 19^th.

And if this race wasn't tense enough, Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said on MSNBC today of the Coleman campaign "Their goal is to win at any price."

Ohio

In Ohio's 15^th Congressional District, GOP State Senator Steve Stivers leads Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy by the closest margin of all House races nationally - 149 votes (according to Congressional Quarterly).

As of now there are more than 20,000 ballots to be counted in Franklin County. If the margin is within half a percent when the official results are released November 25^th, there will be an automatic recount. Obviously, we will have to follow this race closely.

Virginia

The 5^th Congressional District race in Virginia is looking good for the Democrats. Tom Perriello, a faith-based initiative organizer and Democrat won his race with a 407 vote lead over GOP incumbent Rep. Virgil Goode, according to the State Board of Elections.

But Goode is hanging on, claiming that roughly 20% of the precincts in the district reported irregularities. "We will continue to fight to make sure that every single legitimate vote in the Fifth District is accurately counted and reported," he said. The Goode campaign is sure to demand a recount.

Stay tuned to WAYLA where we continue to update the House and Senate spreads daily - until the last seat is finalized.

More on Realignment and the Scrambling GOP

Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote a good summary of the battle within the GOP in today's edition of the New York Times.

According to Brooks, there are currently two camps within the Republican Party - the "Traditionalists" and the "Reformists." Brooks says the Traditionalists are the typical right-wing hard-liners including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, the Club for Growth, the Federalist Society, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Family Research Council.

The Traditionalists believe that the reason for recent GOP defeats is because the Party has not been conservative enough. They blame big-government policies of George W. Bush and East Coast conservatives who are now losing their offices for a reason. They argue for all of the typical neo-conservative points of view.

The Reformists, on the other hand, believe that the Republican Party has to modernize because the conservative hard-liners are making Americans become disillusioned with the highly ideological GOP. They want to address middle-class economic anxiety and global warming rather than abortion, gay marriage, and consistent calls for tax cuts as the only means to solve the nation's problems. They want the new GOP to be similarly modeled after what David Cameron is doing with the Tories in the UK.

But despite the fact that the Reformists might have the better argument as to where to take the Republican Party, the Traditionalists will have the upper-hand for some time.

"[First] Congressional Republicans are predominantly Traditionalists. Republicans from the coasts and the upper Midwest are largely gone. Among the remaining members, the popular view is that Republicans have been losing because they haven't been conservative enough.

Second, Traditionalists have the institutions. Over the past 40 years, the Conservative Old Guard has built up a movement of activist groups, donor networks, think tanks and publicity arms. The reformists, on the other hand, have no institutions.

There is not yet an effective Republican Leadership Council to nurture modernizing conservative ideas. There is no moderate Club for Growth, supporting centrist Republicans. The Public Interest, which used to publish an array of public policy ideas, has closed. Reformist Republican donors don't seem to exist. Any publication or think tank that headed in an explicitly reformist direction would be pummeled by its financial backers. National candidates who begin with reformist records — Giuliani, Romney or McCain — immediately tack right to be acceptable to the power base.

Finally, Traditionalists own the conservative mythology. Members of the conservative Old Guard see themselves as members of a small, heroic movement marching bravely from the Heartland into belly of the liberal elite. In this narrative, anybody who deviates toward the center, who departs from established doctrine, is a coward, and a sellout."

Brooks finishes by noting that the GOP will probably move further to the right in coming years. But the trend of realignment will hold true. As issues change and the Reformists - with their finger on the pulse of the issues - grow in number, the cycle will swing the Republicans back from a hard-right minority status into a new age of competition with the Democrats or even to a clear majority.

Democrats Speculate Dean's Successor

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will be stepping down from his post in January. The former Vermont Governor and 2004 Presidential Candidate who helped reignite the Democratic Party has always said he would only serve one term.

But the Huffington Post reported today that there may be other reasons for his departure.

Despite his promise to not seek re-election at the DNC, many Democrats thought he would do well to stay on given the recent successes he brought to the party. But as President, Barack Obama will be the new leader of the Democratic Party and his choice for a new Chair will almost certainly be approved by the DNC when they hold the upcoming elections. And Obama's new Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is known to have been at odds with Dean.

In 2006, Emanuel, then Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the architect of the Democratic takeover of the House, criticized Dean within the party ranks for the 50-State-Strategy, which Emanuel felt was wasting resources on unwinnable races.

While Emanuel was certainly not the only critic of the 50-State-Strategy, most Democrats have come to see the operation as a success. It was perhaps the riskiest of Dean's successful (and often revolutionary) accomplishments, including the Neighborhood Leadership Program and the long overdue advances to the party's Voter File technology.

According to the article, the DNC will likely return to the leadership style they used in the 1990s, with a sort-of honorary Chair and an "Operational Chair" who will deal with the day-to-day priorities of the party. The article also lists Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) as a possible Chair and Steve Hildebrand, Obama's Deputy Campaign Manager, as the Operational Chair.

Dean is reported to have told a party operative that he will seek a promise from his successor to preserve the current DNC model - including the 50-State-Strategy - which seems likely to happen given its success.

As for Dean's future, there has been talk of him earning a position in the Obama Administration, but others say his wife will not be willing to give up her medical practice to move to Washington.

Republican Politicians: "When are the next elections?"

It's Sunday, November 09, 2008. Here is what we're looking at.

GOP leaders deny ambitions for Presidential bids in 2012. But former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal already plan to visit Iowa before the year is out.

The recounts in Minnesota are getting closer. Senator Norm Coleman is trying to use the courts to stop as few as 32 previously uncounted absentee ballots from being included in the recount. Brace for another Florida.

Future White House Chief of Staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) speaks with Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation.