Bipartisanship and the Demise of Moderates

Glenn Greenwald has an interesting article as Salon about what bipartisanship actually means.

But more importantly, "bipartisanship" is already rampant in Washington, not rare. And, in almost every significant case, what "bipartisanship" means in Washington is that enough Democrats join with all of the Republicans to endorse and enact into law Republican policies, with which most Democratic voters disagree. That's how so-called "bipartisanship" manifests in almost every case.

Many people, especially partisans, always believe that their own side is compromising too much and that the other side is always winning, so it's best to consult objective facts in order to know how "bipartisanship" works. Here are the vote breakdowns by party over the last couple years on the most significant and contentious pieces of legislation, particularly (though not only) in the area of national security.

In almost every case, the proposals that are enacted are ones favored by the White House and supported by all GOP lawmakers, and then Democrats split and enough of them join with Republicans to ensure that the GOP gets what it wants.

Greenwald then lists through a bunch of votes that nearly all of the Republicans voted for it and the Democrats are split.

One reason for this is the demise of the moderate Republicans in congress.

Today, however, the animal on the brink of extinction comes from Congress’ own ranks: moderate House Republicans.

Their numbers have long been in decline, they were nearly wiped out in the midterm elections, and 2008 looks to be another bad year for this proud creature.

Republicans have long been purging their party of moderates, even encouraging primary opponents to run against moderate incumbents. However, Democrats are often very happy to continue to send incumbents back to Congress that continually vote against the interest of the Democratic party and against the interests of the people they represent.

Rudy's Downfall

From Andrew Sullivan...

"Rudy didn’t even care enough about conservatives to lie to us," - Republican consultant, Nelson Warfield.

Edwards to Drop out of the Race Today

Last night, I read that John Edwards cancelled campaign stops in two states today to give a major speech in New Orleans on poverty. Today it is being reported that Edwards will be dropping out of the race.

The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one adviser, who spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement.

Edwards waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the stunning blow of his wife’s recurring cancer diagnosis. In a dramatic news conference last March, the couple announced that the breast cancer that she thought Their decision sparked a debate about family duty and public service. But Elizabeth Edwards remained a forceful advocate for her husband, and she was often surrounded at campaign events by well-wishers and emotional survivors cheering her on.

Edwards ran a great campaign in Iowa and it showed with a strong 2nd place finish. Unfortunately, He was unable to spread his populist message in the other states, partly due to the condensed calendar and partly due to the media.

I would be shocked if Edwards endorsed Clinton with their differences on accepting money from lobbyists. Edwards has been campaigning on a theme of change and Barack Obama most closely matches Edwards rhetoric. It would be a big boost for Obama if Edwards would endorse before February 5th.

**Update**
From Marc Ambinder

He does not plan to endorse any presidential candidate in the near future, advisers said.

Advisers say he worries that Obama isn't ready to be president and that Hillary Clinton represents too much the old way of doing business... and both concerns weigh heavily.

The Snub

The big hub bub over Obama turning away from Clinton at the State of the Union is actually a non-story. This picture shows Obama shaking Claire McKaskill's hand while Hillary is shaking Ted Kennedy's.

I think it would have been a bigger story if Obama snubbed McKaskill, a key supporter in Missouri.

Feingold explains FISA

From Open Left...

Best Primary Season Ever?

After a lot of talk about Iowa and New Hampshire having too much impact and then questioning of the impact of the compacted schedule, the primary season seems to be working out pretty well.

Stephen J. Dubner of Freakonomics blog explains why this has been the best primary season ever.

I’d like to suggest an opposing view: this primary season has been remarkably successful at letting the public come to know the candidates and what they’re about. Why?

For one thing, there has been massive exposure to every significant candidate, thanks in part to the scattered primary schedule. There have been so many debates that a voter would have had to try hard not to at least read about them, let alone see them.

But the second reason is, I think, far more important. This year’s primary schedule has forced candidates to act a bit less like candidates and a bit more like managers — and, therefore, a bit more like an actual President.

Think about it. The schedule called for a dazzling array of primary variables: some were public caucuses and some were standard private votes; independents voted in some primaries and not in others; both parties held primaries on the same day in some states and on different days in others. And then there’s the intense clustering of many primaries in many states in a relatively short time.

So what have the candidates been forced to do? Strategize intensely, adapt to a slew of different circumstances and formats, and, most of all, figure out how best to allocate precious resources — money and time chief among them — in order to optimize their outcome.

McCain Says There Will be More Wars

John McCain told a crowd yesterday that he plans on the US fighting other wars.

Sen. John McCain told a crowd of supporters on Sunday, “It’s a tough war we’re in. It’s not going to be over right away. There’s going to be other wars.” Offering more of his increasingly bleak “straight talk,” he repeated the claim: “I’m sorry to tell you, there’s going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars.”

McCain sure is giving Democrats a lot of sound bits to use in the campaign. Earlier this month, McCain said we could be in Iraq for 100 years.

Considering more than 60% of Americans think there should be a timetable for withdrawal, all Democrats will have to do is point out McCain's radical stance.

Iraq Joins the Kyoto Protocol

Iraq signed onto the Kyoto Protocol over the weekend.

Iraq has formally ratified the UN's Kyoto Protocol on climate change, according to a government statement seen by AFP on Saturday.

"The presidential council ratified in its session on January 23 a law according to which the Republic of Iraq will join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol," the statement said.

The Kyoto Protocol legally commits industrialised countries which have signed and ratified it to trim their output of six carbon gases seen as being responsible for global warming.

I find this pretty ironic considering that the US hasn't joined and that Iraq produces so much oil.

Looking like a Democratic Primary in Iowa's 4th District

Ever since Selden Spencer decided against running, Democrats were busy looking for a candidate to run against Tom Latham in Iowa's 4th District. Now it is looking like there will be a contested primary. I have heard of 2 candidates that have declared and one candidate that is seriously thinking about a run.

The first candidate is Kurt Meyer and I have heard that he is a solid candidate. Meyer lives in Mitchell County and is a graduate of Luther College. He worked on Mike Blouin's campaign in 1976 and was finance chair of John Culver's Senate campaign in 1980. He then started a political consulting firm based in Minneapolis and has done fundraising.

The other candidate is William Meyers from Humboldt. Meyers is a veteran and wants to bring a fresh voice to Congress. He is more of an unknown among the party officials, but he has a lot of info at his website .

A primary between Meyer and Meyers would be a little confusing at the ballot box since their last names are basically the same.

The other name that I am hearing is Kevin Miskell of Stanhope. Miskell is the Vice President of the Iowa Farmer's Union and was a big Edwards supporter in north central Iowa.

Obama's South Carolina Victory Speech

I missed Obama's victory speech last night, but caught clips on TV and watched it online.



Andrew Sullivan gives his opinion...

I've now listened to and read dozens of his speeches, on television and in person and in print. Tonight was, in my judgment, the best. He was able to frame the attacks on him as a reason to vote for him. He was able to frame his foes as the status quo - beyond the Clintons or the Bushes, Democrats or Republicans. He was able to cast his candidacy as a rebuke to the Balkanization of the American public, a response to the abuse of religion for political purposes, a repudiation of the cynicism that makes all political commentary a function of horse-races and spin. It was an appeal to Democrats, Republicans and Independents to say goodbye to all that. It was a burial of Rove and Morris. And it was better than his previous speeches because he kept bringing it back to policy specifics, to the economy and healthcare and, movingly, to this misbegotten war. The diverse coalition he has assembled - including an ornery small-government conservative like me - is a reflection of the future of this country, its potential and its irreplaceable, dynamic cultural and social mix.

This is the America we all love. He is showing us how to find it again. That's leadership.

Attorney General John Edwards

Robert Novak is saying that Barack Obama has had discussions with John Edwards about Edwards being the Attorney General in an Obama Administration.

"Illinois Democrats close to Sen. Barack Obama are quietly passing the word that John Edwards will be named attorney general in an Obama administration," according to Robert Novak.

The appointment of Edwards "would please not only the union leaders supporting him for president but organized labor in general. The unions relish the prospect of an unequivocal labor partisan as the nation's top legal officer."

"In public debates, Obama and Edwards often seem to bond together in alliance against front-running Sen. Hillary Clinton. While running a poor third, Edwards could collect a substantial bag of delegates under the Democratic Party's proportional representation. Edwards then could try to turn his delegates over to Obama in the still unlikely event of a deadlocked Democratic National Convention."

Novak isn't the most popular reporter amongst Democrats, but I think Edwards as Attorney General is an excellent idea. Taking on the corporate interests that control Washington DC has been the theme of Edwards' campaign. As Attorney General, Edwards would have the ability to investigate and hold accountable corporations that have abused the system.

Obama could name Edwards as his choice for Attorney General before the general election and Edwards could campaign on the need to restore the Constitution when it comes to domestic spying, torture, and Habeas Corpus and against corruption in government.

55%

55% is the percentage of the vote Hillary Clinton won in Michigan when no one else was on the ballot and it is the percentage of the vote that Barack Obama won in South Carolina when he actually had opponents.

Here are some interesting numbers...

• African American turnout doubled and turnout among 18-24 year olds was 3 times as big as the turnout in 2004.
  
• Most importantly, though, the turnout in the Democratic primary was higher than the Republican primary for the first time ever.
• In last week's Republican primary in South Carolina John McCain and Mike Huckabee won a total of 279,723 votes between themselves. Barack Obama won 295,000 vote by himself.
  

It was an impressive win for Obama in South Carolina today.