What Happens In Nevada May Not Stay In Nevada

All political eyes have now turned to the state of Nevada, where the Tea Party's influence recently ensured the victory of Sharon Angle in the Republican U.S. Senate primary. Her victory over two better-known Republicans for the right to take on U.S. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid this November has political pundits (this one included) salivating at the possible outcome this fall.

By supporting Angle, Tea Partiers are in danger of splitting the Republican vote, possibly guaranteeing the reelection of Senator Reid.

Reid himself recently spoke of his desire to campaign against Angle
for reelection, citing Angle's policy positions as radical and outside the mainstream. Despite the enthusiasm of the Tea Partiers for Angle's chances, her platform includes abolishing the Departments of Education and Energy, as well as the complete privatization of Social Security and public pensions.

Harry Reid may find himself smiling in November 2010.

Republicans Make "Eating Their Young" An Art Form

In the months since Barack Obama assumed the Presidency, the public mood has sent a series of hopeful signals to the GOP. Obama's victory in securing the passage of landmark healthcare legislation has failed to provide him with a substantial polling bounce, the environmental tragedy in the Gulf Of Mexico showcased the federal government's initial lethargic response effort, and less than half of those now surveyed say they approve of the job Obama is doing as President.

A heavenly alignment of stars for Republicans, right?

Well, not exactly.

Surprise, surprise.

Instead of capitalizing on this turn of events, Republicans are dropping the ball, at least for now.

The Republican response to Obama's difficulties-their lack of new ideas, their stubborn refusal to vote to extend unemployment benefits until a newly-seated U.S. Senator made their opposition moot, their unapolegetic obstructionism, and an internal Civil War within their ranks, may well conspire collectively to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The national Tea Party movement poses a genuine threat to the Republican Party.
While many Conservative strategists would like to see the GOP co-opt the Movement, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Movement may co-opt the GOP. Time and time again, the Tea Party and its activists have placed an ideological purity test on Republican candidates running in primaries all across the country. These activists are working tirelessly to ensure that only those candidates they deem to be legitimate conservatives win primary contest nominations.

From Rand Paul's primary victory in Kentucky to Bob Bennett's failure to secure renomination in Utah, the Tea Party has made it clear that it is not afraid to weigh in on U.S. Senate primary contests across the land.

Only time will tell whether the Tea Party is merely a flash in the pan, or in fact, the new face of the Republican Party.

President Throws Down The Gauntlet

In his recent State of The Union Address, President Barack Obama acknowledged that many of his first year woes in the White House were his fault, and that he should have explained the health care legislation proposals more effectively to the American people.

At the same time, however, he challenged Republicans to stop obstructing legislative efforts on multiple fronts, and he challenged Democrats not to cower in the face of public discontent, but instead, to soldier on to enact his legislative priorities.

Blogging to resume in January

I will resume this blog for my Gordon College spring semester course. Stay tuned!

A pause to blogging

I will not be blogging for my fall 2009 class. We'll be using other tools for out-of-class discussion.

Obama Vetting Process Needs To Be More Careful

As the Obama Administration continues critical negotiations with Congress on the passage of the proposed stimulus packages for the economy that are before both the House and the Senate, his vetting team must take greater care in evaluating potential nominees for federal jobs.

The tax problems of Timothy Geitner, Tom Daschle, and others, and the state contract investigation that is plaguing Governor Bill Richardson, have created problems that the new President doesn't need.

As he seeks to address the economy and other issues, President Obama must not be distracted by the personal troubles of his nominees.

Because his vetting team did not thoroughly evaluate potential nominees, we have a Treasury Secretary who some will not trust, a fine public servant in Tom Daschle who will not be able to work on improving health care, and a Republican Commerce Secretary (Senator Judd Gregg) instead of Obama's preferred choice, Governor Richardson.

A more thorough look at potential nominees will provide an Administration that all Americans can be proud of. So far, the President's batting average with regard to nominees is weaker than it should be.

Cross the Aisle for Commerce Pick

If President Obama continues his streak of wise appointments, then he should definitely nominate Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire to the post of U.S. Commerce Secretary.

Such a nomination would show Obama's continued commitment to bipartisanship in his Cabinet, and would allow the Democratic Governor of New Hampshire to appoint a Democrat to the then-vacated Senate seat now held by the Republican Gregg.

This would put the Democrats in the Senate one step closer to getting the 60 vote supermajority needed to block Republican filibusters of Democratic legislative initiatives championed by the President.

So, I say...welcome "Secretary Gregg".