As published for The Arena on Politico.com on March 3rd, 2010:
What does Kay Bailey Hutchison’s crushing loss in the Texas gubernatorial primary say about anti-D.C. anger?
There was a definitive anti-Washington sentiment in the Texas vote yesterday. Just because Sen. Hutchison lost handily doesn’t mean Democrats should take any comfort in the idea that voter anger isn’t about them, as well.
Democrats have control of the levers of power and voters are mightily upset at the spending largess coming out of Congress. KBH lost because Gov. Perry successfully tied her to out of control spending.
Democrats are going to have a very hard time making the case that they are more fiscally responsible than their opponents, particularly if they lock arms with President Obama and cram through their trillion dollar health care takeover.
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Ethical lapses by several Republican members of Congress helped sweep the Democrats into a majority in 2006. On Election Night that year, Nancy Pelosi said the “Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history.” The closed-door meetings and sweetheart deals we’ve seen this year certainly disprove that statement. My question, however, is this – how is what Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) did as chairman of the tax writing committee any less serious than the violations which sent former GOP Reps. Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney to jail?
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As published for The Arena on Politico.com on February 19th, 2010:
Tiger Woods needs better public relations advice before his apology approach becomes a model for wayward politicians to follow. There were numerous things wrong with his template. In brief:
· He could’ve given the very same apology (save the “I’ve been in therapy” portion) almost immediately after the Thanksgiving driving disaster occurred.
· To me, his apology seemed cold and mechanical. He seemed to simply be trying to check all of the necessary boxes of that an apology needs – family, fans, sponsors, golf and the kids.
· He gave off the vibe that he deserved better treatment from the media. The news media helped fuel is rise to worldwide fame and riches. He put himself into the public eye by signing huge endorsement deals which came with advertising that splashed his face and image everywhere. Had he only been a golfer and nothing else, his “leave me alone” attitude might carry some weight. In this case, I found that request to be tone-deaf and petulant.
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As published for The Arena on politico.com on February 15th, 2010:
Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh won his last election by 24 percent. He won that race in 2004 at the same time President Bush won the state of Indiana by a 20 point margin. So, clearly Sen. Bayh has had the ability to attract crossover votes in his career. However, I would imagine he has seen an incredible erosion in his support since President Obama took office. For someone who has never lost election, Bayh must be looking to get out of the way of the GOP tidal wave that seems increasingly likely to sweep across the country in November. There’s also a chance that he’s looking to 2012. He may be trying to position himself as a moderate, somewhat non-partisan outsider who can run against a weakened, liberal President Obama. Engaging in a deeply partisan race for reelection this year against former Sen. Dan Coats wouldn’t serve that interest.
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As published for The Arena on politico.com on January 27th, 2010:
Tonight in a lengthy speech, President Obama gave lip service to market-based approaches to strengthening the economy (like trade and tax relief, which he and his party vehemently oppose in practice). He inappropriately condemned the justices of the Supreme Court sitting in front of him by criticizing their recent judgment reaffirming free speech. His remarks, while well-crafted, will be remembered for being forgettable. There were no bold proposals or signature lines. He may be a prisoner of his speaking prowess, as a well-delivered speech which lacks provocative thinking and doesn’t shatter high expectations is quickly discarded.
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As published for The Arena on Politico.com on January 25th, 2010:
President Obama enjoys very large Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, yet he has struggled to enact his agenda. His campaign pledge to bring a new way of business to Washington by rising above partisanship was seemingly vanquished in his inauguration address. While his primary qualification for being president was that he ran a great presidential campaign, his lack of executive and management experience has been on full display as he has failed to govern effectively. His solution? A new adviser. That new adviser’s resume?
· Harkin for U.S. Senate – 1990
· Harkin for President – 1992
· Olver for Congress – 1992
· Oberly for U.S. Senate – 1994
· Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – 1995
· Torricelli for U.S. Senate – 1996
· Rep. Dick Gephardt (Deputy Chief of Staff) – 1997/1998
· Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – 1999/2000
· AKP&D Message and Media (campaign consultant) – 2000
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As published for The Arena on politico.com on January 16th, 2010:
A victory by Scott Brown in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts could set off a Republican tidal wave that washes incumbent Democrats from office all across the country. Consider this – Democrats in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts enjoy an enormous advantage in voter registration.
As of Election Day 2008, only 11.6 percent of Massachusetts voters were registered as Republicans. Additionally, President Obama received a remarkable 72 percent more votes than John McCain in the 2008 election. The conventional wisdom David Gergen repeated as moderator of the final debate – that this is “Ted Kennedy’s seat” – has been rejected by a popular uprising of voters.
The people of Massachusetts appear to be poised to take the seat back by sending an unambiguous message of disapproval with the out of control spending and government expansion flowing out of Congress this year. In addition to ensuring the unpopular Obama health care plan is stopped in its tracks, Brown’s victory would demonstrate there is very little job security for Democratic incumbents who’ve supported massive new spending and are up for reelection this year.
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As published for The Arena for The Politico on January 3rd, 2010:
Typing this response on my phone as I stand in a very long security line at the Seattle serves as a reminder (to me, at least) that we are still in a War on Terror. The enhanced screening and my stocking feet on the cold marble floor doesn’t feel like an “Overseas Contingency Operation.”
Despite President Obama conjuring his trusty Straw Man in the Nobel speech when he said “war is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such,” nearly ALL Americans would prefer to not be at war with violent extremists bent on destroying liberty and spreading their twisted ideology. But, that’s not the case.
We are at war and it is the job of the president to speak clearly about it. In his purposefully nuanced language which seeks to soften the edges of the harsh reality of today’s conflict and his dramatic policy changes to stop interrogations (and investigate Americans who conducted them) of terrorists and give these foreign fighters rights in our courts, President Obama has sent mixed signals to citizens of this country and “of the world.”
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