Posted by
Steve on Friday, November 17, 2006 3:59:46 PM
Well, both the Republicans and Democrats took the time this week to pick their leaders for the new congress that starts in January. Republicans kept Boehner and Blunt in the House. Democrats chose Pelosi and Steyner. Republicans chose McConnell and Lott in the Senate with Kyl as third (good choice). The Democrats stuck with Dingy Harry Reid.
What does it all mean? That remains to be seen. Pelosi wanted Murtha as her second in command. She was defeated in that wish. As a Republican, Murtha would have been great. He is obviously corrupt. It would have made a great group to campaign against. The current group will be more difficult, but not impossible. They seem to be tone deaf and love to wash their dirty laundry in public.
Boehner and Blunt in the Republican House is no real change from the old leadership. They both just moved up one seat. Their advantage is that nobody knows them. Their disadvantage is that the Republicans don't really know them either. Are they the right ones for the job? We will not know that for some time to come. Mary Katherine Ham says that she believes that they will be good. I would have liked to have seen a more radical change. A bigger change would signal a greater indication that they intend to make the changes necessary to get back into the majority.
In the Senate, the Democrat leadership is being implicated by Jack Abramoff. That is great. We can paint them as corrupt and probably successfully pull it off. Dingy Harry likes to rely on the lie as his greatest weapon. That will also work for the Republicans. This is not the time for lies. This is the time for the truth. The more truth, the more chance of success.
The Republicans selected Mitch McConnell. He is a tell it like it is kind of guy. I think he can be articulate and successful. I am concerned with Trent Lott. Lott was sent off in disgrace in the last congress for having a tin ear. He may be a great vote counter, which post he now holds, but I do have concerns. Selecting Jon Kyl as third is a great move. Jon Kyl is one of the great men who happens to be a Senator. I would love to see Jon Kyl move up in the leadership. He has the gift for getting his message across. I have great thoughts in what Jon Kyl brings to the table.
Boiling all that down to what does it mean is relatively simple. The Democrats in the Senate will be inarticulate and combative. They will not get things done and then poorly. In the House, Democrats have a leader with a tin ear. She does not have the great feel that a good majority leader needs to have to be successful. Newt Gingrich had the gift and was supremely successful. He just had his downfall with his ex-wife. All in all, it looks good for the GOP in 2008. We will be running candidates in districts that are really Republican districts. We will be running against a Democrat congress that will be more of a circular firing squad than a successful congress. All we will need to really pull off the big turn around is a good leader at the top of the ticket to defeat the Democrat nominee.