kristen23

Time: Why the center is the new place to be

2006-11-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

Joe Klein's cover story in this week's Time suggests that the 2006 midterm elections were "the end of George W. Bush's radical experiment in partisan governance" and the beginning of pragmatic politics. He continued:

The architects of the Democratic victory, Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Rahm Emanuel, had calculated with cold-eyed efficiency which candidates the party would support, regardless of the extent of their orthodoxy.

Schumer and Emanuel were pragmatic and they took several victories from swing or conservative states and districts.

Conservative Indiana took three new congressional seats, in part, because of Evan Bayh, according to The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza. Cillizza wrote:

Bayh spent from his political capital in the Hoosier State to help elect Democrats in the 2nd, 8th and 9th congressional districts. It paid off. All three seats went for Democrats -- providing Bayh with a nice talking point in Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond about the success of his brand of moderate politics.

Predictions

2006-11-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

Senate
D 48
R 50
I 2

Dems +5

VA: Webb D
MO: McCaskill D
TN: Corker R
PA: Casey D
RI: Chaffee R
MD: Steele R
CT: Lieberman I
MT: Tester D
OH: Brown D
NJ: Menenedez D

House: D+23
D 226
R 209

KEY RACES TO WATCH
AZ 01 Hayworth R
AZ 08 Giffords D

CT 04 Shays R
CT 05 Murphy D

IL 06 Duckworth D
IN 02 Donnelly D
IN 08 Ellsworth D
IN 09 Hill D

KY 04 Lucas D
NC 11 Shuler D
OH 02 Wulsin D

PA 08 Murphy D
TX 22 Lampson D

NPR: Bayh and Young Voters

2006-10-31T09:59:00.000-08:00

Senator Bayh was mentioned on NPR's Morning Edition today. The interviewer asked author Joe Trippi why Senator Bayh was engaging young people on social networking websites. Trippi said

Evan Bayh can create thousands and thousands of friends...mostly young people. It's important and it's a new way to reach people. It's a new channel. And some of the smarter candidates are understanding that they've got to join these communities to get involved in the conversation.

Hoosiers Want Bayh to Run

2006-10-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

According to a new Indiana poll, 57% of Hoosiers support Evan Bayh's White House aspirations. The traditionally red state carries 11 electoral votes.

Toss-Ups and Likely D's

2006-10-26T07:38:00.001-07:00

According to Larry Sabato, professor at the University of Virginia, Tom Reynolds is locked in a toss-up. Sabato changed this race from "likely R" to "toss-up" this week, in part due to Reynolds position as NRCC Chair during the Foley scandal. Nobody could have every predicted that Jack Davis would engage the Republicans' own campaign chair in a fight to hold onto his seat.

Also becoming a toss-up today was OH-02, the seat currently held by Republican Jean Schmidt, who infamously dubbed House Democrat John Murtha "a coward" for his "cut and run" policy. Her opponent, Wuslin, is gaining momentum and putting this race in play.

That makes 16 toss-ups for Sabato and another 12 seats where Democrats are likely to replace a Republican.

Tim Roemer on Bayh

2006-10-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I had the opportunity to talk to former Congressman Timothy Roemer about Evan Bayh's potential presidential campaign before a lecture at The Catholic University of America, entitled "Safeguarding America : National Security in the 21st Century."

Roemer, an Indiana Democrat, member of the 9/11 Commission, and a candidate for DNC Chair in 2005, engaged students in a lively and inspiring presentation about our failure to implement the 9/11 commission's recommendations. Bayh just recently called on Congress to move forward with implementing these reforms.

When I asked Roemer about Bayh, he said:

Evan and Susan are my great friends. And noone has done a better job at articulating the center of American politics than Evan Bayh. I thought after Warner dropped out that Evan would take in a lot of his ground, but I see that Barrack Obama is really stepping forward. It may turn into a situation where Obama and Clinton attract all the attention away from Bayh. I would say this, if I were to give Evan some advice. Take off your coat. Roll up your sleeves. And start speaking from your heart about what midwest values mean. That's how he can win that election.

Warner Out, Obama In

2006-10-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Senator Barack Obama today announced that he will not uphold his promise to serve a full term in the Senate and will indeed consider running for the presidency in 2008. Obama was on Time's cover this week with the title, "Why Barack Obama Could Be the Next President." A similiar story ran in The Washingtonian. Obama is currently on tour promoting his latest book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream." When asked about his inexperience, Obama said, "I'm not sure anyone is ready to be president before they're president.

Thomas Friedman: An Energy Mandate

2006-10-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

On October 13th, Thomas Friedman wrote in his column about our dependence on foreign oil...as a national security problem. Friedman was contacted by James Carville and Stan Greenberg, the former Clinton team that heads Democracy Corps, a Democratic strategy group, who found that reducing our dependence on foreign oil is one of Americans' top concerns this election cycle.

Carville said that that energy security "needs to become a defining issue of what Democrats are all about."

The best way for a party that is often viewed as weak on national security to overcome that deficit is to be for energy independence, he noted. Indeed, nothing would be more potent for Democrats now than to capture energy security and all the issues that surround it -- from improving our trade deficit by not importing more oil to improving the climate to improving U.S. competitiveness by making us leaders in alternative fuels.

Friedman questions why Democrats have not tried to capture the issue sooner.

Remember, Mr. Carville and Mr. Greenberg are professional campaign advisers. They get paid to get people elected -- not to offer feel-good nostrums. So when they tell you that their polling and focus groups around the country show that ''reducing dependence on foreign oil'' is voters' top national security priority, you know that this issue has finally arrived. The party that captures it most credibly will be rewarded. Hello? Anybody listening?

Bayh supporters, however, know that Senator Bayh has been talking about energy independence for a long time. He sponsored the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for America Act in late 2005. The legislation is a real plan to find alternatives to our excessive use of foreign oil. Earlier this year, he spoke of a Declaration of Energy Independence at the Georgia Jefferson Jackson dinner.

Mr. Friedman, Mr. Carville and Mr. Greenberg, Senator Evan Bayh is listening.

Lou Dobbs Special Tonight: "War on the Middle Class"

2006-10-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Lou Dobbs will anchor a CNN special at 7 pm. The production will feature a town hall meeting in Kansas City to talk to middle class voters,

...American families facing the tough issues that are all but being ignored by our elected officials in Washington. Our middle class is the largest group of people in the country, but they are also the least represented in our nation's capital.

This special echoes concerns Evan Bayh raced earlier this year in a speech to the National Press Club.

Bayh said in that speech:

A strong, vibrant Middle Class is what makes America a land of opportunity, stability, and shared values. But the American Middle Class did not happen by accident. It was built. For twelve generations, Americans have made the tough decisions, the sacrifices, done the hard work to make America an exceptional nation.

Bayh was concerned about why the middle class fails to embrace the Democratic Party. Bayh believes that Democrats

...have both a patriotic responsibility and a political imperative to reclaim our legacy as the party of the Middle Class by fighting for their interests and by producing results that make a difference in their lives.

Man of the Year

2006-10-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, Evan Bayh has been calling on supporters to lead the way to ensuring verified voting this November.

Interestingly, Man of the Year, which opened this weekend, focuses on this issue directly. Promoted as a comedy about tv comedian Tom Dobbs winning the White House, the movie is far more frightening than a Colbert White House.

It is the first election with national electronic voting designed by a private company and Dobbs is elected because of a glitch in their computer system. The company refuses to admit the mistake and, throughout the movie, its executives try to silence an honest employee.

Bayh's concern is important and timely.Follow Evan's lead and send your own letter today!.

Murtha to Stump vs. Schmidt

2006-10-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Recall last November when Congressman Jean Schmidt was booed off the House floor for calling respected Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha a coward? (I do, I was in the gallery that entire evening.)

Interestingly, this Saturday, Murtha will travel to Cincinnati to stump for Schmidt's opponent, Wulsin, a medical doctor and former public health officer.

Murtha is activley campaigning for House Democratic challengers across the country in his bid to become Majority Leader if the Democrats gain control of the House.

Natalie Thomas in Concert!

2006-10-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Natalie Thomas, will be performing in Meyersdale on November 3rd. Tickets benefit the Meyersdale Senior Center. Natalie currently lives and works in Nashville.

Iraqi Dead May Total 600,000

2006-10-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

A new study suggests that as many as 600,000 Iraqis have died since the 2003 American invasion.

The study is an update to research completed by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health which first appeared in the Lancet, a British medical journal, in 2004.

Madam Speaker

2006-10-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

As Democrats inch closer and closer to winning back the House of Representatives, potential Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is talking about an aggressive agenda for the first 100 days.

Her plans for those first few days?

Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation.

Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

Cut the interest rate on student loans in half.

Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds.

Enact "pay as you go."

But on Iraq, no real policy agenda quite yet. Perhaps, we'll have to wait for the leadership struggle between John Murtha and Steny Hoyer to see if a cohesive Iraq policy can be formed by Democrats in the House.

Two Views of the War, Both Short on Swagger

2006-10-05T19:16:00.001-07:00

The New York Times ran an interesting story today - a discussion about the war in Iraq through the music world. Kelefa Sanneh describes two hot singles (John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change and Darryl Worley's I Just Came Back From a War) and how both songs reflect debate on the ongoing war in Iraq. The songs, Sanneh writes, capture the country's mood quite well.

While both songs hint at political disagreement, neither sounds like a rallying cry. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but both songs sound sad and a little bit tired. Only a few years ago, when the war was young, hawks and doves alike were full of feisty idealism. But judging by these two songs, 2003 was a long time ago.

It is sad indeed, but with no direction, no real plans from leaders on either side of the aisle, it is difficult to rally to anything right now.

Mr. Mayer’s song also reflects the challenge of rallying an antiwar movement at a time when it’s not clear exactly what antiwar means. Does it mean redeployment, or phased withdrawal, or “troops home now,” or none of the above? Mr. Mayer can be certain that many of his listeners are concerned about the war, but how many of them have strong opinions about Iraqi federalism? If anything, it may have become more difficult for a mainstream star to write an antiwar song.

Mr. Worley faces a challenge too, perhaps a greater one. He tells the story of a homebound veteran who realizes life will never be the same, but laments over waning American support for the war.

The author concludes:

A few years ago it seemed possible that red-staters and blue-staters would never agree on anything, especially not the war in Iraq. Of course those misleading colors have never accurately reflected an ever-shifting America. And these two songs suggest that even the debate over the war may be shifting too: in these late days pro-war enthusiasm and antiwar enthusiasm seem equally anachronistic. And so, in these surprisingly similar songs from very dissimilar singers, you can hear the same weariness. We know that no debates, no wars can last forever. But we also know that they won’t all end soon, or well.

O'Reilly on Bayh

2006-09-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through Bill O'Reilly's Culture Warrior today at Barnes and Noble. I quickly found the part I was searching for...O'Reilly's comment on Evan Bayh.

You can find the discussion in a Newsweek interview with O'Reilly here. Essentially, O'Reilly argues that Bayh (and Obama) can be understood as Traditional Democrats unlike the hyper-liberal secular types he is generally concerned about.

Though hesitant to point this out, I think it's important to realize that Bayh might be acceptable to conservatives who are frustrated with the Republican party. I indeed know several Republicans that will vote for Bayh if and when he runs. You can see it often in the comments from young people on his facebook and myspace profiles.

It further prooves that Bayh can win red states and heal this broken divisive country.

Bayh: Iraq Not Central to War on Terror

2006-09-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Bayh, unlike a lot of Democrats, attempted to articulate his position on Iraq today in New Hampshire. Bayh noted in an phone interview, "Iraq is taking the focus away from Afghanistan and Iran."

Bayh's plan?

The United States needs to begin the process of leaving Iraq by stabilizing the country so more focus can be placed on Afghanistan and Iran. [Bayh] would let the withdrawal schedule be dictated by the Iraqi government's willingness to do the hard work to settle its internal disputes. American forces should remain longer if that happens, leave faster if it doesn't. I think it has to be a flexible timeline. Regrettably, you can't conduct a war with a fixed schedule.

Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball

2006-09-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Political scientist, Larry Sabato, of the University of Virginia discussed the presidential race in 2008 today in his Crystal Ball column.

Sabato says Republicans would be best served by a candidate who does not remind voters of Bush (McCain or Guiliani) while Democrats truly have a choice to make. He says:

The interesting, unpredictable part is the Democratic reaction to Bush's low numbers. Will their nemesis's distress lead them to become overconfident and think they can pick any candidate, believing victory in November is assured? If so, look for the Party to self-destruct by choosing a nominee who is personally unappealing or someone too far to the left to win any Red states. Advantage: Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold. On the other hand, the enticing prospect of likely triumph may moderate the Democrats, to insure that their standard-bearer appeals to the mainstream and can win some elusive Red (or Purple) states. Advantage: Mark Warner, Evan Bayh.

McAuliffe to Join Clinton Team

2006-09-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

According to The Hill, Terry McAuliffe, former DNC Chairman, announced today that he will chair Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign even though McAuliffe is denying the rumors.

The article goes on to provide a good analysis of presidential contenders and their fundraising ability heading into 2007.

Casey Joins Democratic Push to Attract Religious Voters

2006-09-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, at Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Bob Casey spoke on restoring America's moral compass. Casey has attracted attention on this issue because of his pro-life position.

The Philadelphia Inquirer points out that:

Some Democratic strategists have argued that the party must stop treating religious voters with disdain - think of rhetoric equating the religious right with the Taliban - and start relating to them. Despite many such efforts, analysts say, it will be difficult to break the ties the GOP has forged with evangelicals in the generation since Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980.

Casey, like Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, is doing his best to make religion compatible with the Democratic Party. Casey said yesterday:

We cannot say we are against abortion of an unborn child and then let our children suffer in degraded inner-city schools and broken homes. We can't claim to be pro-life at the same time as we are cutting Medicaid or Head Start, and the Women, Infants, and Children's program.

Casey and Kaine, like Bayh, are part of a growing part in the Democratic Party that wants to reach out to religious voters. Bayh said at the Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner earlier this year:

We honor people of faith, we honor the role of faith in this country. Of course we believe in the separation of church and state. But we lift up those who worship God and honor him in their lives....[T]here are too many of the national Democrats who make the mistake of thinking that all people of faith are single issue voters...My experience has been that people of faith care about health care too, they care about education too, they care about jobs and the environment and our children's future too. And we need to reach out to them and appeal to them on that kind of basis but all too often we don't even get to have that discussion because there's this misplaced belief that occasionally at the national level we're a little too condescending....So we need to remind them that we share their values, the great American values of hope and opportunity and patriotism and faith, we take a second place to noone when it comes to that kind of thing and in fact, we've got more in common with people of fiath than they've been led to believe.

GOP Lawmaker Pleads Guilty

2006-09-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

CNN is reporting that Republican Congressman Bob Ney of Ohio plead guilty to charges of corruption and bribery involving Jack Abramoff today. Ney is the first member of Congress to plead guilty in the ongoing investigation. He had previously denied any wrongdoing. In exchange for support for specific bills and advancing the interests of Abramoff's clients, Ney received meals, tickets, campaign contributions, and a golf trip to Scotland - valued in total at $170,000. Ney's former Chief of Staff, Neil Volz, was a lobbyist for Abramoff when he left Ney's office.

Ney is not seeking reelection. You can read his statement and apology here.

Republicans To Rely on Negative Advertisements and Personal Attacks

2006-09-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

An article in the Washington Post today suggests that Republicans are running out of ideas to preserve their majorities in both Houses. They increasingly will have to rely on opposition research, which "is the key to defining untested opponents" according to NRCC Chairman Thomas Reynolds.

In a memo released last week, Cole, who is running to succeed Reynolds at the NRCC, expanded on that strategy. The memo recommended that vulnerable incumbents spend $20,000 on a research "package" to find damaging material about challengers and urged that they "define your opponent immediately and unrelentingly."

Democrats, on the other hand, will be talking about issues that are important to the American people.

As Republicans try to localize races, Democrats' hopes for the most part hinge on being able to nationalize the election and turn it into a referendum on the Iraq war, President Bush, and the performance of the Republican Congress -- all faring poorly in polls this year.

War Turns Southern Women Away from GOP

2006-09-07T12:39:00.004-07:00

Shannon McCaffrey, writing from Macon, GA in today's Seattle Post Intelligencer argues that the strong relationship between President Bush and conservative Southern women is waning. In recent years, southern women have defied the gender gap and stuck close to conservative Republicans, but that may be changing. A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that three out of five Southern women surveyed said they planned to vote for a Democrat in the midterm elections.

The movement of some Southern women away from the Republican Party tracks with national poll results showing that women have become more disillusioned with the war and were more likely than men to list the conflict as the important issue facing the country.

Nationally, the AP-Ipsos poll found that only 28 percent of women approve of Bush's handling of the war. Bush did better in the South, but only slightly - just 32 percent of women in the region said they approve of his handling of the war.

Mother, Teresa Cranford, supported Bush in 2004 but is very uncomfortable with the ongoing war in Iraq.

I'm a mother and that makes me think differently about it...I'm not a straight party-line Republican anymore.

"The Democratic Party vs. Hillary Clinton"

2006-09-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

National Review Online's John Hood offered his predictions about the Democratic primary today in his article, "The Democratic Party vs. Hillary Clinton." The article suggests that Democratic activists and insiders are trying to push Clinton out of the race. Hood also talks at length about John Edwards, whom he assumes would be a probable choice in Clinton's absence. (Clinton is rumored to be considering a run for Senate Majority Leader - a position where she could be quite successful and still make history for women).

He concludes praising moderate Democrats Bayh and Warner:

For the record, I think Edwards’ leftward lurch is an accurate representation of his party’s direction and simultaneously a stumble. Warner or Bayh would be a more formidable challenge to Republicans, particularly if either chose a retired general or a politician with substantial military experience as his running mate.

The Family Grocery Store

2006-08-25T13:27:00.001-07:00

When I was sixteen, I started my first job...at Ideal Market. There are three in Johnstown, co-owned by brothers, Dave and Greg Mihalick, my father's first cousins. Their father owned a grocery store and my grandfather worked there a long time ago. I worked at Ideal Market, with several of the owners' children, until I moved away to college. I cashiered, worked at customer service, stocked shelves, and occasionally did price-changeovers on Saturday night. From time to time, I go back and see the same customers and employees.

Today, 7 years later, I called my grandmother who asked me ever so sweetly to stop at Wal-Mart for her on my way to visit. I held my breath and carried out her wish grudgingly.

Wal-Mart may be the only super-store in Johnstown. It may be the easiest place to pick up pharmaceuticals and school supplies. But, Wal-Mart is not the only grocery store in town.

I stood behind a woman with a cart full of groceries and various products who demanded the exact price of each from the cashier before letting her ring them up. After each price-check, she'd say, "Ideal Market sells that for 3.38..." or "I love Wal-Mart, if I went to Ideal Market I'd spent $20 more."

She stood confident, naive and unconnected to the consequences of her thinking. Wal-Mart can afford to sell things a lot cheaper and yes, the customer may benefit from those low prices. But, the family grocerY stores, their employees, Wal-Mart employees, under-paid workers in foreign countries, and the community in general, do not benefit from those excessively low prices.

Back at Ideal Market, I knew the customers. I knew the meat and produce were fresh. Most items came from local farms. I knew that the store, in so many ways, was something really special. I'm glad Evan Bayh understands that too.

Hillary-Mania

2006-08-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

This week marks Hillary Clinton's 10th appearance on the cover of Time magazine. "Hillary Gets Ready to Run", written by Karen Tumulty, focuses on Hillary's potential run for president. The constant coverage, "Hillary-Mania," astounds me.

I know Hillary's presidential ambitions grab our attention. Talking about her helps to sell magazines and newspapers and to draw viewers to your television station because, as this article points out, people seem to love her or hate her.

Love her or hate her, I don't think she can win a general election in 2008. Aids suggest that she could win Ohio or Florida, states Kerry narrowly lost, but I question whether she could hold on to states Kerry barely won.

In a recent interview in the St. Louis Dispatch, political analyst John Nero acknolwedged the strength of Hillary's popularity, but said:

"the strongest Democratic nominee would be Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. He's experienced. He's not seen as a polarizing figure, and he has consistently won elections in a red state. He could win Ohio in addition to Indiana. You have to figure out what states a nominee can win."

Evan Bayh is not a love-hate candidate. He's very likeable to a wide variety of people and his leadership as president would help to mend this broken, divisive country. If only media elites would give his story a chance and recognize that the field is wide open. The Democratic Party has a lot to offer beyond the distinguished Senator from New York.

Republicans Losing "Security Moms"

2006-08-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Great piece in the Washington Post today about women turning from the Republican Party on the security, homeland defense, and terrorism issue. Data obtained from the Pew Center suggest that this critical group of voters is likely to vote for Democrats more than at any point since before 9/11. "All of this suggests that the latest campaign by the GOP to portray Democrats as wobbly on security will be harder to sell in today's climate," Jim VandeHei writes.

Still, the article suggests that though the public is less enamored with Republicans, trust for Democrats on security matters is still low. Sounds like the right time for Bayh's message, tough but smart, to resonate -- with members of his own party. After all, as this article proves, "people aren't going to trust us with anything else, if we first can't convince them to trust us with their lives."

Eye on Election, Democrats Run as Wal-Mart Foe

2006-08-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

The New York Times ran a story Thursday about Democratic presidential hopefuls (including Bayh) and their attacks on Walmart. Bayh said Tuesday at a rally for Wake Up Wal-Mart:

"Wal-Mart has become emblematic of the anxiety around the country, and the middle-class squeeze."

Bayh does a wonderful job connecting this specific example to policies that affect a great deal of working-families in America. Recall his speech on the middle-class a few weeks ago at the National Press Club and again in Iowa. This is just one more reason why reasonable Republicans, conservatives and Independents will find Bayh an acceptable choice for president. He cares deeply for middle-class Americans.

Wal-Mart quickly issued a response .

Tough Call on Lieberman

2006-08-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I don't have to vote in tomorrow's Connecticut primary. I've been thinking about the race all summer and I haven't been able to come to any decision on the two candidates.

I'm inclined to believe that Lieberman will pull through this successfully. Yet, I am pleased that Lamont has raised many important issues, namely engaging Lieberman in a national debate about the war in Iraq. Senator Lieberman has not really expressed any genuine frustration with the war or his own decision to grant the president the authority to invade Iraq.

Many Democrats who supported the war initially have suggested that their positions may have been different in retrospect, reflecting a growing concern among Americans about our progress there. But not Senator Lieberman. Recall his criticism of Democrat John Murtha in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in November of last year. Rather than respectfully disagreeing on a policy matter, he suggested, like many Republicans, that Murtha was destroying the morale of our troops. Most people who know anything about John Murtha would never question his commitment to our country's men and women in uniform. The war in Iraq is tough politically. I don't agree with Joe Lieberman - but I respect our difference of opinion. It's much more difficult to respect his position on Jack Murtha.

Further, by questioning the patriotism of a Democrat who spoke out against the war, Lieberman practically aligned himself with the mean-spirited attacks waged by Karl Rove on several of our nation's prominent veterans. Max Clelland, John Kerry, and now John Murtha have all been personally attacked - merely for questioning the administration's policies and hoping to bring American troops back to their families as soon as possible.

Democrats do not have to be Republicans to be taken seriously when it comes to foreign policy. Lieberman has always been respected by Democrats and Republicans alike. He knows how to work with the other party and be tough and aggressive when it is necessary to keep the American people safe. But Democrats can be strong on defense in an intelligent way and still question Republicans and the president when it is prudent to do so. Senator Evan Bayh has asked fellow Democrats to be tough, but smart by staying actively engaged in foreign policy debates and advocating policies that will reflect America's best interest at a given time - not a party platform. We do need to anticipate threats and defend our country appropriately in a Post 9/11 world. But our foreign policy has to change when things don't go right and adapt to circumstance; it has to make sense.

Should Senator Lieberman lose tomorrow, I hope his potential loss does not indicate the death of bipartisanship in Washington. Throughout his career, Lieberman has, like Bayh, enabled Republicans and Democrats to work together to make our country a stronger, more secure place. I hope that in the future good, capable Senators and Members of Congress are not sent home for cooperating with the opposition to get things done in Washington. It may be tough, we may get angry and frustrated and we'll have arguments and fights, but we all love this great country and we have to work together to make it stronger for our children.

United Red, White and Blue States

2006-08-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 2004, then candidate Barack Obama offered us a powerful message in his address at the Democratic Convention. He said:

"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America — there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

I have long been fascinated with politics - probably since I was a little girl in rural Pennsylvania. I was blessed to grow up in a family that always engaged me in political dialogue and expected me to form opinions and respect those with whom I disagreed. I majored in political science, interned in various DC offices, and have completed one year toward my doctorate at Catholic University

I am starting to blog because I am a moderate - and I know we are small in number. Washington has grown ever more partisan in recent years and I don't believe it's good for our country. The Framers of the Constitution expected our legislators to deliberate on matters of important policy, not attack their colleagues at every opportunity. We should be a country of ideas where legislators are free to criticize policy and suggest new courses without fear of being verbally attacked by their opponents.

There are some legislators who define this quality much better than others. It's difficult to be a moderate. It's challenging to vote against the goals and desires of your political party. It takes political courage. In this bitter environment, we need that quality in our leaders more than ever.

As 2007 approaches, there will be more and more discussion about moderates and party idealogues. Unfortunately, the primary system tends to favor the latter. I have spent a lot of time considering the positions, careers and character of the many individuals considering a run for the White House and I strongly believe that Senator Evan Bayh will serve our country best. A popular governor and Senator, Bayh has long demonstrated political courage by making difficult decisions and he has made it clear that he's not changing his moderate nature to win the nomination.