Reaction continues to Obama's choice of Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff and rumors swirl around Lawrence Summors as Treasury Secretary.
Also, more discussion of the "center-right" nation myth and the demographic implications of Obama's victory.
And, very important news from here in South Korea - Obama likes kimchi!
Boehner has an op-ed in the Washington Post this morning where - surprise, surprise - he insists we really are still a center-right nation and the election was not "a referendum in favor of the left's approach to key issues." This drives me absolutely batty. Whenever a conservative is elected, everyone declares it proof that we are truly a center-right nation. But when a Democrat wins, it says nothing about the electorate or its support of the "left's approach."
Paul Krugman has a good rebuttal to this argument in the New York Times:
Bear in mind, also, that this year’s presidential election was a clear referendum on political philosophies — and the progressive philosophy won.
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Jed L also had a great post on this ridiculousness yesterday. Markus Kolic at the Harvard Independent:
Now consider this week. On Tuesday Americans gave a strong mandate to Barack Obama and the Democratic Party, a party that, under the leadership of Howard Dean, has moved boldly to the left in its policies and tone. The themes Democrats sketched out in 2006 — universal health care, fair taxes, keeping big business in line, social progressivism and pluralism, and reality-based foreign policy — were affirmed in 2008. We have overwhelmingly elected an unabashedly liberal government.
64% of Americans believe government should guarantee health insurance for all. 51% of Republicans think universal healthcare coverage should be a right of every American. 73% of Americans think large corporations pay too little in taxes. 67% of Americans favor more diplomacy with our enemies. A Quinnipiac poll in July found that 63% of Americans agree with the Roe v. Wade decision. A TIME Magazine poll in July found that 58% of Americans oppose an amendment to the US Constitution that would ban gay marriage. Does that look like a center-right nation to you?
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Most of the media is still focused on the Emanuel pick this morning. The San Francisco Chronicle looks at the varying reaction:
Emanuel is not beloved by everyone within the Democratic party. He famously clashed with Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean over how to spend the Democrats' campaign money. On the party's left flank, some are suspicious that Emanuel, like Clinton, is steering the party too far to the middle. In Congress, he has been a pragmatist, pushing issues likely to be popular with voters, such as stem-cell research, raising the minimum wage and expanding health insurance for kids.
"He's a centrist," said Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, a top Pelosi ally, who praised Emanuel for backing policies that will draw support from liberals and more conservative House Democrats. "He's been able to work across the caucus, and it's a very diverse caucus. He likes a good result at the end of the day. He doesn't like wasting time."
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John Nichols at The Nation is disappointed:
In fact, Emanuel is the opposite of a partisan. He is someone who has worked very hard for a very long time – first in the Clinton administration and then in Congress -- to change the Democratic party into a more cautious, centrist and compromised institution. As head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006, he actually undercut efforts by progressive candidates who had a chance to win in order to advance the candidacies of more conservative candidates who lost.
But Nichols is not too worried:
Rahm Emanuel – whose selection owes more to shared Chicago connections than to shared ideology -- is not being brought on to define the Obama administration. It is Barack Obama's job to do that. Emanuel's job is to make sure that what the president wants done actually gets done.
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Rumors also continue to swirl around Lawrence Summers as a potential Treasury Secretary. Justin Fox at TIME looks at whether Summers has too much baggage for the job:
Anyway, I'm sure Larry Summers would make a very good Treasury Secretary. Again.
I'm not so sure, though, that the President-elect is going to want to spend his transition period and the early days of his administration dealing with the inevitable public hassle that would be attached to a Summers appointment.
Update: Oh, and by the way, I forgot to gratuitously mention that he used to go out with Laura Ingraham ...
The LA Times thinks Paul Volcker may be a more "reassuring choice."
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Newsweek has more of their "secrets" article up, including an inside look at the conventions and Obama's VP process:
Obama's personal favorite was Tim Kaine, the young governor of Virginia, a reformer who could win red-state votes. Like Obama, Kaine had come from a poor background but graduated from Harvard Law School. "I really like this guy," Obama said of Kaine. The one-term Virginia governor was the easiest to vet—"He's as pure as this," said Holder, waving a blank white sheet of paper. But, with the Republicans banging on about Obama as too inexperienced, Kaine was deemed to be too risky a choice. Early in the process, Obama announced, "I'm leaning toward Biden," the six-term senator from Delaware.
And the Obama team's reaction to Sarah Palin:
"Get your ass up," said the voice on the other end. "They picked Palin."
Messina could not mistake Plouffe's flat, no-nonsense voice, but he was still groggy. "F––– you," he said. "Why are you waking me up? Stop teasing me." "I'm serious," said Plouffe. "Get up and get your team together." Messina stumbled out of bed, thinking that Republicans must really be panicking, that they would never pick someone like Sarah Palin unless they were desperate.
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Many Republicans are worried about the demographic implications of Obama's victory, including former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, as reported by the State Journal-Register (IL):
“The thing as a Republican that concerns me most, really worries me,” he said, is how strongly Hispanics voted for Democratic President-elect Barack Obama.
“We cannot lose the Hispanic vote like we’ve lost the African-American vote, or we’re going to be a minority party forever,” Edgar said.
The Republicans have reason to be concerned. Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post calls this a "realigning election":
The future in American politics belongs to the party that can win a more racially diverse, better educated, more metropolitan electorate. It belongs to Barack Obama's Democrats.
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These same demographic changes help explain that nice expanding blue color you now see enveloping the Southwest. I'm convinced Arizona can go blue in 2012 but there may also be important Democratic gains to be had there in 2010. The conservative Arizona Republic argues that Governor Napolitano is worthy of a post in Obama's administration:
Gov. Janet Napolitano, named to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, is considered a candidate for attorney general and other high-level jobs. She's earned it.
I'm sure she would do great things in the Obama administration, but I want her to run for Senate in 2010! There are rumors that she is interested in that possibility and if McCain decides to seek reelection in 2010, she could give him a serious run for his money. If he decides not to seek reelection, I would think Napolitano would almost be a lock for his seat. Newsweek reports that Napolitano and Eric Holder are both on the short list for Attorney General, and Napolitano is also being considered for Secretary of Homeland Security.
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There was some discussion in the comments yesterday about Moscow's motivation in announcing a new missile deployment just after Obama's victory. As I mentioned yesterday, I think this move has nothing to do with Obama and would have happened regardless of the election's outcome. The Financial Times agrees:
The announcement was aimed at a domestic audience which is bombarded daily with nationalistic propaganda about the need to counter enemies and reinforce defences. With the Russian economy now under huge stress, Russia's leaders will be tempted to keep ramping up the rhetoric.
Unlike what many right-leaning pundits are saying, this is not Russia testing Obama. This is Russia attempting to placate a domestic population under tremendous economic strain and reassuring itself that is still a major power.
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HBO is already working on a documentary of Obama's path to the presidency.
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Obama spoke with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak yesterday, along with a host of other heads of state. The most important thing I learned from news reports of the phone call? Obama likes kimchi!
Obama reportedly expressed a fondness for Korean food and complimented President Lee on his fluency in English during the 12-minute conversation.
"He said that bulgogi and kimchi are his favorite things to eat for lunch," according to Lee's spokesman.
Kimchi is only the best thing ever. It is an acquired taste, but once you try it you will become an addict like me.
(Reuters)
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Meanwhile, North Korea said it was "ready to deal" with an Obama administration:
Ri Gun, a North Korean nuclear negotiator, spoke Thursday in New York after a meeting with Sung Kim, the U.S. special envoy to the international negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear programs.
"We have dealt with various U.S. administrations, including an administration that sought dialogue with us and an administration that attempted to isolate and contain us," Ri said. "Whatever U.S. administration comes forward, we are ready to deal with that administration's policy" on Pyongyang.
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So what's on your mind this morning?