What does “bi-partisan” mean?
Joe Gandelman notes that Obama’s cabinet – or at least the rumors of it – have been centrist, but not bi-partisan:
What’s so bad about that? Nothing. Democratic partisans will argue that given the state of the country and the Democrats being out of power for 8 years, it’s TIME for another party to totally take charge. But Obama had suggested that his cabinet would also at least one high profile Republican and, yes, one key name being pointed to does count. Technically.
Gandelman quotes another bloggers as noting that Obama is getting to define what “moderate” means in the current era. That means he’s also defining what’s to the left of him and the right of him. I know some lefties won’t be happy, and none of the righties will. But Obama has more to define than what is left, right, and middle.
His success has redefined the Democratic Party. This is not Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party – and it sure the hell isn’t the Party of the Vegan Elf Boy. Obama won by pulling in North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana. Those are traditionally non-liberal areas. I expect that the Blue Dog Caucus will sink or swim more than one bill in the upcoming Congress. Pay-go is already accepted as common sense budgeting, so they are in decent position.
By maintaining a strong Blue Dog wing, Obama can balance them against the demands of the Progressive Democrats. Or, more to the point, he can keep the Progressive Dems in check. Yet he is not kowtowing to the DLC, either (although with Clinton, Richardson, and Daschle in the cabinet, they aren’t far from power).
So Obama will redefine the Democrats – and continue to do so. He should now redefine the Republican Party.
Chris Shays, who was just made “the former last Republican in New England” should be offered a position. So should either Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins.
Shays has experience in government reform, but he’s also a no-nonsense Homeland Security guy. Shays was actually honest enough to tell people that they would be a heightened terror risk if they insisted on going to massive events like Time Square on New Years Eve. Note that he didn’t say they’d be attacked, only that it was wrong to say that they wouldn’t make an attractive target. Yes, he carried water for Bush – find a Republican that didn’t. Collins, as well, has served on the Armed Forces Committee and Homeland Security.
Snowe has served on the Senate Committee on Finance, and would lend a serious voice to the effort to balance the tax burden.
In other words, Obama can redefine the Republican Party by showing what it takes to do something – moderate enough to be able to work with people. He could drag the Republican Party to the left even as he holds the Democratic Party in the center. That would mean he is redefining politics – which would be what he promised to do, right?
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