This Tuesday was damaging. The House of Representatives flipped control and significant gains were made in the U.S. Senate. Governorships were flipped and dozens of state legislatures fell to the other side. It will take awhile to rebound from these disappointing losses. However, the Dem establishment managed to keep the U.S. Senate and we still have President Obama so no radical GOP agenda will make it past Capitol Hill. More importantly, if the economy is still in stagnation, the GOP will be forced to take some of the blame because they plan to waste time on investigations and making the President a one term President. Clearly, they have a great agenda and seemingly well thought out! The GOP has absolutely no ideas and this election was not a validation of the Republican Party, it was more a rebuke of the major pieces of legislation passed these past two years. The Dems came in promising change and they did deliver it but maybe too much for the American people.
Aside from my election analysis, I think we need to look forward to the future. Forgot 2010, we need to think long term for our party. There have of course been many that have voiced interest in Nancy Pelosi's leadership role but it may be a good idea to evaluate all the options available to the Democratic caucus.
Two main candidates, Steny Hoyer of Maryland and John Larson are both enormously qualified options. Hoyer, the current majority leader was instrumental in helping Obama and Pelosi pass their landmark pieces of legislation. He helped secure votes and raised significant sums of money for Democrats in 2010. However, Hoyer is also tied to the Democratic losses this November. He is part of the leadership team that Americans rejected at the polls. Larson, the caucus chairman is also greatly qualified. His energetic and fierce personality have brought Democrats together, but that is really all.
Maybe the Democrats should turn somewhere fresh, new and exciting?
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Congresswoman from the Broward and Miami-Dade areas has proved to be a leader after her 2004 election to the U.S. House.
Wasserman Schultz was appointed to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee in her first term in office. During the 2006 elections, she raised over seventeen million dollars in campaign contributions for her Democratic colleagues, the third most after Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel, she was subsequently chosen as Chief Deputy Whip and appointed to the powerful Appropriations Committee, a plum assignment for a sophomore congresswoman.
She currently chairs the Committee's Legislative Branch subcommittee, which Pelosi returned to the Committee after it was dissolved by Republican leadership in 2005. Shortly after acquiring her spot on the Appropriations Committee, Wasserman Schultz received the waiver necessary to sit on an additional committee (Appropriations is typically an exclusive committee), and she is currently a member of the Judiciary Committee. In addition to her committee and leadership roles, she is a member of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "30 Something" Working Group, which consists of congressional Democrats under age 40. The group concentrates on issues affecting young people, including Social Security. She also has joined the bipartisan Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus.
Although only in her third term, Wasserman Schultz was ranked, according to the Congress.org 2008 Power Rankings, as 24th most powerful member of the House and 22nd most powerful Democratic representative (also most powerful Florida representative). Debbie Wasserman Schultz is also a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
Wasserman Schultz initiated the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool And Spa Safety Act.She was strongly critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which places limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.
She has been a leader in Middle East crisis negotiations and strongly rebuked the GOP for their involvement in the Terri Schiavo case. She has been an instrumental voice against hate crimes and helped create the first ever Jewish history month.
I think her ability to raise money, her moderate appeal and ability to work with people from all sides of the spectrum in the Democratic house may be just what the Democrats need to compete against John Bohner's agenda.
A force that is able to unite, not divide could also help us in the future.
A great clip of Wasserman Schultz from an oil debate: