Looking waaaay ahead, Swing State Project lists targets for 2008. Paging Dr. Spencer, Code Blue in Iowa 4.
Chris Bowers at MyDD goes across the rotunda to look at the Senate. Harkin as usual is on the defense list, but the Republicans need a candidate first...
Dave Loebsack stays on the national radar as one of the stars of 2006, appearing in a Time article debunking midterm myths:
MYTH: Democrats won because they carefully recruited more conservative candidates.
REALITY: Democrats won because their candidates were conservative about their message.
Moderate Democrats have celebrated the midterms as a victory for their brand of fiscal conservatism, foreign policy "realism" and a version of "traditional values." Certainly, Washington will see an influx of unorthodox Democrats: congressmen-elect Heath Shuler in North Carolina and Brad Ellsworth in Indiana are pro-life and pro-gun. But liberals won in some relatively conservative areas as well, and often after being largely ignored by national Democratic strategists. In the House, they include Kentucky's John Yarmuth (who supports universal health care and affirmative action), New Hampshire's Carol Shea-Porter (she was once escorted out of a Bush event for wearing an anti-Bush t-shirt) and Dave Loebsack (an anti-war liberal academic) in Iowa.
Since when is eastern Iowa a "conservative area"? And as Gannett checks in with Dave as orientation week winds down, his message doesn't sound the least conservative:
The former Cornell College professor said he hopes to land a seat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.
He said his top priority is a bill that would create a national health insurance system that has 77 co-sponsors in the House and might get more attention under the Democratic leadership. Loebsack also wants to reduce the costs of loans for all students and believes the new Congress will approve an increase in the minimum wage.
Other than the Loebsack love, the best feature of Time's article is the pictures up top: Joe Lieberman with Rove and Limbaugh in an unholy trinity.
Onetime Lieberman leader in Iowa Kevin McCarthy wants everyone to know the Dems are going to be moderate, moderate, moderate in Des Moines, says the Underrated One, Mike Glover:
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, of Des Moines, was picked to be the House majority leader, giving the top leader team a distinctly moderate tone.
'We also know there are two ways to govern, one is from the mainstream and the other is from the extreme,' McCarthy said. 'We are going to be a party that governs from the mainstream. We are going to focus on bread and butter issues.'
Joining Murphy and McCarthy is Rep. Polly Bukta, D-Clinton, who was elected speaker pro tem.
Assistant majority leaders who were elected include Rep. Lisa Heddens, of Ames; Helen Miller, of Fort Dodge; Mike Reasoner, of Creston; and John Whitaker, of Hillsboro.
Register has more, some good, some not so much:
While Culver has expressed support for reinstatement of the death penalty in limited circumstances, Murphy ruled out House debate of the issue. Culver has also called for repeal of the state law making English the official language of Iowa. Murphy says that's not a priority.
Liberals shouldn't feel left out, Murphy said.
"When we talk about education or health care, I don't think it matters if you're a centrist or a liberal."
What about when it comes to making lifetime vows with your partner?
Maybe the Senate, with its relatively larger majority, will be a notch or two to the left of the House this session. In the big picture, after a decade plus of minority status, not such a bad problem to have. But it's my job, as a duly self-appointed representative of the People's Republic, to keep pushing.
This contest in the London (UK) Times looks like fun:
I am looking for all contact - spotting in the street yesterday, autograph collected in your youth, meeting held with, picture taken with, gift received from, or whatever - with political figures.
Now famous is fine but semi-famous is even better, faintly ludicrous is best of all. Pictures are particularly welcome, especially if they show the semi-famous figure doing something prosaic. Bruce Babbitt shopping for a new television would be ideal.
Waaaay too easy for a caucus-going Iowan, though.
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