Democratic Politics
Apparently, it is possible to write a whole New York Times article on Harold Ford considering a run for Senate in New York without mentioning a single position he has on any issue. Read it here. It's about donors and fundraising, not issues and constituencies. And even with all the political commentary in the article, I still cannot figure out if the presumed dissatisfaction with incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand is because she is too far to the Left or to the Right.
Looking for more disappointment? Consider these three excerpts:
Those who have expressed interest in a Ford campaign remain skittish about discussing it publicly, citing Ms. Gillibrand’s power over billions of dollars in financing around the state.
The New York Times reports that Representative Kirsten Gillibrand will be appointed to fill the Senate seat from New York vacated by Hillary Clinton. This process has been a sordid mess, with too much focus on Caroline Kennedy and too little discussion of other possible candidates. But the result is a good one -- upstate New York ought to be represented in the Senate, and the voters will be able to decide if they want to keep Gillibrand in 2010. And for folks at Dartmouth, it will be nice to have our first alumna in the Senate. (Gillibrand was the first in the House as well).
Gillibrand is a centrist Democrat. It is already clear that she will face a primary challenge:
The Republican coalition from the 1980s and 90s of social and financial conservatives has always been a marriage of convenience.
While there is some overlap between the two groups, for the most part the two lead very separate lives, sleep in separate bedrooms, and do very different things. They joined together in political matrimony and were seen together in public because that was the easiest way for each one to have a chance at being in and exercising power.
So what happens when that chance decreases or collapses and severe troubles develop between the two previous marriage of convenience partners? First, marriage counseling. Second, either a reconciliation or divorce.
