Wed, April 30, 2008 - 8:45 AM

Today, Heath Shuler is a first-term conservative Democrat in Congress from Western North Carolina. In 10 years, he'll be president -- at least, according to a piece in last weekend's Washington Post Magazine, looking at the state of the greater Washington, D.C.-area a decade from now. If you've lived in or even been to the nation's capital, the piece is worth a read. It's really a treatise on how security, economic and other concerns could change the way people in this area live. It's highly speculative, of course, but it's informed speculation.

For people following Heath Shuler's budding political career, the story was notable for the casual manner in which one of the country's leading political newspapers casually elevated the freshman congressman to president in only a decade, even if the piece was only fantasy. Shuler was elected in 2006. There will be another presidential election in 2012, followed by one in 2016. If Shuler were to win in 2016, it would go down as one of the most rapid rises in the nation's long political history -- second only, perhaps, to Barack Obama if he wins in November.

If history is a guide, he'd almost certainly have to become a senator or governor first. No one has jumped directly from the House to the White House in 130 years -- and things didn't end so well for that guy.

So why Shuler? The author, metro columnist Marc Fisher, didn't explain his choice in the story or in an online discussion of the piece. I emailed him today to ask. If he writes back, I'll let you know. An excerpt of the story is below.

UPDATE -- Wed. April 30, 8:30 A.M.

Fisher very kindly replied to my email today to explain his choice of Shuler for president. By the way, I forgot to mention that his piece laid out two possible futures, one in which Shuler becomes president, the other where Jeb Bush does.

His reply:

I chose Shuler in good part because he's a known quantity in the Washington area, more thanks to his time with the Redskins than for any political impact he's made.

In that scenario, I was looking for a southern Democrat who might have a plausible shot at higher office a decade or so down the road; a conservative Democrat who had beaten a Republican incumbent was obviously a strong contender for the fantasy promotion I was going to give out. So it was more the plausibility of his resume than any personal achievements that led to my choice. On paper, at least, Shuler has Reagan-like crossover appeal, thanks to his comfort with religious voters, his sports background, and his ability to blur party lines (for example, his support of Democratic environmental issues even as he's strong on gun rights.)

Picking Shuler as a potential president was one of the bits in the magazine piece that apparently really stood out for readers--there were several questions about it on my online chat, and some readers were so appalled at the notion that they could barely go on to read the rest of the story.

--Sean Mussenden

***

VIVIAN AND VICTOR VERVER IN MANY WAYS EPITOMIZED THE CAPITAL REGION'S "YO-YO GENERATION." After 9/11 and the next wave of terrorist attacks, motivated at least in part by fear, they moved from their apartment in Crystal City out to the edge of sprawl, to a new townhouse in Stafford County. Then, more than a decade later, they found themselves moving back to the city's core.

Late in the 21st century's second decade, the Ververs settled in Stafford along with many other refugees from Fairfax, Arlington and other close-in suburbs. After years of nationwide economic decline, energy crises and sporadic small-scale terrorist hits, Vivian and Victor's townhouse community filled with people inspired to follow President Heath Shuler's "New Pioneers" call in 2017 for Americans to decentralize, to leave behind the congested and crumbling 1960s suburbs and embark on a massive resettlement of the land beyond the exurbs. Shuler's lure was the great open spaces that were now finally fully linked to AmeriWeb, the wireless information network that extended into every community in the land, the result of the most massive public works project since the construction of the interstate highway system.

Shuler used that public investment to attract private capital, and, together with the nation's governors, he wove land development and job creation ever more tightly together. The private sector now created its own live-work communities, on the model of 19th-century factory towns, where private capital -- and employers' rules -- largely took the place of government investment.

The Second Age of Discovery, as Shuler called it, was designed to spread out the nation's population from the traffic-choked suburbs and therefore ease the road, rail and air gridlock that was strangling the economy. A more widely dispersed population, working in new urban centers such as Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Frederick, Konterra and La Plata, was supposed to strengthen the economy, enhance quality of life, let more people live near their work and bolster Americans' sense of safety in a dangerous world. Politically, AmeriWeb and the push to repopulate rural regions won support from both left and right by emphasizing the tremendous commitment to infrastructure (with millions of resulting jobs) and the strategic importance of dispersing the population and thereby diminishing the impact of any terror attacks. The old anti-sprawl ideology that was at the heart of the turn-of-the-century green movement gradually gave way to a consensus that Americans would never give up their dream of owning a nice piece of land, well separated from the neighbors.

Tue, April 29, 2008 - 11:54 AM

Hillary Clinton picked up an endorsement from North Carolina's governor Mike Easley today. For more, read the story in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Sen. Barack Obama, while clearly more at home on the basketball court than a bowling alley, failed to score during a pickup game with members of the University of North Carolina basketball team.

The AP reports that Obama managed to get by the Tar Heels' Tyler Hansbrough, but his layup rimmed out.

Last week Obama fared better during a scrimmage with some Indiana high school player – click here to watch a video report of that event.

- Mark Young

Thu, April 24, 2008 - 7:58 PM

WASHINGTON – Latinos from Florida are planning to demonstrate against their state being stripped of its Democratic presidential delegates.

The League of United Latin American Citizens says it is sponsoring protestors from Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and other cities who plan to protest here Wednesday to express their outrage at what they describe as their votes not being counted. The protest is to be held outside Democratic National Committee headquarters here.

“It is a disappointment that Florida has been denied that undeniable right to vote,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales, in a statement. “LULAC believes that every vote needs to be counted with Latino votes at stake.”

The group says Florida voters should not be punished because Florida legislators, frustrated by the outsized clout of early-voting states, broke party rules when they moved up the primary in a bid for more influence.

LULAC also will be delivering petitions to the DNC headquarters.

Other organizations participating will include Florida Voters League, University of Central Florida, Florida Demands Representation, Southern Leadership Coalition and local Florida civil rights leaders.

-- Billy House

Wed, April 23, 2008 - 4:39 PM

WASHINGTON—In Washington, politics never delay votes on key pieces of legislation, right?

Um, no. It happens pretty much every day, usually dozens of times a day. It’s the way this town works.

So, it was much more of the same Wednesday when Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., condemned Senate Democratic leaders for delaying by a few hours a vote on a key piece of veterans’ legislation.

The reason for the delay: politics, of course, this time of the presidential variety.

A day after the Pennsylvania primary, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were out campaigning hard Wednesday, and not expected to return to Washington until late in the afternoon. They face tough primaries in Indiana and North Carolina early next month.

So, Senate Democrats decided not to open the Senate until late Wednesday afternoon, so the candidates could return to town to vote.

“I objected to that,” Burr said. “I objected because I didn't think we needed to accommodate presidential candidates just to accommodate their schedule.”

“If that's the way the majority determines that they want to run the United States Senate, I'm confident the American people will seek a change in who runs the United States Senate,” he added.

One wonders whether Burr would have expressed as much outrage at the delay were his chosen candidate, Sen. John McCain, still locked in a tight race and the Senate delayed opening a few hours to accommodate him.

--Sean Mussenden

Sen. John McCain asked the North Carolina Republican Party not to run a television ad that attacks Sen. Barack Obama, but state party leaders plan to show it anyway.

The ad, which is scheduled to begin airing Monday, shows a photo of Obama with Rev. Jeremiah Wright alongside a clip of Wright's infamous "God Damn America" sermon. The voiceover says Obama is "too extreme for North Carolina."

Obama has denounced Wright's inflammatory comments.

North Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Linda Daves appears at the end of the ad, saying the ad is meant to target Democratic gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Bev Perdue, who have endorsed Obama.

The North Carolina primary election is May 6.

Campaigning in Kentucky, McCain told reporters he was e-mailing the N.C. GOP to ask them to stop running the ad.

"There's no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don't want it," McCain said.



- Mark Young

Tue, April 22, 2008 - 9:27 AM

Just when you thought American politics were too partisan, Earth Day comes along, uniting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former speaker Newt Gingrich on a Washington D.C. couch.

The two talk up climate change action in this black and white spot that looks like they are sitting in the rain in front of the U.S. Capitol.

--Neil Simon

Mon, April 21, 2008 - 10:53 AM

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did a little poll over the weekend, turning up an interesting number. No, this is was no horserace Clinton-Obama tally (Clinton leads by 5 in the latest poll of polls by RealClearPolitics).

Pittsburgh found 64-percent of voters are set in their ways – nothing is going to change their mind in the final 24 hours.

But their online survey (hardly scientific, based on 904 self-selected Web users) found 24-percent of Pennsylvanians are “sick to death of politics.”

Perhaps this is what a barrage of direct mail, phone calls, TV ads and campaign visits will do to the electorate, but if the states that voted before Pennsylvania are any indication, this hotly contested primary will still generate record participation tomorrow night.

--Neil Simon

Fri, April 18, 2008 - 10:09 AM

Stephen Colbert landed both Democratic candidates on his show Thursday night – Hillary Clinton appeared in person to fix a technical problem with the giant screen behind Colbert's desk, and Obama appeared via satellite.

But perhaps the best appearance was former candidate John Edwards' take on a regular Colbert feature, The Word, redubbed The Ed Words in honor of the former North Carolina senator.

Edwards' endorsement has been sought by both Democratic candidates and he revealed that, in addition to promising to work on the issues that formed the core of his campaign - a higher minimum wage, reducing poverty and universal haircare (no, that last one isn't a typo) - he'd also like a jet ski.

- Mark Young

Wed, April 16, 2008 - 3:55 PM

Recent news might have focused more on controversial pastors, mistaken accounts of sniper fire in Bosnia, and words spoken at a San Francisco fundraiser.

But a new study indicates that neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Rodham Clinton have suffered much, at least in how Democratic and independent voters see them as strong or trustworthy leaders ready to be president.

The study’s findings were released today by the National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES) of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Given the tone of the campaign, a downward trend on such traits as trustworthiness, experience, judgment, and readiness to be president would be expected, the study suggests.

However, the change across time from March 1st to April 13th among Democrats and Independents is not statistically significant, the study found.

“If the two Democratic candidates are significantly damaging each other’s general election chances that fact is not evident in these data,” said Bruce Hardy, senior research
analyst at NAES.

Among Democrats, Sen. Clinton edged Sen. Obama on all traits. The reverse is true for self-identified independents voters.

-- Billy House

Tue, April 15, 2008 - 3:20 PM

Clinton did take several questions from the crowd and one journalist asked about solving the quagmire that is Florida.

Florida moved up its primary, violating Democratic Party rules. As it stands now, the state’s delegates will not count in electing a nominee for the party.

Republicans were able to quickly resolve the issue and Democrats still can, Clinton said.

“There are lots of ways this can be solved,” she said.

Clinton said she will continue to call on the party to resolve the issue and said “it would be a grave mistake” to ignore the voters of the state.

-- Amy Dominello

Clinton did not specifically address some of the biggest questions on the trail right now, but instead danced around them.

No mention of Obama’s remarks characterizing small-town America as bitter. But she did emphasize the plight of middle-class America as she spoke and mentioned her own middle-class roots. And she entered and left to the music of a rocker that epitomizes working-class roots, John Cougar Mellencamp.

Even though some have called on her to drop out of the race, she didn’t address it directly. But she did promise it would end. Eventually.

“I know this campaign has gone on a long time. But elections do end,” she said. “.. All we have left is the choice we have made.”

In her final thought she extolled the virtues of Americans, but it easily could have been a veiled reference to her fight for the presidency.

“There is no one who can count us out if we are willing and able to rise up and seize the challenge before us,” she said.

-- Amy Dominello

Clinton was the only of the three candidates to rock it out, making her entrance to the John Cougar Mellencamp song, “This Is Our Country.”

And that’s pretty much the theme she stuck to as she launched into her speech – which at times bordered on school lecture - about the power of the presidency.

She criticized President Bush for abuse of power before launching into a litany of areas the president has failed.

“He has abused his power while failing to understand its purpose,” Clinton said.

Clinton said she would be the one to bring change
.
“The magnitude of the problems before us present a unique challenge and chance to bring this generation of Americans together,” she said. “A new president will inherit the job at a time of unprecedented challenges and threats. … That’s why it’s so important we restore balance and integrity to the presidency.”

If elected, Clinton said she would restore faith, openness and “evidence-based decision making” to government. She also said she would restore respect for the other branches of government.

-- Amy Dominello

WASHINGTON – One environmental group is not very impressed with John McCain’s call today for a gas-tax holiday and his claim that in his presidential administration “there will be no corporate welfare.”

McCain made the comments in a speech in Philadelphia today.

But the League of Conservation Voters points out in a press release that on Dec. 17, 2007, McCain was the only senator to miss a vote to invoke cloture (end debate and allow for a vote) on a version of an energy bill that would have repealed $18 billion in subsidies to oil companies.

“McCain was the lone Senator to miss the vote, ensuring that billions of taxpayer dollars continued to flow into ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips,” the group’s press release said. “These multinationals enjoyed another year of record profits, yet the corporate tax cuts McCain proposed today would reduce taxes for those five companies by an additional $3.8 billion.”

“If Senator McCain wants to save money for American taxpayers, he should get to the root of the problem: massive taxpayer-funded subsidies to huge oil companies that are already making tens of billions of dollars a year,” LCV President Gene Karpinski said. “The answer to the high cost of gas is not temporary tax maneuvering, it is a fundamental shift away from oil and towards clean, renewable energy.”

-- Billy House

Hillary Clinton took her turn before a tough crowd this afternoon.

She spoke to journalists in Washington at a luncheon for the Newspaper Association of America and American Society of Newspaper Editors. Barack Obama and John McCain got their turn to speak to large gatherings of editors and publishers on Monday.

The journalist who introduced her reminded her that there are plenty of people in the crowd who are used to answering the phone at 3 a.m. – editors.

“He’s given me a great idea of where I can find a running mate,” Clinton said.

-- Amy Dominello