SOUTH CAROLINA SPECIAL ELECTION COVERAGE

Follow live results here courtesy of POLITICO.

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a special election in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. The win caps a political comeback for Sanford, a Republican, who made national headlines in 2009 after admitting to an extramarital affair with Maria Belen Chapur, now his fiancée. With 100% of precincts reporting in South Carolina, Sanford leads 77,251 to 64,413 over Colbert Busch (54-45%).

8:30 - We can now project that former Governor Mark Sanford has defeated Elizabeth Colbert Busch in the South Carolina Special Election.

8:25 - With over half of precincts now in, it's a 9-point Sanford lead over Colbert Busch.

8:12 - With 33% of the precincts reporting Governor Mark Sanford leads Elizabeth Colbert Busch 51% - 48%.

SOUTH CAROLINA SPECIAL ELECTION – At the top of the 7 PM (ET) hour polls will be closed in the Special Election in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District between former Republican Governor Mark Sanford and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

MASSACHUSETTS SPECIAL ELECTION COVERAGE

Follow live results here courtesy of POLITICO.

9:11 PM  BOSTON (AP) - Democratic Rep. Ed Markey wins Mass. US Senate primary, will vie for Kerry's former seat in June.

9:03 PM  BOSTON (AP) - Ex-Navy SEAL Gomez wins GOP US Senate primary in Mass., moves on to June special election.

MASSACHUSETTS SPECIAL ELECTION – At the top of the 8 PM (ET) hour polls will be closed in the Primary for the Special Senate Election scheduled for Tuesday June 25th to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Kerry upon his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of State.

A Look Back on Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution

By: Ned Borninski, FPP Sr. Political Correspondent

            Late in the afternoon on March 5^th, 2013, Vice President Nicolás Maduro conducted a live televised broadcast to his country of Venezuela with some news that would greatly upset and sadden his people.  Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, the President of Venezuela for more than thirteen years and the man that many of the poor and downtrodden viewed as their hero, was dead.  Chávez had been suffering from a cancerous tumor for the past two years, and although many suspected that the disease could be terminal, it had not deterred his landslide victory in the Presidential election only a few months before.  When the news was announced, millions of Venezuelans poured out onto the streets to express their mourning and grief for their leader.  At Chávez’s state funeral a few days later, over thirty world leaders and celebrities were in attendance, including the Presidents of Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and Iran. 

Americans Sean Penn, the actor, and Jesse Jackson Jr., the civil rights crusader, also attended the funeral.  Former United States President Jimmy Carter even sent in his condolences.

            With such popular and international mourning over Chávez’s death, one might wonder where United States President Barack Obama could be found in all of this.  Shortly after Chávez’s death, the State Department released a statement that read as follows:

"At this challenging time of President Hugo Chávez's passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government. As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights."

Due to the strain that has afflicted United States-Venezuelan relations, this statement has widely been seen to be a criticism of Chávez and his policies, as the United States has been referring to Chávez as a “dictator” since the early 2000’s.  Indeed, according to recent polls, only six percent of Americans approved of Chávez while he was in office, and famous televangelist Pat Robertson even called for his assassination. In turn, Chávez’s government had leveled intense criticism at the United States; Chávez even went so far as to refer to George W. Bush as “the Devil” during a speech at the United Nations.

            Ironically, Robertson’s call may have been taken to heart by the Bush Administration.  An astonishingly little known fact is that the United States and the CIA had sponsored a coup in 2002 against Chávez’s then still young government. This information was well known to the Venezuelan government, and was further supported by secret documents leaked by Wikileaks.  Perceiving him as a threat to US oil supplies, elements of the Venezuelan military removed Chávez from power for two days, setting up a puppet regime during that period that dissolved the Venezuelan Parliament and the country’s constitution. However, the coup’s CIA planners failed to take into account the fact that Chávez enjoyed far reaching popular support across the population of Venezuela.  A civilian uprising toppled the short-lived government of coup leader Pedro Carmona and restored Hugo Chávez to power. Since that moment, Chávez has spared no barbs against the country that attempted to topple his government; the same country that had succeeded in similar covert takeovers worldwide.

            Just who was Hugo Chávez, one might ask, and why did the United States oppose him so much? Well, the answer to that question can be found with a look into Chávez’s background. Born in 1954 to humble origins, Chávez attended the Military Academy of Venezuela after high school.  The young officer quickly distinguished himself in operations against Maoist insurgents during the 1970’s, educating himself on history and politics while doing so. Sympathetic to the plight of the poor he witnessed, Chávez became involved with left wing socialist groups. However, Chávez rejected the models of socialism practiced in the Soviet Union and China. His hero was Simon Bolivar, the liberator of Venezuela and much of South America during the wars of independence early in the previous century. Indeed, Chávez would later become a major force behind the renaming of the nation from the “Republic of Venezuela” to the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” in honor of the nation’s founding father.

            Chávez continued to gain influence by working as a teacher at the Military Academy for a while and also by striving to protect the rights of the country’s discriminated minority of Native Americans.  In 1989, Chávez supported Carlos Andrés Pérez for President of Venezuela.  After his election, however, Pérez violently suppressed dissent in the nation, slaughtering hundreds of political opponents and protestors. Chávez broke with Pérez at this point, and in 1992 attempted a coup against him.  The coup was quickly put down, and Chávez was imprisoned until 1994, when he was pardoned after Pérez was impeached.  Chávez spent much of the next few years building up support for his own eventual Presidential run. In 1999, Chávez was elected President of Venezuela, and one of his first acts was to revise the country’s constitution to allow for more direct participation in politics by the people of Venezuela, one of the main factors that have led to around 81% of the population participating in Venezuelan elections, compared to approximately 45% in the United States.

            Governing originally as a center-left social democrat, Chávez was nevertheless an opponent of the neoliberal Washington Consensus. His government expanded welfare programs and regulated the country’s oil industry, which had been an important source of oil for the United States, to allow for more profits to be distributed to the people. Additionally, Chávez criticized the United States’ foreign policy, arguing that the War on Terror was only encouraging more terrorists due to the innocents who were killed as collateral damage.  For these reasons, and also possibly the general climate of paranoia in post 9/11 America, the Bush Administration supported the attempted coup against Chávez.

            However, this coup would have the opposite effect Washington intended.  Brought back into power by a massive wave of public support, Chávez moved drastically to the left.  Condemning the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also the treatment of Iran, Chávez labeled the United States as an imperialist nation, out to conquer the world for its own benefit. Interestingly, Chávez had his allies in the American left, including former President Jimmy Carter, who condemned his nation’s coup attempt against Chávez. Chávez also publically recommended Hegemony or Survival, a book critical of US foreign policy by famed MIT professor Noam Chomsky, another Chávez supporter. However, while his relations with the United States went into the gutter, Chávez’s Venezuela found new allies in Iran and the Middle East, and also in the other left wing governments of Latin America.  Angered by centuries of abusive and imperialistic American interference into their nations similar to the coup attempt in Venezuela, a wave of left wing governments such as those of Evo Morales in Bolivia, Lula de Silva in Brazil, and Christina Kirchner in Argentina rose as Chávez allies.

            Chávez’s government moved to the left on economics as well. While originally limited to a few social democratic reforms, following the coup attempt the government began supporting outright socialism.  The Chávez administration nationalized all of Venezuela’s oil industry and promoted the creation of more than 100,000 worker cooperatives, where workers democratically self-managed their own businesses.  These reforms caused a 50% drop in the poverty rate, and improved living standards for more than a million Venezuelans. Now, with the failures of socialism in China and the former USSR, one might think that Chávez’s variant would lead to a similar economic collapse.  But, one would be mistaken.  Chávez’s variant of socialism, referred to as “Democratic Socialism” or “Socialism of the 21^st Century” was a decentralized, bottom-up, popular form of socialism that had little in common with the bureaucratic collectivism found behind the Iron Curtain. Perhaps as a result of this, for the years following the implementation of these policies the economy of Venezuela has expanded by every measurable standard; that is, except for a brief slump from 2008 to 2009 caused by the world economic crisis.

            Of course, this complete and total rejection of neoliberalism did not sit well with the United States, or her ally, the authoritarian regime of Alvaro Uribe in Venezuela’s neighbor to the west, Colombia.  The Bush administration continued to accuse Chávez of being a “dictator” and of aiding global terrorism.  Chávez was specifically accused of helping aid the FARC terrorist group in Colombia. However, upon Barack Obama’s election as US President in 2008, it seemed as though relations would improve.  Chávez met Obama at a Pan-American summit in early 2009 and said to him, “I want to be your friend.” Unfortunately, Obama, perhaps worried about his approval ratings at home, declined, and continued the War on Terror and denials of US involvement in the 2002 coup.

            Despite all of these events, Chávez always remained incredibly popular among the Venezuelan people, most likely because of his advocacy on behalf of the poor, minorities, and the downtrodden. Certainly, Chávez was not perfect; even his most ardent supporters agree that his attempts to micromanage certain aspects of the government turned out not to work for the best.  However, Chávez continues to be, and will probably be for a long time, regarded as one of the greatest politicians in Latin America since Simon Bolivar, with his policies having vastly helped millions of ordinary people. According to the Venezuelan Constitution, a new presidential election shall have to occur within 30 days after Chávez’s death, and Chávez’s Vice President and chosen successor, Nicolás Maduro is currently the poll favorite. It is fitting perhaps, that the so called “Bolivarian Revolution,” which survived sixteen elections and referendums, shall be continued on even after its founding hero has passed away.

In Aménas, AQIM, and Mokhtar Belmokhtar

By Jason Colella, Sr. Political Editor and Co-Founder

The Maghreb and Mali are currently in a state of seeming free fall -- chaos descending to the nations of North Africa. The chaos in Mali was a result of a coup d’état and succession movement in the northern state of Azwad lead by a group called the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). MNLA allied themselves with other groups that were more than happy to help overthrow the Malian government including Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). These two Islamic extremist groups have proved to be well funded and organized easily overpowering the MNLA and took control of the revolution; subsequently, they have pushed for a hard line Islamic state to replace Mali. Mali in conjunction with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convinced the UN Security Council to give military aid to the Malian government. As a result, French President Francois Hollande sent aircraft and ground troops to Mali. This foreign intrusion into the politics of the Sahel and Maghreb angered many of Africa’s radical groups including one called al-Mulatahemeen (masked brigade) which is a splinter group of AQIM.

Al-Mulatahemeen was formed by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who was in AQIM senior leadership, but Belmokhtar was viewed by Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, the leader of AQIM since 2004, as a threat to his own power and expelled from AQIM.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar was born in Algeria and trained in Jihad as part of the Mujahideen in the Afghanistan Civil War before he moved back to Algeria were he quickly proved to a talented and fearless terrorist as a part of the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), but as the GIA was slowing falling apart he became a member of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) which would eventually become AQIM. Belmokhtar grew in power becoming a senior commander in AQIM where he successfully partook in many high profile kidnappings. AQIM funds itself through ransom collected on those they kidnap. It is figured that they have made approximately 100 million dollar off their kidnappings making them al-Qaeda’s wealthiest branch.

Belmokhtar penchant for kidnapping did not end when his ties to AQIM did. Just recently al-Mulatahemeen showcased their abilities when they launched a raid on a gas facility in In Aménas, Algeria. The group managed to take over 800 people hostage although according to many sources the raid was actually a failure. According to these sources, they planned on intercepting a bus filled with foreign employees as it was on the way to the airport, but they were unable to complete this objective. Also, the hostages held at the Tigantourine facilities were supposed be transported to Northern Mali were they were going to be held captive. However, the Malian military acted fairly quickly and ferociously resulting in roughly the death of 40 hostages and 30 militants. The government has received some criticism from the international community for what has been viewed as a poorly executed and dangerous operation which could have been better executed if Algeria would have consulted other nations before acting.

Belmokhtar has stated that the objective of the kidnappings were to stop French involvement in the Malian Civil War and also some sources claim they demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui and Omar Abdel-Rahman both convicted terrorist serving lengthy sentences in US Prisons.

Although they were not successful in this mission; it is important to remember that these organizations are far from become inconsequential players in North Africa especially with the vast financial wealth AQIM has aculminated. It is likely that France and Mali will be victorious at regaining control of Mali and the state of Azwad. It just comes down to what will the long term destabilizing effects on the region will be.

Wednesday Morning Breakfast Menu 1/30

Good Wednesday morning! Another day, another bunch of headlines. Here are a few articles on today's top stories.







News/Politics

Senate confirms John Kerry - Seung Min Kim, Politico
Republicans Will Never Attract Minorities - Michael Tomasky, Daily Beast
Obama's 2nd Term: The Permanent Campaign - Molly Ball, The Atlantic
Fox News Ratings Hit 12-Year Low - Katherine Fung, Huff Post
A Judicial Atrocity - Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker
Bipartisan Hunting Buddies - James Baker and John Dingell, New York Times Op-Ed
Lynch to Announce Senate Run on Thursday - Sean Sullivan, Washington Post
The GOP Suicide Club - Steve Kornacki, Salon.com
Can Cory Booker Keep It Together? - Ruby Cramer, BuzzFeed Politics
Transportation Secretary to Leave Administration - Ken Thomas, AP via TIME
The Rising Progressive Tide - Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Washington Post

Sports

Lewis Staunchly Denies Using Banned Drug - Chris Burke, Audibles
A-Rod's Stay in New York All But Over - Tyler Kepner, New York Times
Ex-Jets GM: No Regrets for Tebow Trade - Rich Cimini, ESPN
Kelly Unsure Whether Hoax Affected Te'o - Brian Hamilton, Chicago Tribune

Tuesday Tea Time

A wide array of articles showcasing important international issues.

1. AU talks break down over DR Congo crisis, AlJazeera English 
2. A Glimpse into a Mysterious African Dictatorship: Is Eritrea on the Verge? -- William Lloyd George & Addis Ababa, Time
3. Blood in Egypt’s Streets: Anger in Tahrir then Soccer Violence in Port Said -- Ashraf Khalil, Time
4. Mali rebels melt away in face of French advance -- Luke Harding, The Guardian
5. US military sending air tankers to refuel French jets over Mali, AP via The Guardian
6. War in Mali: France and African Allies Take on Islamist Militants, Time
7. Mali: Timbuktu Locals Saved Some of Their City’s Ancient Manuscripts from Islamists --  Vivienne Walt, Time
8. French, Malians retake Timbuktu, rebels torch library -- Adama Diarra, Rueters
9. The Unspectacular, Unsophisticated Algerian Hostage Crisis -- Scott Stewart, Stratfor
10. Medvedev: Assad's chances of retaining power in Syria are shrinking, Reuters via The Guardian
11. Indonesia Readies for $1 Trillion Trade Talks -- John Heilprin, Time
12. The United Kingdom Moves Away from the European Project -- Adriano Bosoni, Stratfor
13. Berlusconi defends Mussolini for backing Hitler, USA Today
14. 50 Years After Landmark Treaty, Can France and Germany Save Europe? -- Bruce Crumley, Time
15. Carlos Slim closer to entering Mexico's television market -- Daniel Hernandez, LA Times Mexico's Drug War: Persisting Violence and a New President, Stratfor
16. Inmates moved after bloody Venezuela prison riot -- Ian James, USA Today
17. 'Complete panic' as 233 killed in Brazil nightclub fire -- Sheena Rossiter, USA Today

116 Years of the Same

By Jason Colella, Sr. Political Editor & Co-founder

Picture provided by Wikipedia

“There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that, if you will only legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests up on them.” This may sound like something that any mainstream Democrat may have said during this election cycle, but that would be wrong. It was, indeed, said by a Democrat at a National Convention, but not recently. William Jennings Bryan said this during his 1896 Presidential Acceptance Speech, which would later come to be known as the Cross of Gold Speech.

Bryan was right about Supply Side Economics before it was even invented. Maybe the world would have been better off if Reagan, Hayek, and Freidman idolized Bryan instead of an Adam Smith that he himself would not have recognized and would have vehemently opposed. The Wealth of Nations does agree with Bryan’s statement, but Republicans seem to forget that anyone with the ability to read and curiosity could find that out. The fundamental flaw in the Republican economic mindset is simple – they think rich people have no self-control. It assumes that if you give a millionaire a million dollars, he will spend it all. Has the idea of saving ever occur to them? The other issue is, just as obvious, rich people buy and do rich people things like play polo and buy designer clothes - which has little to no economic impact on the average working class American. The very people this ludicrous idea was intended to help.
Now to the non-economic point his statement brings up. It showcases a trait of American political thought that is often incorrectly assumed to be nonexistent – consistency. The Republicans have consistently run on the same bad and ill-informed economic policy for the last 116 years. Congratulations. We think politics today is so partisan, so gridlocked, so ideological, and so ineffective. But, I hate to be the bearer of bad news; it has always been that way and, quite frankly, will always be that way.

Congress is partisan, and it always has been. Preston Brooks, a congressman, nearly beat to death Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the US Senate over a political difference in 1857. Eric Cantor and Boehner have yet to beat up a Democrat. Today the violence is verbal attacks in the press, and even those as vitriolic, as they may be, that are not libelous or crude. We are more civilized in our discourse, which goes to show you how messed we have been and how messy democracy truly is. Congress is partisan because of the people it attracts. People run for office, not because Congress is such a high paying job with great perks like many disenfranchised Americans will tell you. They run because they have strong views that they want others to not only to hear and believe, but be forced to follow. Honestly, most of them could, and did, make much more money in their past life than as a congressman.

Gridlock and inefficacy does run rampant in the government, but it can be dealt with. Elected officials need to be open minded and willing to negotiate, which many of them are incapable of doing today because of their strong ideology footing. It is not, however, their fault that their views are as unyielding as a raging bull – stubborn and crazy – it is the electorate for electing them to office. Quit electing nut jobs. I mean, I have a poor view of the fine Americans who live in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional district because they have elected Michelle Bachman repeatedly. Gridlock and inefficacy can keep people from doing horrible idiotic things. Sometimes doing nothing can be better than doing things, especially when action results in stupid decisions.

Bryan has two key pieces of advice to offer. First, Republicans have always had a poor taste in economic policy, and secondly the concept of political consistency. Government seems bad, but it always has been bad. It is not so much the fault of the politicians because most are well meaning when they get there; it is rather the fault of voters who take the tremendous privilege of participating in the greatest experiment in social theory ever undertaken not seriously enough, and a flawed system that promotes gridlock. As Winston Churchill said, ’’No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.’’

Talking Points: The American Voter

By: Will Snyder, Managing Editor Fourth Party Politics

Do a majority of America’s voters know enough? Care enough? Think about the issues clearly enough? A sign of our political self-confidence is how we regularly scrutinize and call to attention the ridiculous things our politicians say. Any average Joe can easily make fun of the things politicians say, but who is there to rebuff the equally dumb, ill-informed, and offensive comments of the average senseless voter. What if the problem in today’s 24 hour news cycle and political system isn’t with the politicians themselves or most of the people who will read this, but is instead those individuals among us who represent the tendency to act and say thoroughly stupid things.

Most would agree that honesty and truthfulness in our politicians and government circles is desirable. So why, you ask has it been so difficult and maybe impossible to achieve these goals? Maybe the conclusion is that we do not desire the truth; however, we sincerely believe we do. Maybe the average American voter can’t handle the truth. You see the truth is government isn’t perfect, was never meant to be perfect, and will never be perfect. The sooner the extreme Tea Party and Occupy movements realize this along with the party lacks - the better.

Not only are we blind to the faults the voters make, but the voters often times commit equally egregious faults by basing their political beliefs on downright lies and myths. Our Democracy or more precisely our Republic was founded on the belief that the voters would base their beliefs and cast their votes on reason and truth. Yet, most of the voters are truly uneducated on the issues and base their beliefs not on reason, but the inclination to believe what they want to believe, regardless of the facts. You see maybe the confidence of our Republic rests on a myth.

As always is the case, the holiday season brings out the best in political debate among friends and family. And this past holiday season was no different, especially with the fiscal cliff and gun control debates. One message seemed quite clear to me this year - people on both sides of the aisle are fed up with government and more than usual.

Some people think that I have this problem with the extreme right Tea Party movement, and they couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m all for free speech and expression even if your sole existence is a waste of space and oxygen on god’s loving planet. In all actuality, I find both the Tea Party and Occupy movements to be entertaining to say the least. At least these people, as habitually stupid as the may be, have gotten off the couch and are letting their voices be heard.

What does drive me intensely insane are the fools who embrace the beliefs of these movements, yet they refuse to give their precious time and effort to what they claim they believe in - the lazy hypocrites of America.

I’m all in favor of people expressing their political opinions – but with reason. If you truthfully believe in something, you have the opportunity every few years to let your voice be heard. They’re called elections. If you don’t like something get off the couch and get your hand out of the Cheetos bag and change it; in the meantime shut the **** up. Much blood was shed for the right to elect freely in this country, before you blame the system look in the mirror.

Yours in Democracy, -Will Snyder

A Lite Breakfast

Articles on some of today's top stories.

After Successful Missile Launch, North Korea Threatens New Nuclear Test -- Austin Ramzy, Time
Davos: Mario Draghi, The Man Who Would Save Europe -- Catherine Mayer and Michael Schuman, Time
Deficit Hawks Down -- Paul Krugman, NY Times
Pentagon Is Set to Lift Combat Ban for Women -- Elisabeth Bumiller and Thom Shanker, NY Times
Yes, He Can: Twenty Ways Obama Can Use Executive Power to Push a Progressive Agenda -- The Editors, The Nation
Obama to announce McDonough as chief of staff, Pfeiffer as senior adviser -- Jenifer Epstein, Politico

Prejudice in 2013

By Nathan Wood, Staff writer FPP


The other day I was studying with a friend on campus when a lady came up to us. She expressed to us her discontent of not having a place to study at night on the weekends. She said something along the lines of “Don’t you hate it that they close all the buildings when us students have to study?”

Although I thought it was strange that she approached us, we gave slight nods. What she said next troubled me:

“Everywhere I go people are either talking or talking to me.” Then she goes into a whisper: “This black guy came up to me and started talking to me. I mean like what the f***? I mean, I’m from Florida and I don’t want to talk to any black people!”

At this point, I was in shock from what this lady said, but I was also trying to say the right things to get her to go somewhere else. Listening to racist comments makes me livid and sick. If it went any further, I would have had to say something, but luckily, she ended up leaving shortly after.

Now, I thought that maybe it was because of where I attend school (Tennessee), or maybe it was just by random chance that I came across someone who was racist, but those things still do not write-off the social ills still lurking today. Prejudice still exists today. The thought of people being inherently worse than others based on a factor they cannot control is absurd, yet people still seem to think it is an OK way to act. If we want to fix this in our society, a stride toward educating people must be made. It is the primary way to flush this attitude out of society. Although it may seem obvious, people need to know what prejudice is and why it is wrong.

After the recent Martin Luther King Jr. Day has passed, we look back and considered the fact that racism towards minorities, specifically blacks, has greatly diminished, and our legal system has greatly catalyzed this. However, prejudice still exists in many forms today: racism, sexism, age discrimination, and religion. The misunderstanding of ethnic groups can be eliminated through education. Although it is something every person needs to work on in varying degrees, over time, we can push towards a more egalitarian society.

Freshman Introductions: Elizabeth Warren and Heidi Heitkamp

Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) of Massachusetts became the first female to represent the Commonwealth in the Senate with her victory this past November over Scott Brown. Before being elected, Warren served as a Harvard Law School professor specializing in bankruptcy law and personal finance. Warren gained national prominence as a consumer protection advocate which led to her being appointed to help setup the new U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010. Warren, however, was not tapped as the bureaus new director due to strong opposition from both Wall St. and congressional Republicans. Liberal groups were extremely upset with President Obama who was unwilling to fight a nomination battle with Senate Republicans. In late 2008, Warren was appointed by Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid to chair the Congressional Oversight Panel which oversaw the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (TARP oversight). Warren was assigned a seat on the Senate Banking Committee.

Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

When incumbent Democratic Senator Kent Conrad decided to retire, it was thought as if it were a lost cause for Democrats to retain control of the seat. However, in the closest Senate Election of the year Heidi Heitkamp defeated Rick Berg by a mere 2,994 votes; less than 1% of the total vote. Heidi is a native of North Dakota and earned her B.A. from the University of North Dakota before attending law school at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon. After college, she worked as an attorney for the EPA and for the North Dakota Tax Commissioner’s office. When her boss Kent Conrad decided to run for US Senate, Heitkamp ran for his job -- North Dakota Tax Commissioner. She easily won the election garnering 65% of the vote. In 1992, she decided to run for State Attorney General and was easily elected to the position where she would serve until 2000 when she lost her bid to become governor to now fellow senator John Hoeven. Between her run for senate and her failed Governor bid she served as director of the Dakota Gasification Company.

She is a fairly moderate Democrat whose views fit perfectly in a Red State such as North Dakota. She is in favor of the Keystone Pipeline, yet opposes Fracking. She supports Obamcare, but thinks there are many parts that need to be re-written. She supports a Balanced Budget Amendment and the Buffet Rule.

Your Desert Links: Mali's War

As many of FPP’s regular readers many know, there is currently a war going on in the West African Nation of Mali. This war has seen a flurry of active in the last few days, so to supplement my article from yesterday I have complied a Tea Time devoted entirely to Mali. The articles are in order of publish date with newest on top. Enjoy!

Jan. 15 - French Pledge More Troops for Mali asAirstrikes Continue -- Steven Erlanger, Alan Cowell and Adam Nossiter, New York Times
Jan 15 -- Is Mali another loss for counterinsurgency? -- Max Fisher, Washington Post
Jan 14 -- France Says Diabaly Falls to Malian Insurgents - Baba Ahmed & Rukmini Callimachi, Time
Jan. 14 -- French Lead All-Night Bombing Campaign in Diabaly - Baba Ahmed & Rukmini Callimachi, Time
Jan. 14th -- War in Mali: France Can Bomb Militants, but Not Arms Routes - Vivienne Walt, Time
Nov. 12th -- Mali’s Looming War: Will Military Intervention Drive Out the Islamists? - Alan Boswell, Time
Oct. 29th -- What Mali’s Crisis Means for the Future of Western Military Intervention - Vivienne Walt, Time
Oct. 17th -- Will the World Go to War to Save Mali? - Ishaan Tharoor, Time
July 02 -- Timbuktu’s Destruction: Why Islamists Are Wrecking Mali’s Cultural Heritage - Ishaan Tharoor, Time
April 1 -- Gaddafi's Posthumous Gift to Mali: The Tuareg Seize Timbuktu - Julius Cavendish, Time

The War in Malli

Courtesy of Wikipedia

By Jason Colella, Co-Owner and Sr. Political Editor

The West African nation of Mali was at one time the capital of one the most powerful empires on earth, but now Mali is just your average third world nation in the middle of the harsh and unforgiving Sahara Desert. Mali was a semi-stable country until last January when a group called the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) started a rebellion to succeed the northern state of Azawad from Mali. On March 22 2012, a mutiny took in Mali’s army resulting in a successful coup d'état which overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré who was to retire in a month. The mutinist called themselves the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR). On April 6th, the MNLA declared a ceasefire with Mali because according to them they had accomplished their objectives. The petition for statehood they sent to the EU and African Union was, however, rejected. But it was soon it was clear that the friends MNLA had made to help them in their quest to create a home land for the Taureg people did not have the end game. Ansar Dine proved to an Islamic extremist organization that began instituting hardcore Sharia law in the country, and Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) is a part of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM). This created a Civil War between those two radical Islamic groups and the more mainstream MNLA. Over time MOJWA and Ansar Dine to a lesser extent have proved to be more powerful than MNLA and have taken over large portions of Northern Mali. This meant MNLA was now on the side of the government that they just overthrow, but they had a vastly different motive yet common enemy. In one the largest battles yet to take place, MNLA was defeated resulting a serious injury to their secretary-general Bilal Ag Acherif and Islamic extremist gained control of the strategic city of Gao. This past fall AQIM and MOJWA took over the northern cities of Douentza and Ménaka. The conflict began to ramp up again in 2013 with government of Mali and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) asking for foreign intervention. French President Francois Hollande agreed and sent a small force to Mali in accordance with a unanimously passed agreement of the UN Sec. Council. On the 10th of January, 1200 rebel fighters seized the town of Konna which held strategic importance because of the airport close by and proximity to a Mali military base. This forced France to act faster than anticipated. They began a military assault on Kona and within two days drove the rebels back out of the town through their use of Helicopters and Fighter Jets. As of now, the French are still actively engaged in battle and will before the foreseeable future. Yesterday the British announced they will send two cargo planes to help move supplies. Today Islamist forces took control of the city of Diabali the closest they have come Bamako.

This is a rapidly developing story and as such the facts will change soon. So, please stay tuned for updates about this underreported story.

Monday Morning Breakfast Menu 1/14

Good Monday morning! Another day, another bunch of headlines. There is simply no better way to start your workweek than with our Monday morning breakfast links.


US Politics
Senate is Losing its Lions - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
Can Biden Stop the Shooting - Alex Koppelman, The New Yorker
House GOP Eyes Default, Shutdown - JIM VANDEHEI and MIKE ALLEN, POLITICO
Bob Schieffer Grills John McCain - Anjali Sareen, Mediaite - with video
Our Interrogation Legacy - George Will, Washington Post


World Politics
How India Fought Polio — and Won - Krista Mahr, Time
Will Britain Exit the European Union? The Rise of a Small Party Makes that Scenario More Likely -- Megan Gibson, Time
The Crisis in Mali: Will French Air Strikes Stop the Islamist Advance? -- Alex Perry, Time
French Jets Bomb Major Malian City in North, Baba Ahmend & Rukmini Cillinachi, Time
France Vows Help after Mali Islamists Take Town - Krista Larson & Baba Ahmend, TIme


Entertainment
Golden Globes 2013: The best moments - Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
Golden Globes: 'Les Miz' 'Argo' and 'Girls' win big; Jodie Foster honored - Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
‘Lego Marvel Super Heroes’ game on the way - Patrick Kevin Day, LA Times
Ultimate Top 10: Madonna's No. 1 status is written in her MDNA - Randy Lewis, LA Times
Globes tweet winners before TV announces them - Olivia Barker, USA Today


Sports 
Falcons vs. Seahawks: Atlanta thwarts Seattle comeback as Matt Bryant hits late field goal for 30-28 win - Mark Maske, Washington Post
Patriots vs. Texans: Tom Brady passes New England into AFC title game -- Barry Svrluga, Washington Post
Lance Armstrong apologizes to people in cylcling community ahead of Oprah Winfrey interview -- Liz Clarke, Washington Post

Video Games: A Convenient Scapegoat

By Ned Borninski, FPP Contributor

Looking back on 2012 from the early weeks of 2013, it can be seen that 2012 was a very interesting year for video game politics. From the drama of the Retake Mass Effect movement to a candidate for State Representative in Maine being attacked for playing World of Warcraft, issues relating to video games gained increasing importance in American politics. However, as 2012 came to a close, video games and their relationship with the public gained an even greater spotlight in the national media in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Figures as diverse as NRA Chairman Wayne LaPierre and Obama campaign advisor David Axelrod blamed violent video games for influencing Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza to commit his actions.

This is by no means a new phenomenon. Video games have been blamed for massacres at least as far back as the famous Noah Wilson murder case in 1997, where it was alleged that a teenage boy was murdered by a friend who was imitating a character from Mortal Kombat. In fact, Florida-based attorney Jack Thompson rose to national prominence due to his anti-video game crusade in the late 1990’s and early 2000s, and powerful political figures like Hillary Clinton have been attempting legislation regulating video games for years. With such mainstream and bipartisan support for the issue, it may be a surprise to many that the allegations about video games causing violence are not true at all.

Supporters of video game regulation often point to studies such as the 2008 study of more than 1500 youths in the United States and Japan undertaken by the scholarly journal Pediatrics. The study found that “Children and teenagers who play violent video games show increased physical aggression…” This research is also supported by other studies, including ones conducted in 2006 at Indiana University and another in 2010 by the American Psychological Association. Additionally, the fact that many of the perpetrators of recent mass shootings including Adam Lanza, Anders Behring Brevik, Seung-Hui Cho, and even Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were all video gamers seems to support this data. However, according to psychologists Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson, these studies are misleading.

In their 2008 book, Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, Kutner and Olson argue that research in this area is heavily disputed and flawed. The studies which claim to display the connection between video games and violence are unclear as to what constitutes “aggressive behavior,” and they also tend to confuse long-term and short term psychological effects. The measures of aggression used in these surveys are poorly validated and do not correlate with violent acts such as assault or shootings. As Kutner commented in an April 16th, 2008 X-Play interview about the book, "You'll sometimes see kids coming out of an action movie making kung fu moves against one another, but that doesn't mean they're going to do that against the sweet little old lady down the street." Kutner and Olson then go on to point out that the vast majority of video gamers are obviously not killers, and that crime rates have actually gone down since the 1980’s, the same time period in which video games have become popular. Additionally, the research doesn’t so much as suggest that violent video games increase aggression, but rather that aggressive people are attracted to violent video games, which explains the shooters’ connections to the games. Advocates of video game regulation also tend to overlook famous video gamers who are not serial killers, including the actresses Felicia Day and Mila Kunis and the writer Terry Pratchett.

Kutner and Olson suggest that the reason behind such anti-video game hysteria tends to be that although around 70% of American households have video games, much of the electorate tends to be unaware about the content in video games, thus allowing politicians to take advantage of this and use video games as a scapegoat whenever a mass shooting occurs. An emotional public searching for answers as to why these events happen laps this rhetoric up.

Additional studies, such as those undertaken in 2009 by Texas A&M International University, in 2008 by the University of Essex, and in 2010 by Yale, seem to also contradict Pediatrics’ and the other studies’ findings. Henry Jenkins, former director of the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT, points out that part of the reason this area is so difficult to study is because of the fact that the studies treat the games as though they are not an art form. “In these studies, media images are removed from any narrative context. Subjects are asked to engage with content that they would not normally consume and may not understand. Finally, the laboratory context is radically different from the environments where games would normally be played,” Jenkins comments in a PBS article.

This suggests that the researchers who conduct these studies, and by extension the politicians and activists who gobble them up, view gaming as having no artistic merit. Many seem to believe that these games are simply “shoot-em-up” orgies of blood, devoid of any plot or themes. The fact that violent games such as Bioshock, the Elder Scrolls series, and the aforementioned Mass Effect series have received literary criticism and evaluation seems to be lost on advocates of video game regulation. In this sense, Kutner and Olson point out, the issue of video game regulation can be viewed as similar to other attempts at media censorship throughout history, from Anthony Comstock’s crusades against “obscene” novels in the Guilded Age, to the Comics Code of the 1950’s. While modern anti-video game activists may claim otherwise, all of these moral panics were directed at nonexistent threats to America’s livelihood, and they all tended to reduce the media they targeted to mindless provocative material promoting sex and violence, discounting many of the important philosophical themes discussed in these art forms.

Sadly, the anti-video game crusade seems to even reach into America’s highest corridors of power, with Vice President Joe Biden meeting with high level executives of the Entertainment Software Association on January 11th, 2013 to discuss what most commentators believe to be video game regulating legislation. If this claim is true, then the Obama Administration will be taking a step backwards. It will be joining the ranks of the censors and denying that a medium which was recently profiled at the Smithsonian for its artistic value is even an art form, all based on faulty data. And, this is not just the opinion of a few wayward psychologists and nutty gamers; in the landmark 2011 case Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, the United States Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 that legislation censoring video games is unconstitutional. As such, if Biden really is pursuing this legislation, then not only would he be committing an act of censorship, it would also be violating the Constitution. For the problems of today, politicians and activists should not be engaging in mindless scapegoating. No, they should look for the actual causes of crime and shootings, rather than blaming the innocent and valuable artistic medium of video games.

Freshman Introductions: Chris Murphy and Mazie Hirono

Chris Murphy (D-CT)

Longtime former Democrat turned Independent Joe Lieberman retired instead of seeking reelection. The republican candidate again was multimillionaire Linda McMahon; she lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal although he was vastly outspent by her. The Democrats choose Chris Murphy. Murphy went on to defeat McMahon receiving 55% of the vote. At the age of 39, he is the youngest member of the US Senate. He was born, raised and educated in Connecticut receiving a JD from Uconn. His first political office was a seat on a local Zoning Commission in 1997 from there he quickly proved not only ambitious but highly capable getting elected to the State House, State Senate and finally the US House in  2006. In that race, he easily defeated (56% to 44%) long time Rep. Congresswomen Nancy Johnson, who had been in congress since 1983. As a congressman, Murphy had a solid liberal record scoring well from most liberal organization and issue groups. He has fought for ethics reforms, promised to help pass filibuster reform, co-wrote the HR 3200 (Obamacare), and has proposed many bills that came as results of problems from his home district. For example, after a brutal home invasion/murder, he suggested making Home Invasion a federal crime. In the 2012 election, McMahon played hairball bringing up Murphy’s troubled financial history. He had been foreclosed upon because he forgot to pay his mortgage. He, however, refinanced to advert the issue. McMahon tried insinuating the reason he was able to was he had to support the bank in congress; it was a so called a “special interest loan.”

Mazie Hirono (D-HW)

Mazie Hirono becomes the first female Senator from Hawaii, the first Senator born in Japan, and the nation's first Buddhist elected to the Senate. The seat was vacated by 88 year old Daniel Akaka, who decided not to run for re-election to a fourth full term. Before entering politics, she practiced law in Honolulu; she is a graduate of Georgetown Law School. In 1980, Hirono was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives where she served until 1995. In 1994, Hirono entered statewide politics when she ran for Lieutenant Governor. She easily defeated her primary challenger to win the Democratic nomination. She won the General Election with just 37% of the vote in crowded four candidate field. Hirono ran for re-election in 1998 and defeated Republican State Senator Stan Koki 5,254 votes. In 2002, Hirono narrowly won the Democratic primary for Governor defeating State Representative Ed Case by 2,613 votes. She went on to lose to Linda Lingle in the General Election. After a four year political hiatus, Hirono ran for Hawaii's 2^nd Congressional District being vacated by Ed Case, who she had beaten in the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary. In what was another close election, she bested 9 other Democrats to win the primary by a mere 845 votes. She easily won the General and was elected twice more in 2008 and 2010. In this year’s Senate election, she defeated two all too familiar opponents: Ed Case and Linda Lingle, but easily defeated them both. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced in December that Hirono will serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

2012’s Most Underreported Stories

By Jason Colella, Co-Owner & Sr. Political Editor

A lot has happened in 2012 but many important stories fell by the wayside never to mentioned again, but here at FPP we are proud to bring you the two most underreported stories of the year. Each member of the editorial board picked one story, so without further ado our choices.

Discovery of Higgs Boson

One of biggest stories of the year, you’re likely not overly familiar with and most likely the biggest science story of the year, was the probable discovery of the Higgs Boson. On July 4th, a team of researchers at the Large Hadron Collider part of CERN in Europe announced this groundbreaking discovery. The particle is named after the first person to theorize its existence -- Peter Higgs; although, the name Leon M. Lederman gave it in his book -- “the god particle” is more widely known outside of the scientific community. A boson is one two fundamental particle types along with gluons. Bosons make up the forces we encounter and include things like photons; whereas, gluons include quarks and electrons. The particle is so important because of the integral role it plays in the Standard Model and until the discovery it meant the entire model was based off the hypothetical existence of this elusive particle. It, in effect, is responsible for giving other particles mass. This means without it the physical world all-around us would not exist. It does this through a highly complex piece of particle physics called a Higgs Field. This particle existence will lead to many new scientific discoveries that will further grow our understanding of particle physics and hopefully one day link it to astrophysics.

Syrian Civil War

When Bassel al-Assad was killed in a car crash in 1994, his bother Bashar al-Assad, who was training to an ophthalmologist in London, was forced to come back to Syria to begin his training to become the next heir to the Syrian Presidency. And then, when his father Syria’s longtime president Hafez al-Assad died in 2000, as expected, Bashar became the next president. Initially seen a reformer even gaining the nickname The Hope, Bashar has proved to be just the opposite -- a bloody and despotic tyrant.

The Arab Spring protests had gained a footing in a number of countries by March of 2011 when Syria caught the revolution’s pulse. On the Ides of March (15th), the country broke out in massive protest, these were violent and viscously put down by the military. This act lite a national revolutionary spirit that still rages on today. The government’s army is now engaged in a full-fledged civil war against the Syrian National Coalition and its leader Moaz al-Khatib. This group is recognized by many nations as the legitimate government of Syria including the US. The Syrian National Coalition has support from many Arab nations including Qatar, who played an instrumental role in the Libyan Revolution. The most recent UN estimate puts the death in Syria at 60,000 plus nearly 1.2 million refugees, but those estimate are seen as low by many experts on the subject.

Friday Morning Breakfast Menu 1/11

Good Friday morning! Another day, another bunch of headlines. There is simply no better way to start the end of your workweek than with our Friday morning breakfast links.


Calif. Teen With Shotgun Wounds Classmate in School - Doug Stanglin and Michael Winter, USA TODAY
Absurdity of the Debt-Ceiling Fight - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Building a Better Democracy - Steve Coll, The New Yorker
Chris Christie: The Boss - Michael Scherer, Time
Bachmann Still Hasn’t Paid Presidential Campaign Staffers - Alex Seitz-Wald, Salon.com
Gun Sanity Needs Bipartisanship - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post via RCP
What Would Nixon Say to Today's GOP? - Molly Ball, The Atlantic
Obama Should Play Hardball - Robert Reich, American Prospect
Obama Turns to Like-Minded Allies - Scott Wilson, Washington Post
GOP Needs Change in Culture, Not Tactics - Jon Ward, Huff Post

Sports

Oregon upsets No. 3 Arizona - The Associated Press via USA TODAY
Sandusky Lawyers Say Client Deserves New Trial - The Associated Press via ESPN
Researchers: NFL's Seu ad Brain Disease - The Associated Press via Yahoo Sports

The Platnium Option

By Jason Colella, FPP Co-founder and Sr. Political Editor

We adverted a cliff, but now there is a problem of a ceiling. In a few months, Republicans will undoubtedly hold the world’s economy hostage with a Debt Ceiling Debate. They will threaten defaulting on the National Debt in order institute massive spending cuts that they so long for. However, many would argue that crisis can be adverted by at least two different options.

The first is widely known because of the Debt Ceiling Debacle of 2011 is simply invoking a little used and under looked portion of the 14th amendment. It states “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion shall not be questioned.” This would be a wise option for the President because minimally it would raise the Debt Ceiling until the guaranteed court challenge to the invocation could be resolved.

But, a more interesting option has recently begun to pick up steam; I really like this one because it combines two of my favorite activities politics and numismatics (coin collecting). It has been dubbed the Platinum Option, and it is a great piece of monetary and macroeconomic policy. It was first posted to a blog over a year ago but has recently gained the respect of many famous economists most notably the Nobel Prize winning Paul Krugman. The idea is simple. In the 1990s, congress approved a bill to allow the mint to produce platinum coins. The catch is the legislation did not specify the face value of the currency to be minted (this was done to allow a wide array of collectible coins to be produced). This means that President Obama could order the minting of an extraordinarily high value coin. It is must often cited as one trillion dollars. The Treasury Department would then deposit this new coin in the US Government’s bank account at the Federal Reserve. As it would be legal US tender, the Feds would be forced to accept it and trade it for cash on hand. It is unlikely to fuel inflation, given that the economy is currently depressed.This would be one interesting and bizarre way to solve the debt ceiling debate.

Tea Time

Politics

Obama to nominate Chuck Hagel for defense secretary --
Scott Wilson, Washington Post
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp cautions against ‘extreme’ gun control measures -- Sean Sullivan, Washington Post
The 12 best political rants (VIDEO) -- Aaron Blake, Washington Post
Democrats already looking for the right woman for 2016 -- Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman, Polirtico
Democrats to Obama: Keep Constitution on the table in debt ceiling fight -- Rachael Bade and Patrick Reis, Politico
Can Republicans who voted for 'cliff' deal keep seats? -- Thomas Beaumont, USA TodayJames Carville: Hillary Clinton haters ‘inhumane’ -- Kevin Crilli, Politico

World

South Africa: Nelson Mandela's recovery is good -- USA Today
Viewpoint: Why Al Jazeera’s Entry into the U.S. Is a Good Thing -- Ishaan Tharoor , Time
France’s 75% Income Tax on the Rich Overturned as Unconstitutional -- Bruce Crumley, Time
Defiant Assad's peace plan rejected by rebels -- Bassem Mroue, USA Today
Must-Reads from Around the World -- Time

Freshman Introductions: Martin Heinrich and Tim Kaine

Martin Heinrich
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), first elected to the US Senate in 1982, decided that 5 terms in the Senate was enough and would not seek reelection in 2012. This left an open Senate seat in New Mexico – a state that has grown increasingly blue since Bingaman was first elected. US Rep. Martin Heinrich defeated State Auditor Hector Balderas in the Democratic Primary and then went on to defeat Republican Heather Wilson in the General Election 51% to 45%. Heinrich was born in Fellon, Nevada and went to school at the University of Missouri and took graduate classes at the University of New Mexico. Heinrich then went to work for a nonprofit in New Mexico before he founded his own Public Affairs Consulting Firm. Heinrich’s first foray into politics came when he was elected to Albuquerque City Council in 2002. He quickly became a leader in in the city’s politics serving as City Council President in 2006. Also in that year, he was appointed as the state’s Natural Resource Trustee. In 2008, he made the decision to run for congress and was elected to serve the people of NM-1. As a freshman Congressman, he was elected president of the class.

Heinrich has a solid liberal record except for the issue of Gun Control. He has previously stated opposition to reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban along with receiving the endorsement of NRA in 2010. On the other hand, he has a 100% rating from NARAL and a 0% from Right to Life. He considers himself a lifelong environmentalist. He has come out in support of Gay Marriage along with an original co-sponsor of the repeal of DOMA. He wants to end the war in Afghanistan immediately as well. He wants to end the war in Afghanistan immediately as well.

Tim Kaine
One term Virginia Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) in retiring rather than seeking reelection in 2012. Virginia is a major swing state that has been growing more and more blue because of a population boom taking place in the DC suburbs, this helped make this race a key hold for the democrats to maintain control of the Senate. Webb’s 2006 opponent then incumbent Senator George Allen again was the Republican nominee while the democratic nominee was Tim Kaine. Kaine won the election. He was raised in Kansas City, then attended the University of Missouri for a B.A. in economics and Harvard Law School for his J.D. He moved to Virginia where he was a lawyer in private practice for 18 years specializing in real estate law. Kaine’s first foray into the world of politics was his election to Richmond City Council from there he successfully ran for mayor and then Lieutenant Governor. In 2005, he successfully ran for governor. As governor, Kaine became a national political figure, but decided not to run for a second term at the behest of President Obama, who wanted Kaine to become chair of the DNC. As chair of the DNC, he successfully saw the expansion of Organizing for America. OFA was instrumental in the Wisconsin Anti-Union protest and was largely responsible for reelecting the President.

Martin Heinrich (Left) and Tim Kaine (Right)