The Democrats end their 12-year power drought in the House. What lies ahead? Farai Chideya talks with Donna Brazile, former campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in 2000, and Robert Traynham, a political strategist in Washington, D.C.
FARAI CHIDEYA, host: From NPR News, this is NEWS & NOTES. I'm Farai Chideya.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: The 110th Congress officially took office yesterday, and it was a day of firsts. Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House, Democrats have control for the first time in 12 years and African-Americans have more leading congressional positions than ever before. In addition, some African-Americans broke racial barriers in state office positions. Nancy Pelosi said it all in her remarks yesterday to the Congressional Black Caucus.</s>Representative NANCY PELOSI (Democrat, California): The Democrats are back and the CBC is in the lead - in the lead.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: So what's ahead for this new class of leaders? Joining me from our NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. are Donna Brazile, former campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in 2000. She now runs her own political consulting firm in Washington. Plus Robert Traynham, a political strategist in Washington.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Welcome.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): Hi, Farai.</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): Hello.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: How you all doing?</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): We're great. Thank you.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Yeah, lots of excitement in your town.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): Indeed. Happy New Year.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Yes. Happy New Year to you guys, too. Well, we have to go there. Michael Eric Dyson at the CBC inaugural ceremony, he did this whole routine that was more reminiscent of a roast than a swear-in. Let's take a listen.</s>Mr. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Author; Radio Personality): It was Kenneth Edmonds, better known Babyface…</s>Mr. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Author; Radio Personality): …who said he had whip appeal.</s>Mr. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Author; Radio Personality): But that whip appeal compares nothing to this man's whip appeal. James E. Clyburn is the whip. She may be the only member here today who has a biblical verse named after her - let justice roll down like Maxine Waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.</s>Mr. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Author; Radio Personality): Congresswoman Maxine Waters.</s>Mr. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Author; Radio Personality): The people who have spoken against him couldn't prevail against the people who spoke for him. So, he's here. I think it was the philosopher Shawn Carter…</s>Mr. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON (Author; Radio Personality): …who said, (unintelligible) man, I'm just trying to do me. If the record is two mil, I'm trying to move three. Representative William Jefferson.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Applause. Applause. All right. What do you think, Donna? I mean, you know, it's like, this definitely was like - it was like the Essence Awards or the NAACP Image Awards for black politicians.</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): Well, you know, for the first time in our history, African-American leaders have real political power that they can use to help better African-Americans and all Americans. I mean, look, Charlie Rangel, Ways and Means, that's the tax writing committee. That's the committee that oversees all of our retirement security issues, Medicare, Social Security. John Conyers, overseeing everything from immigration to criminal justice reform; Bennie Thompson, Homeland Security. I mean, should I say more? Yes. Stephanie Tubbs Jones will now be in charge of enforcing the ethics rules on Capitol Hill. And Juanita Millender-McDonald will oversee election reform as the chair of the House Administration Committee.</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): So, we have real political power. We're not just sitting in the room on the sidelines. We're at the table and we can help shape the future of this country.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Robert, I'm only a little worried in the sense that there's - there was that year of the woman that lasted for about a year, and then women were not really taken that seriously. Are we at all concerned about, OK, this is the year of the black folks and then next year it won't be.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): Well, we should be able to. Look, I mean, Donna is absolutely correct. I mean this is an opportunity for black leaders to help black people. And that's just exactly see exactly what's going to become of that. I mean, really, the proof is in the pudding. You know, Congressman Boehner from Ohio said it best yesterday when he was introducing speaker-elect and now Speaker Pelosi. He said, and I quote, “a congressional majority is simply a means to an end. The value of a majority lies not in the chance to wield great power but in the chance to do great things.” And this is the opportunity for Democrats to stop talking the talk but actually do the walk.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): And what that means is, it's not just simply, you know, bashing the Republicans or bashing the Bush administration, but actually do something and actually produce. And, you know, Congresswoman Pelosi - Speaker Pelosi said that in the first 100 hours they're going to push new healthcare. They'll going to try to strengthen homeland security. They're going to try to strengthen education. They're going to try to do something on energy proposal and pay as you go. We'll see. I mean they literally have a honeymoon now. And we'll actually see exactly if they're going to be able to produce something.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): The Senate, frankly, in my opinion, is really where the power really lies in terms of the 51 to 49 slim majority that the Democrats have. And keep in mind, in the Senate you need 60 votes, really, to do anything in the United States Senate to pass key pieces of legislation. And Senator Reid, the new majority leader in the Senate, is going to have a very, very hard time trying to lead his Democratic caucus.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): Why? Well, the simple reason why is simply because, number one, you've got a lot of Democrats that are running for president. But also, number two, you also have - which, what I mean by that is that you also have an attendance problem. But you also have a lot of Democrats, frankly, that are going to stick their own ground that necessarily might not be the Democratic line. But secondly, and arguably more importantly, Senator Reid has a very moderate caucus. I mean, when you take a look at Mr. Tester from Montana, when you take a look at Mr. Casey from Pennsylvania, when you take a look at Mr. Lieberman from Connecticut, there are a lot of Democrats that are moderate and that, frankly, are not going to swallow the Democratic pill.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: All right. Well, I want to go to you, Donna, about the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus. Question is, what is the Congressional Black Caucus' agenda? Let's take a listen to Carolyn Kilpatrick, who is the new head of the CBC.</s>Representative CAROLYN KILPATRICK (Democrat, Michigan): Today is an awesome day. It is the first day of the rest of our lives. I want to thank my colleagues, all 43-strong, for standing, for entrusting me with the responsibility to lead. And I pledge to you, I will never let you down.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: The question is, what can the CBC do? There's, you know, civil rights groups like the NAACP. There are different grassroots movements dealing with everything from juvenile incarceration to jobs. But what is the CBC's role as a whole?</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): I think the CBC will play a very influential role in helping to set the agenda. First of all, the Democrats - be they conservative, moderate, liberal - they all agree that in the first 100 hours we must enact a recommendation to the 9/11 Commission. That vote will take place on January 9th, the following day, on Wednesday, January 10th, we will raise the minimum wage. Democrats have introduced this legislation to raise the federal minimum wage. The Black Caucus supports this. This will benefit African-Americans who are part-time workers as well as those who are working two, three jobs to make ends meet.</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): Before the end of the first week of the 110th session, we will also pass legislation on stem-cell research and negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. So the Congressional Black Caucus will assist the Democrats in passing this agenda, implementing this agenda and ensuring that those issues that are near and dear to the Congressional Black Caucus, be they on criminal justice reform, jobs, education, the CBC is now in a position to help shape public policy.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Robert, there was a definite chill when Nancy Pelosi kind of dealt with William Jefferson over ethics issues, although she gave Murtha a hall pass, another congressman. But let's listen to Nancy Pelosi talking about ethics.</s>Representative NANCY PELOSI (Democrat, California): Let us join together in the first 100 hours to make this the Congress the most honest and open Congress in history.</s>Representative NANCY PELOSI (Democrat, California): One hundred hours.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Robert, is there a double standard when it comes to how Nancy Pelosi, newly head of the Democrats in the House, is dealing with ethics according to different members in the House?</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): I believe so. I mean, look, there's no question about it that Speaker Pelosi certainly gave Mr. Jefferson the cold shoulder. But, look, I mean the fact of the matter is that $90,000 was found in his freezer. There's no question about it.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: I want that.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): (Unintelligible).</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): No, you do not want that.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: You're right. I don't. I don't.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): But nevertheless, there is a double standard with Speaker Pelosi in that regard. And certainly the Congressional Black Caucus was very upset with Speaker Pelosi, how she handled that and how she is handling that. But the fact of the matter is that there is a double standard.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): But what I find very, very interesting here is that in the first, I guess, five hours of Speaker Pelosi's speakership ethics reform was passed almost unanimously in the United States House, which is very, very interesting. It's going to be even more transparent. And then what's also even more interesting about this is that when Republicans were in control just a few months ago we tried to pass a comprehensive ethics reform package and Speaker Pelosi said no.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): So there is a symbol of a double standard. But the fact of the matter is that now she has the lead and, frankly, all eyes and the spotlight is going to be on her and on Congressman Jefferson.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Donna, how is Speaker Pelosi going to deal with the issue of the war? You have people who are on the left of the party, a couple of Californians, including Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, who have been constantly advocating to get out of Iraq entirely.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: You have some very moderate centrists, and even sort of right-leaning Democrats. I mean, certainly Joe Lieberman in the Senate, I don't know if he really counts as a Democrat anymore. But for what it's worth, he has been supportive of the war. How is the House speaker going to deal with the divisions within the Democratic Party over the war?</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): You know, I don't think there are many divisions anymore. Look, we have Dennis Kucinich who is now running for president, well, the congressman from Ohio, the former mayor of Cleveland. He supports withdrawing resources for troops. We do not support that as a party. We also know that there are Democrats as well as Republicans - there's a bipartisan consensus being formed now to begin to withdraw troops. Leading Republicans like Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Gordon Smith of Oregon have also spoken out against any escalation or surge.</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): So, I think Pelosi will help keep the Democratic caucus unified. In her remarks yesterday, she said the American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end. She said President Bush will address the nation on the subject of Iraq. It's his responsibility to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and allow us to responsibly redeploy American forces.</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): That's our position. That's our position. And Democrats will not alter this position. We're waiting for the president to address the nation and we will hold oversight hearings to ensure that his plan is a plan for victory and a plan to bring our troops home.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: All right.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): Well, with all due -</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: We're going to have to leave it there. I'm sorry, unless you can give us 10 seconds, Robert.</s>Mr. ROBERT TRAYNHAM (Republican Political Strategist): I'll just say Clinton, Obama, Biden and Edwards, they're all running for president and they hold very different positions. So what Donna said was slightly disingenuous because they all have different positions on the war of Iraq in terms of…</s>Ms. DONNA BRAZILE (Democratic Political Strategist): It doesn't matter what…</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: All right, guys. It's a wrap. We're going to be back with you guys soon. Robert, Donna, thank you very much. And Donna Brazile is the former campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in 2000. She runs her own political consulting firm in Washington. And Robert Traynham is a political strategist also in D.C.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Just ahead, is New Orleans botching its rebuild, and a look back on the college football season in our sports segment.