WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- It's a Georgia peach of an idea.
Politicos in Washington and Atlanta have the cell towers humming over the news that GOP wunderkind Ralph Reed may make a 2006 run for statewide office in Georgia. Reed, who burst on the national scene in the mid-1980s as executive director of the College Republican National Committee, is considered the political brain behind Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition and the march to power of the Georgia GOP, which rolled over the state's Democrat establishment like Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman.
Friends say his run for lieutenant governor of Georgia in the next election is all but a done deal. Reed remains non-committal, but those who say they are familiar with his thinking believe his candidacy is a foregone conclusion. With Democrat Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor likely to run for the gubernatorial nomination against Secretary of State Cathy Cox -- and with no clear successor to Taylor -- the lieutenant governorship is uncharacteristically open. And, with current GOP Gov. Sonny Perdue forced to leave office because of term limits in 2010 (if he wins re-election in 2006), Reed would be well positioned to win the governorship of the state that increasingly dominates the politics of the region. And then, if things work out, who knows?
A contract with conservatives.
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has re-entered the political life of the nation in a big way. His new book, "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America," is set to capture the No. 6 spot on The New York Times best-seller list. Whether the book presages a re-entry into electoral politics is anybody's guess. He says he is only trying to help Republicans understand the need to shape the national debate now in preparation for the 2006 and 2008 elections. Electoral success then, he says, is dependent on what happens now.
With that in mind, he is offering the GOP some ideas on how to grow its conservative majority and make it more battle-ready: First, the GOP needs to develop and propose solutions to problems that fit the values of the U.S. people as well as the party's conservative majority. Governing parties, he says, have a responsibility to deliver what they promise -- with the voters ready to reward success.
Second, the Republicans need to replace their outreach strategy with a program of inclusion, as President George W. Bush did by sitting down at the White House this week with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus to talk about ways to improve the United States. Everyone, Gingrich says, needs to have a seat at the table during the planning phase, before it comes time to go out and sell ideas and programs to voters.
He also advises conservatives that, while they need to be honest about bad news, acknowledge when mistakes are made and fight like the dickens to win the day on their issues, they need to do all they can to avoid behaviors that will break apart a thus-far winning coalition -- keeping with the focus always on winning the big and important fights.
Union support thaws for Frost.
Former Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas, who is trying to preserve what is left of his political career with a run for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, got a big boost by winning the endorsement of the 1.4 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
The UFCW is urging other unions and the AFL-CIO as well as allies at the DNC to also support Frost. UFCW President Joe Hansen said it threw its support to Frost because he would deliver "a political action program that respects" the values of working America.
The endorsement, given in recognition of "Frost's background as a successful elected representative with a pro-worker agenda from the heart of Texas," comes at a time when former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has emerged as the front-runner in the race for chairman. Of course, Dean's been there before.
End of an era.
In a surprise move, longtime Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Gloria Feldt turned in her resignation Thursday. No explanation of her decision was included in the announcement of her departure.
"We honor Gloria Feldt's contributions to Planned Parenthood and to the global movement for reproductive justice," said PPFA Chairman La Don Love. "Her leadership has resulted in significant achievements for the organization and for women and families worldwide."
Karen Pearl, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood in Nassau County, N.Y., is stepping in as interim president during the organization's search for a full-time leader.
--
(That's Politics! looks at the inner workings of the U.S. political process and is written by UPI's Peter Roff, a 20-year veteran of the Washington scene.)
--
(Please send comments to [email protected].)
