The party heads weigh in on election

Although RNC chairman Robert Duncan described his attitude about the previous night’s election results as hurting too much to laugh but being too big to cry, he nevertheless made an effort to find the bright side in Obama’s landslide victory.

“While it was a difficult night for Republican candidates, it was a historic night for the republican party. The election of America’s first black President… has realized the vision of a color-blind society that first inspired the Republican party,” Duncan said during a National Press Club discussion with DNC Chairman Howard Dean that touched on the United States’ current political trajectory, the preceding election season and campaign finance reform.

Duncan dismissed the notion of a mandate for the democratic party, and pointed to Obama’s support for offshore drilling, merit pay for teachers, a tax cut for 95% of Americans.

“Put simply, Barack Obama just ran the most successful moderate Republican campaign since Dwight Eisenhower”.

Duncan described the political situation that Obama will be facing as president, saying that Obama will be heading a center-left party but presiding over a population that is still center-right on most issues. Duncan raised the specter of Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan, warning that an attempt to move the agenda to the left would result in a Republican victory in the mid-term elections.

Dean disagreed with Duncan’s assertion that the country is right leaning and said that Obama’s victory meant that there was a mandate.

“I don’t think this is a center-right country…we did a lot of polling when I first became Chairman. It turns out that most people in Nebraska, not exactly known for being a very liberal state, actually agreed with democratic positions more than they agreed with Republican positions if you put them in the words of each party.”

Both chairmen discussed campaign spending, with Duncan claiming that the only transformational aspect of the Obama campaign was the way it will affect the financing of future presidential campaigns.

“Presidential campaign financing as we know it died last night. No major candidate will ever submit to public funding restrictions,” said Duncan.

” Less than two election cycles ago since the passage of campaign finance reform, the system has failed…the result is a campaign finance system far less transparent, less accountable, and more vulnerable for corruption.”

Dean countered that the Obama campaign’s ability to raise small donations was a form of campaign finance reform in its own right.

“I think the president-elect ought to get credit for the inspiration that he gave to the American people who were willing to give 5 and 10 at a time averaging 86 dollars per donation. That is campaign finance reform. That is putting politics back in the hands’ of individuals and taking it out of special interests’ hands.”

Duncan brought up the future of the Republican party, describing how the RNC was poised to make an effort to better address their voters concerns. Duncan said that one way this this will be done is through an online forum titled Republican for a Reason.