A thousand pardons, good sirs and ladies, for not making a blog entry yesterday, thus breaking my month-long streak of regular posts. My only excuse is that I was out having a wonderful night until about 2 AM, and consequently, was too tired to actually make the effort to write. Of course I am now incredibly exhausted, for reasons which will soon become clear, but I cannot rightly justify two days in a row without an entry. But brace yourselves, folks: this post is likely to be a bit on the long side.

The bulk of yesterday's activities were not noteworthy, but they were productive. I spent a good amount of time working on GMAT prep, and then another large portion of the day reading (more on what I was reading below). But the evening was fantastic. A couple of days ago I ran into fellow Midd kid Dilanthi Ranaweera at the Longworth cafeteria. I had no idea she was in DC, and after a couple minutes of chatting, she invited me to a Midd gathering at her home. That gathering was last night, and I dutifully attended. There were nine of us altogether, about half of whom I knew, and after spending the past week engaged in a string of busy, time-consuming activities, it was a joy to simply sit back with good people and a few bottles of wine and just enjoy living a little bit. I'll admit, there was a bit of reversion to old form - in classical Middlebury fashion, I was the sole Republican in the room - but what political discussions that arose were civil and enjoyable. A good debate remains a thrilling experience for me, and there are few people I enjoy arguing with as much as a well-educated, well-informed Middlebury student. It was also a pleasure to meet some new people, Midd alums who are now living in DC and doing various jobs around the city, and to hear their stories and their experiences. As amazing as my time here has been, many people that I know have not taken advantage of the things DC has to offer. Happily, none of the people I was with last night fall into that group. All in all, a fantastic evening.

And a late one, as I indicated earlier, which explains my reason for sleeping in until 11 this morning. But after I showered and got some caffeine in me, I was ready to go. I started the day at Starbucks, where I enjoyed a donut, a cup of coffee, and another hour with my good friend the GMAT prep book. Afterward I began my long hike across the city that would consume most of the day. It began as a simple wish to see the White House and the Treasury building. But once I was there and I saw how close I was to the Washington Monument, I couldn't help myself. And so began the long trip on which I would see the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Of the four, it was the World War II Memorial that struck me. I've heard it criticized, mainly by photographers, because it is so large and sprawling that it's difficult to photograph as a whole. Well, with all do respect to the photographers of the world, I found it to be magnificent, a fitting tribute to those who died overseas. But there was something else about the place that moved me - a sense of living, breathing history that I can only recall encountering a couple of other times in my life. The obvious comparison is to the memorial at Normandy, which I visited at the age of thirteen. Here in DC, as it is at the cemetery in France, you walk along in awe of the history of the place, but still slightly removed from it. And then there is something that drops the weight on the situation on you and jars you from your distant appreciation.


For me today it was the sight of an older woman, probably in her seventies, with tears running down her face as she stood staring at the wall of stars, each of which represents one hundred American soldiers who died during the conflict. As I watched her, it occurred to me how these events that my generation labels ancient history, that we watch in movies and read about in books, remains to a dwindling number of Americans a very real, very meaningful life experience. This woman knew someone represented by one of those stars, and there, standing at the World War II Memorial, the memory of that individual had returned to her in force. Among the crowds of younger people who came to see the memorial, she came to remember someone long gone. That, I am reminded, is why we build memorials to those killed in war - so that we may never forget them, even after everyone they knew has passed away.

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Following my incredibly long walk to and from the monuments and memorials, I settled in to do a little more reading, and it is this reading that I would like to talk about today. The book is Grand New Party by Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam. It's a fascinating dissection of modern American politics and, as the title indicates, a proposal for reinvigorating the Republican Party. I don't agree with all of Douthat and Salam's points, but I think that at the very least the book is an effective analysis of what is ailing both the Republican Party and the country, and it goes a step beyond most books of its type by offering a series of concrete proposals. Some of the proposals are simple and could be effective. Others are more complex and would require great legislative maneuvering to make a reality. Still others are unrealistic, modern derivations of New Deal thought wherein effective government assistance could solve problems - never mind how effectiveness is achieved. But on the whole, this is one of the best books of its kind.

There are two central theses of Grand New Party. The first is that the great divides in American society, commonly attributed to various socio-economic causes, all really come back to education. The more educated an individual is, the greater his or her opportunities are in American society, and as it becomes more difficult for underprivileged individuals to obtain solid education, the harder it is for them to be upwardly mobile. Douthat and Salam link the challenges of education to the dissolution of the two-parent American family and the stability that it provides to young people. But rather than attempt to solve the challenges of the education system through increased government spending, Douthat and Salam propose a series of initiatives to reform the American public school system. Most of these initiatives are based on the concept of meeting a centralized nationwide standard of education by returning power to state and local authorities, and sometimes to even individual schools, so as to allow greater flexibility for administrators to meet the challenges facing their particular students. It's a fascinating concept, and the two authors don't hesitate to explore it in depth.

The other thesis is that America has not had a sustaining majority since the dissolution of Roosevelt's New Deal coalition in 1968, and that if one is to emerge, it's base will be what Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty once referred to as "Sam's Club voters" - that is, working class and middle class individuals seeking both stability and independence in the modern world. Douthat and Salam argue that the Republican Party is for a variety of reasons better suited to enfranchise this group, and that if we can bring them under our tent, we will have built a legitimately lasting coalition. It's an interesting argument, in no small part because it’s largely true. In an electoral culture that focuses so much of its attention on special interest groups, minorities, religious groups, and so on, it's critically important to remember that the largest and most important voting bloc in America is that large chunk of people in the middle who just want to live their lives as best they can. The vast majority of Grand New Party is devoted to analyzing their predicament and presenting arguments for the best way that Republicans can bring them into the fold.

It's a very interesting book, one that I recommend solely because it is a unique take on the current culture of American politics. I certainly don't agree with everything in it, but it certainly forces a re-examination of certain political positions we take for granted. In this way, although the subject matter is different, I would compare it to Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, which I found similarly provocative, if occasionally infuriating. Give this one a read if you're so inclined.

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One thing that reading Grand New Party did make me think about is the future of both American political parties. Despite the conventional wisdom that the Republican Party is in trouble, one thing that we do that I believe the Democrats are lacking right now is a leadership foundation upon which we can build for the future. It is this foundation, I believe, that is going to lead to a Republican resurgence with the next decade.

Who, I ask, are going to be the next generation of Democratic standard bearers? Barack Obama, obviously, although if he loses this election he'll surely be badly damaged. But beyond he, who will lead? Bob Casey Jr.'s name comes to mind, but his staunch pro-life stance limits his potential growth within the party. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley? Not likely, with his 33% approval rate. Iowa Governor Chet Culver? Perhaps, but as with Casey, one must question how far he can go in the modern Democratic Party. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota? Another possibility, but as long as Hillary Clinton fills the role of liberalism's alpha-woman, there are limits to how great Klobuchar's influence can be. Rahm Emmanuel, despite his brilliant organizational abilities, has yet to be truly embraced by party leadership, as evidenced by Nancy Pelosi's refusal to support him for Majority Whip. Rob Blagojevich, once considered one of the Party's Golden Boys may be on his way out of office and into an orange jumpsuit. Harold Ford Jr., a moderate Democrat who failed to win the Tennessee Senate seat in 2006, has become an object of netroot scorn because of his tenure at Fox News. And even the successful "young guns" of the party - your Jim Webbs and Kathleen Sebeliuses - are now into their sixties. The truth is, there isn't a strong base of young Democratic leadership ready to take over right now, and if Barack Obama loses this election, things will get worse for them before they get better.

Republicans, by contrast, have a large pool of young, dynamic leaders with growing influence ready to take the party reins. In Congress and around the country, there are many young voices rising. Just as importantly, they are speaking the same language - the language of strong, vision-driven conservatism. Perhaps the brightest lights shine in the House of Representatives, with Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan and Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor forming a powerful tandem. The two are widely expected to assume major leadership positions in the House in the very near future, and with opinion having soured on John Boehner and Roy Blunt, it might not be long before they assume the roles of Minority Leader and Minority Whip. Both are strong conservatives, and more importantly, both are leaders who speak to the American people in substantial ways. Ryan's blue-collar appeal and willingness to address basic problems that all Americans face has earned him the confidence of notoriously liberal Wisconsin voters, whereas Cantor, as the sole Jewish Republican in the House, has established a reputation as one of the chamber's powerhouses, having served on the House Financial Services Committee and on the House International Relations Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, in addition to chairing the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. These men are the foundation of the Republican Party's future in the House.

In the Senate, things are less bright rosy, but the chamber's patrician make-up does not allow much for youth. Still, John Thune is an inspiring example, and hopefully more will follow.

But it is in gubernatorial politics that Republicans future may lay. First and foremost, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota is the odds-on favorite to be John McCain's running mate, and deservedly so. A successful governor with legitimate blue-collar appeal, it was Pawlenty who first publicly spoke of the Republican Party's need to attract "Sam's Club" voters. His vision may one day form the nucleus of the party apparatus. Governor Matt Blunt of Missouri is a decorated Navy veteran and highly successful governor who has earned the nation's highest rating from the libertarian Cato Institute, and is well regarded for his successful work to reduce the size of the state's government. Sarah Palin of Alaska, in addition to being the most popular elected official in the country with approval ratings consistently in the 80s, is one of the party's true rock stars and one of the most outspoken proponents of drilling to increase oil production. (It also doesn't hurt that she's a former beauty queen, and as such, a strikingly good-looking woman.) And Bobby Jindal of Louisiana has the potential to be the leader of the bunch. His résumé is far deeper than Barack Obama's. Despite his young age, he's already been Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, the architect of Louisiana's thriving Medicaid system, a Congressman, and now Governor. He's a first-generation Indian-American Catholic Southern Rhodes Scholar. And he's a staunch conservative.

These are the faces of the party's future. Ryan is 38, Cantor is 45, Thune is 47, Pawlenty is 47, Blunt is 37, Palin is 44, and Jindal is 37. If we believe that party leadership has anything to do with electoral success - and how could we not? - then the youth and vigor of the next generation of Republican leadership is going to swamp its Democratic rivals. To have these seven young leaders, each moving forward with a clear united conservative vision for the country, is something that happens once in a generation. And for all the stories that are written about the Democratic Party's young power, they don't have this. In today's closely divided political environment, that may be all the difference.