2010 US Presidential Election

[Prometheus_2300]

en.NipponToday.com

Prime Minister Kanzaki finalizes plans to visit the United States in February 2011

A spokesperson for the Kanzaki government announced that the Prime Minister will be visiting the United States, and that he will also be the first state visit that now President-Elect Walken will receive after his inauguration.

Following the July election in Japan, the House of Councillors for the first time since World War II has switched ruling parties. The LDP who had previously been control of the Diet for half a century, has steadily been losing ground over the last decade to the new party: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Shortly after the election results were finalized, Oso Takabi's government was given a vote of no confidence which passed easily.

Arata Kanzaki was the son of Makoto Kanzaki of Kanzaki Motors, and after attending Tokyo University and meeting his wife Mitsune became an accountant in the 1980s, and would have most likely remained so until the Japanese Economy burst in the 1990s and he was laid off. Desiring to serve his community he ran to become the member of the Diet, eventually winning a seat for 4 years before losing it to the Matsumoto political machine in 1995. After his wife was killed in a train accident in 1997 he withdrew from politics for two years, and only in 1999 did become involved in politics again, this time as a founding member of the DPJ. From 2008 on he was the man behind the DPJ's ad machine, emphasizing DPJ's commitment to "Hope and Change for Japan". Since 2008 he has been on the DPJ's shortlist for PM, but the LDP have always obstructed and forced a compromise on the choice of PM, most recently in Oso Takabi's government in 2006. However with the most recent election, the DPJ finally gained control of both houses and were able to nominate the person of their choosing.

The agenda of the visit is to discuss concerns over North Korea's Nuclear program, defense concerns, and recent news of China's proposal for Asian Free Trade Zone, between many of the countries of the Pacific Ocean. PM Kanzaki will also by accompanied by his daughter Urumi.

Leader of the LDP in the Diet, Ayeka Juchiro, has already attacked the visit.

>>>>>

Ken Watanabe as PM Arata Kanzaki


Chiaki Kuriyama as Urumi Kanzaki


Michelle Yeoh as Ayeka Juchiro - Leader of the Opposition LDP

[KahukuMan10]

Ken Watanabe!!!!! One of my favorite actors of all time! Great piece.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

CNN
Lassiter for Governor in 2014?

Sacremento (AP)-Word has it that Richard Lassiter may already be mulling a political comeback as a Republican candidate for Governor if Kevin Clarkson decides to run for the Democratic nomination in 2014. Many Republican insiders say he may have a better shot at the Governor's mansion as he won't have to run against someone like Sam Seaborn, and it could be the stepping stone many of his supporters have been looking for if Lassiter decides to follow his father into the White House .

"I think it's a natural fit for him," political strategist Bruno Gianelli said. "The Lassiter name still carries a lot of weight in the Republican Party, and odds are that his mother, given her age, probably won't be involved in any future campaigns. He could definitely be a front-runner in 2018 if President Walken only serves one term."

For his own part, Lassiter was keeping coy about his future. "Right now I want to continue working with the Republican Party and support President Walken. It's a little too soon to start thinking about what might happen eight years down the road."

[Prometheus_2300]

Originally Posted by KahukuMan10

Ken Watanabe!!!!! One of my favorite actors of all time! Great piece.

Thanks. Although I am not quite happy with Michello Yeoh. You would not believe how hard it was to find a picture of Chiaki in schoolgirl's uniform that wasn't from Kill Bill.

[Jay Cruger]

Brief Casting not out of vanity but Orlando Jones is a little closer to what I l;ook like than Joe Morton:

[Prometheus_2300]

Has anything been established about Walken's wife and family?

[Tim Thomason]

Some guy wrote about his family in August.

And Mary Walken has been highly involved in the action since June '09.

[Prometheus_2300]

Originally Posted by WestVirginiaRebel

CNN
Lassiter for Governor in 2014?

Sacremento (AP)-Word has it that Richard Lassiter may already be mulling a political comeback as a Republican candidate for Governor if Kevin Clarkson decides to run for the Democratic nomination in 2014. Many Republican insiders say he may have a better shot at the Governor's mansion as he won't have to run against someone like Sam Seaborn, and it could be the stepping stone many of his supporters have been looking for if Lassiter decides to follow his father into the White House .

"I think it's a natural fit for him," political strategist Bruno Gianelli said. "The Lassiter name still carries a lot of weight in the Republican Party, and odds are that his mother, given her age, probably won't be involved in any future campaigns. He could definitely be a front-runner in 2018 if President Walken only serves one term."

For his own part, Lassiter was keeping coy about his future. "Right now I want to continue working with the Republican Party and support President Walken. It's a little too soon to start thinking about what might happen eight years down the road."

Didn't Bruno say in Season 7 that after the 2006 election he was going to retire? Also wasn't he only working with Vinick on his election, not the Republican party overall? Especially since other Republicans seemed to dislike Bruno save for Vinick's staff

[KahukuMan10]

I've said this numerous times. Bruno is not a Republican. He is, and will forever be, a democrat.

Although we did have him come out of retirement briefly this year to work on Nick Alexander's campaign, and I think he may have joined Jay's senate campaign later.

but HE IS A DEMOCRAT

[Tim Thomason]

Originally Posted by Prometheus_2300

Didn't Bruno say in Season 7 that after the 2006 election he was going to retire? Also wasn't he only working with Vinick on his election, not the Republican party overall? Especially since other Republicans seemed to dislike Bruno save for Vinick's staff

In the above article, Bruno is offering his opinion as a political strategist (can't argue that), and nowhere does he say he'll work or be involved with Richard Lassiter (something I highly doubt).

In *this* thread, Bruno was retired up until early '09 when he was briefly hired as a consultant for the One Nation '10 PAC, which fizzled. He consulted very briefly for Senator Hawk Fuller's primary campaign in September '09, and in last June joined the Alexander campaign just before its dissolution.

His next Republican job was as Jay Cruger's strategist in the New York Senate race. He apparently flew to Liberty and Walken HQ sometime recently to be vetted as Communications Director (probably as payment for the Cruger race and the work on the Vinick campaign). But with whatever he said to Walken, that idea was quickly nixed.

I've personally been under the impression that he's highly Democratic, with an independent streak, but didn't like Daschowitz and tends to go where the money is. I want to say he's closely related to former New York Senator Anthony Gianelli, but have never gotten around to it (and perhaps never will).

[NickCT]

McNally Supports Kate Harper for NSA



(Denver, Colorado)-- While on vacation visiting friends in Denver, the former National Security Adviser to President Bartlet - Nancy McNally - was asked about the prospect of Kate Harper to serve in the Walken White House. We had little time to get the answer, but this is what we caught, "I would fully encourage President-Elect Walken to appoint Kate Harper as National Security Adviser. This would only show true patriotism." McNally went on to describe her friendship with Kate Harper and her actual duties in the Bartlet Administration. This marks the first time since the funeral of Leo McGarry that Nancy McNally commented publicly to the press. Rumors also swirled McNally had signed a book deal, but those rumors were not confirmed by the former National Security Adviser.

This "endorsement" is further evidence to support Kate Harper. www.draftkate.com was started on Veterans' Day to convince the President-Elect to appoint Harper to the NSA Spot. "I've never seen anything like this," said Walter Warren, a well-respected historian from the University of Connecticut. Upon this news, the Draft Kate movement thanked Dr. McNally, asking her to be the official spokesperson for their organization, with that the former NSA said, "I don't get involved in the politics of it all." It seems there is growing support for Kate Harper to move up in the White House ranks.

[KahukuMan10]

politico.com

Hill to join the Dems

In a move that is not really that shocking, Congresswoman Sophia Hill (CO-6) has decided to switch parties and join the democrats. This has come after senator-elect and good friend Camille Aubry (D-CO), has been trying to convince her to join the democrats since the election on November 2nd. After a few weeks of deliberation, Hill has decided to leave the GOP for the democrats.

"This isn't something I want to do really. But it's more of something that happened to me. The Republican Party, as great as it is, has been moving to the right more and more nowadays, with groups like the ACA and people like Nash Rockford taking a more prominent role in our party's politics. I find myself at the far-left end of the Republican Party, and I've never been one to consider myself a liberal. So I've decided to leave the party I grew up loving, the party of Lincoln, and the party of Eisenhower, for the Democrats, whom I feel are more inclusive and have the big-tent set up. Something that has always intrigued me. So forgive me my friends that still remain in the Republican Party, but I cannot watch as the party I've strived to represent for so long, becomes something I no longer recognize. Thank you."

The announcement was made yesterday that Hill would have her decision made by today. And it wasn't really a shocker to anyone. But even with yet another moderate being kicked out of the GOP ranks, there is some bright spots in the republican house leadership. Despite the staunch conservatives leading the party with Jim Arkin as minority leader and Brad Gilmore as minority whip, there is some hope. Riley Church, backed by President-elect Walken, Cody Riley, and other notable GOP figures, seems poised to become the next Chairman of the NRCC, a position that puts him in good standing to recruit more moderate republicans to run for congress. His aims to make the party more inclusive will be easier to accomplish this way, and Charles Widen has been positioning himself for a challenge in the leadership, although no one really knows where yet.

[KahukuMan10]

cnn.com

Clarkson to meet with Kerrison

California Governor Kevin Clarkson, who seems poised to become the next Chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association, flew down to Los Angeles today to meet with Senator Mark Kerrison at his Beverly Hills mansion. This comes at a time when speculation about Kerrison resigning from his senatorial post is at it's peak.

The Governor reportedly arrived around 10 am, and is still there. Kerrison has never seemed to have the drive for politics, but rather as a guy who likes to be on the outside looking in. And that may be part of the reason the rumors are swirling about his possible resignation. The Governor's return flight to Sacramento is at 2, and he'll likely take questions then.

[Westbrook 49]

politico.com, Sunday November 14th

Sunday Morning Shows Wrap-Up.

A lot of interesting information on the morning shows today.

Of course, the big news happened on Meet the Press, where Colorado Congresswoman Sophia Hill announced that she would be caucusing with the Democrats this year, and for the remainder of her time in Congress. Hill said that she would be switching after a question from David Gregory about rumored tensions between Hill and the conservative members of the Republican Conference. Hill said, "Basically, I'm feeling that there really isn't a place for people like me in the Republican Conference anymore. Moderates, people who are of the party of Roosevelt and Lincoln, in the mold of Arnold Vinick, they're being pushed aside. It's all about Ronald Reagan and Owen Lassiter now, the social conservatives taking over. And I don't feel that I can be a part of that anymore, so I will be caucusing with the Democrats this year."

The rest of the news was less eventful.
Former Georgia Governor Caleb Burgess, head of the Walken Transition Team, appeared on Face the Nation, to discuss the transition process so far. Burgess also gave an interesting announcement: "The President-elect wants to have his economic team in place, first and foremost. Y'know, Treasury, Commerce, OMB, CEA Chair, Trade Rep, SEC-All of those positions, likely their deputies as well. And he wants to have those people in place as soon as possible, so there will be an announcement of those people hopefull by the 29th of November." Burgess also said that interviews and vetting are continuing, and that there have been no positions set in stone as of yet.

ABC's This Week hosted Democratic National Committee Chairman Josh Lyman, who is known for his often-contentious TV work. However, this one went fairly smoothly. Lyman stated, "Democrats need to be prepared. We, as a party, need to be consistently in a position where we are building our party, our communications and ground organization and infrastructure. That's what I am going to be focusing on in the next term as Chairman, along with the Chairs of the DCCC, DSCC and DGA." Lyman also said that he was planning to meet with Speaker Gelsey and whomever is elected Senate Minority Leader as soon as they are elected to discuss strategy.

FOX News Sunday brought on Alabama Senator Cody Riley, who discussed the need for a united Republican Party-An interesting counterpoint to Sophia Hill's declaration that she was leaving. "We need a unified Republican Party, bringing in all of the different elements. Women, African-Americans, gays and lesbians, Muslims, the younger people. We need to show that Republicans are diverse, that we're not just the party of the Southern white man, my own status in that element not withstanding."

[KahukuMan10]

realclearpolitics.com

Leadership battles rage on

The Democrats in the house seem pretty set on their leadership structure going into the next congress, but the democrats in the senate... not so much. The two rivals for the Minority Leader spot are George Montgomery (D-IL), and Llyod Russell (D-NM), and they are not relenting. Montgomery is coming off a strong win in Illinois over the upstart Jim Hohner Jr. and is getting a boost from a small, liberal caucus. While Russell has the leadership experience card, he's been second fiddle to Tom Grissom for the past 8 years, and it may just be his turn to step into the leader spot.

Both have their flaws and their positives. Russell has the experience card, and is known for his cross-party appeal, but that's also his down-point. The democrats have a strong hold in the House, and they're looking for the same in the senate, which requires a firebrand leader. Montgomery is just that. He's always been outspoken and his unabashed sense of liberalism will make him a great leader should he win, his problems mainly come down to his relationships. He's not very friendly with DNC chair Josh Lyman since he hinted at disapproval of Lyman's running the show for Matt Santos four years ago. And if he wants to get things done, and have significant influence in the party outside the senate, he'll need to repair his relationship with Lyman. But with the GOP holding 56 seats, possibly 57 if Carrie McIntosh pulls off a win in Ohio, the democrats will need a fighter. And Montgomery can answer the call to war.

That said, Montgomery has got to be pulling for Hayden Straus to come through against McIntosh. One, it adds another liberal member to the caucus, and two, he'll want some sway with the Youth in Revolt that seem to becoming more and more angrier with the democratic establishment. Straus, as he's not been a politician till this year, despite being older received welcome support from the YIR. And Montgomery is in a better position to appeal to them rather than Russell. Who knows what'll happen, but no decision is likely to be made public until Walken begins announcing some of his cabinet.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Originally Posted by Prometheus_2300

Didn't Bruno say in Season 7 that after the 2006 election he was going to retire? Also wasn't he only working with Vinick on his election, not the Republican party overall? Especially since other Republicans seemed to dislike Bruno save for Vinick's staff

Bruno is a widely acknowledged political expert, and works mostly as an independent advisor, so he's the go-to guy for opinions. I can also see him becoming a regular guest commentator on news channels as a result.

[KahukuMan10]

foxnews.com

Gilmore, Wilson, Hoyt meet amidst GOP leadership struggle

The three rising stars in the Republican Party's house ranks are undoubtedly soon-to-be Minority Whip Brad Gilmore, soon-to-be Deputy Minority Whip Kyle Wilson, and Pennsylvania congressman Travis Hoyt, who is the ranking Republican on the house Budget committee met in Gilmore's office in a closed door meeting prior to tomorrow's beginning of the lame-duck session of congress. The three are considered by DNC Chair Josh Lyman to be the "new unholy trinity," and they seem poised to be the next big leaders of the Republican Party and its conservative wing.

Personally trained by Jim Arkin, the last member of the original "unholy trinity," the three of them recently co-published a book titled "Young Guns" detailing the future of the Republican Party they envision and their new brand of conservatism. The meeting is significant as all three of them head into this week likely to move up in the ranks. As aforementioned, Gilmore and Wilson are likely to become Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip respectively when the GOP does its leadership votes for the next congress, and Hoyt will either have a nice long career on the budget committee or there's been talk of him running for Governor. Either way, the point is that with these three becoming the top dogs in the Republican Party, and Cody Riley the next big thing, there's little doubt which direction the party is headed in.

They met today in order to draw out their battle plan for the rest of the house leadership. Minority Leader Jim Arkin is sitting tight, unlikely to face a challenge from anyone, but Gilmore is probably going to be challenged by someone from the moderate wing, like Robert Mitchell or Charlie Widen. Gilmore is a power hungry SOB, and there has been talk that he, Wilson, and Arkin all met earlier this week to decide how to deal with that potential threat. It's likely that they'll offer a back room deal to one of them to become Republican Conference Chair, along with packaging the NRCC spot to Riley Church. All in all, the meeting probably went well, and the new unholy trinity is spearheading its way into positions of power in the GOP leadership. The question is, with Arkin at the top, can anyone really stop them?



Stephen Baldwin as Kyle Wilson, Chris Carley as Brad Gilmore (already cast), and Kirk Cameron as Travis Hoyt (trust me, I know that's not the best photoshow I've ever done... lol)

[KahukuMan10]

politicalbios.com

Bradley Gilmore

Bradley Emmanuel Gilmore was born on August 17, 1970 in South Lake Tahoe to his parents Carmine and Michelle Gilmore. His father was and is to this day the owner of Carmine's Casino, Hotel, and resort in the city, and his mother was a doctor. He is the eldest of four children, his brother Michael, and his two sisters Caroline and Nicole. He was educated at the Tahoe Montessori House from K-12 before going off to Stanford University to study business and financial services. He quickly changed majors however, to economics and pre-law. He graduated in 1992, before going on to Harvard Law School to get his law degree. Upon graduating four years later, despite numerous offers to prestigious law firms across the country, he returned to his hometown and took a job representing his father and the family casino.

Later in 1999, after the election of the liberal Jed Bartlet to the Presidency, Brad took it upon himself to engage in politics to stop liberalism. He ran for Mayor of South Lake Tahoe later that year, and vastly reshaped the city, he worked with state and federal representatives to lower business taxes to encourage more casinos to move to the area, which in turn, he figured, would help increase tourism and the city's economy. Which it did. And due to his success, the NRCC came-a-knocking in early 2002 asking him to run for congress to replace retiring Mike Shiverello. He whole-heartedly agreed, and won the GOP nomination for the California 4th, and its been full steam ahead ever since.

When he came into the house, he was quickly taken under the wings of the so-called "Unholy Trinity," made up of then Majority Leader Jeff Haffley, Majority Whip Jim Arkin, and NRCC Chair John Connally. They all saw great potential in the young man, and influence his standing heavily. When Haffley assumed the Speakership after Glen Walken ascended to the Presidency, he put the still freshman Gilmore on the Budget and Financial Services Committees. Which is where he remained the next three years until the GOP lost control of the house in 2006 on the coatails of Matt Santos election to the Presidency. Arkin moved into the Minority Leader spot and asked his young protege to join him in the leadership, as Conference Chair. For now. He made his impact felt by everyone around him, energizing the conservative base of the party in the 2008 midterms. He has since retained his post, but with John Connally stepping down as Whip for the next congress, almost everyone has pointed to Gilmore as his replacement.

In 2003, Gilmore met Audrey Keppinger, a car lobbyist in Washington. The two began dating and were wed in September of 2005. They had their first child in mid-2009, a daughter named Kyra, and are expecting their second child in early 2011. Gilmore has always identified as a conservative, who wants "government out of the lives of the american people." He's got a bright future in the party, and his mentor Jim Arkin has positioned him well to take over as the leader of the conservative wing when Arkin decides to call it quits. He's become close friends with Kyle Wilson of Virginia and Travis Hoyt of Pennsylvania as they have all become known as the "Young Guns" of the Republican Party.

[Prometheus_2300]

Los Angeles Times - Saturday November 13, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Martha Blaine embarasses herself again

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, now in its 24th season had as usual a guest host for their show. The show had boasted former President Bartlet, and other politicians and celebrities as guest hosts and for the first time they had a serving politician as their guest host. Rep. Martha Blaine representing California's 36 gave a mediocre hosting role, not nearly as bad as Allison Janney's performance in 2006, but not particularly memorable either. One amusing moment was a sketch where Martha Blaine is on the phone with Josh Lyman during one of his famous meltdowns, played by Studio 60 producer Danny Tripp in a rare on-screen role. However it was the only bright spot of the night

The problems started to occur at the wrap party, and although details are sketchy on what exactly transpired, star Harriet Hayes stormed out with producer Matt Albie following her out, and Martha Blaine's staff trying to move the severely inebriated Blaine to the car. Due to the heavy papparazzi presence for Hayes' new picture through Atlantic Studios, they were able to catch several photos of Blaine being moved to her car by staff.

Producer Danny Tripp in a statement announced that Rep. Blaine has been banned from ever making a re-appearance on Studio 60. A spokesperson for Blaine announced that the congresswoman was tired and is taking a sabbatical before the start of the new Congress.

>>>>>

Rep. Martha Blaine (D-CA-36) played by Lindsay Lohan

[Westbrook 49]

Upcoming Agendas: What Will Be Coming Down the Legislative Pipeline?'
By Dave Dernazza


Even though the new Congress convening is a couple of months away, we here at the Post decided that we would look at the possibilities in the upcoming legislative session, both from the sides of the Democrats and the Republicans.

Taxes and the Economy.
This is destined to be the main issue. While the Santos Administration passed some the stimulus, Democrats complained that it did not go far enough in actual dollars and projects, while Republicans wanted more tax cuts. Another stimulus could be on the way in the Walken economic plan, heavy on the tax cuts. The President-elect is also expected to cut spending, though depending on what it is, Democrats could throw a fit. There is room for negotiation here, as proven by the President-elect making the entirely unexpected gesture of walking to Drake Headley's office to speak with him (Headley's pretty much been confirmed as the next Chair of Ways and Means). It was almost reminiscent of President Bartlet walking to Capitol Hill in 2003 to discuss the government shutdown, and it means that Walken recognizes that he will have to accept that he will be unlikely to move his entire agenda through. That being said, Gelsey and Walken will want to negotiate, but in the end, Walken will probably get most of what he wants with some compromises, likely on taxes for the rich and corporate loopholes.

Financial Regulation.
This will definitely get looked at further. The Santos Administration passed a version of financial regulation after the meltdown that was surprisingly noncontentious, though certain portions were not as strong as were wanted. Mark Richardson has spoken of the need for further review of the legislation, and of the methods by which the crisis occurred, and Jacob Klein, the Chairman of Financial Services, has been itching to take a whack at Wall Street. Elijah Mays of Maryland and Arthur Carney of Oregon (Respectively the Chairs of Oversight & Government Reform and Energy & Commerce) have also both indicated that they are considering hearings. Walken, with his family's background in business and the number of former businesspeople he will be bringing into his Administration, will probably not be the most enthusiastic of people about this, but he certainly will not work to stop it. Whether the President-elect will sign any legislation creating stronger enforcements that crosses his desk remains to be seen.

The Department of Homeland Security and Reform of the Intelligence Community.
Aside from the economy, the biggest issue that will be on the President's plate. Calls for the creation of a Department of Homeland Security have been originating from as far right as Jeff Haffley and as left as Andrew Thorn (Taking up the banner from his former colleague Michael Daschowitz), and everyone in between, including General Nicholas Alexander.
There are problems however. Walken himself has indicated that he believes that the current agencies are performing well, though they could use some reform, and do not need another level of bureaucracy overlooking them. This means he's unlikely to shepherd this bill along, and may even take the drastic measure of vetoing it (Assuming it got that far, there would likely be enough votes to override, meaning that Walken would have wasted a veto, and he could be attacked as weak or lacking on national security). There are also concerns on both sides of the aisle as to how the Department would work. Senator Howard Weston, the-presumptive Chairman of the Senate Judiciary, has expressed reservations, saying, "This Homeland Security thing sounds a bit Orwellian," while Hayden Straus, who is locked into a tight race in Ohio, has said that he would filibuster the Homeland Security bill even if it was the first one on the agenda. There's certain to be pressure from all factions on both sides of the aisle, but the bipartisan nature (So far) of the idea seems to guarantee it at least a shot at working. While the creation of the Department of Homeland Security will be up for grabs, wide-ranging reform of the intelligence community looks like a big piece of the work that will be occupying Congress, as it seems near-certain to pass.

Energy Reform.
Major ideological fight, yet things still might be done. Walken is going to advocate drilling, probably ethanol as well, and the nuclear power industry might feel that it is safe to come out from hiding after San Andreo, (And the utter shellacking that they took from the Santos Administration and during the Congressional hearings) to push for nuclear options (The good kind). Congressional Democrats are going to come back with cap-and-trade, investments in wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, probably hydrogen-Maybe even cold fusion!
These fights do tend to fall along ideological lines, but common ground can still be reached. Walken has said that global warming is a possibility, which is a start for common ground. There's also a proposal that would force the entire US government to become energy-efficient by 2020, starting with Congress, which enjoys bipartisan support. A lot will be made of whomever the President appoints as Energy Secretary, which could be a big sign to both Democrats and Republicans.

Judges.
This applies to the Senate only. After 12 years of Bartlet and Santos, Republicans finally have the power to name judges again, and there will be a big list of people clammoring for their turn on the bench, and plenty of vacancies to fill. With 57 or 58 votes, Republicans only need to pick off a pair of Democrats (Likely a conservative Southerner, like Tim McCord or Eric Bennett) in order for a filibuster-proof 60 votes, while Democrats will likely need at least 5 in order to prevent that. The issue with that is that there aren't really 5 votes in the Republican Conference that Democrats could get. And if George Montgomery is elected as Minority Leader, that could blow the situation open to an alarming degree.

Campaign Finance Reform.
A couple of freshmen have made it a priority, and there are a few people in Congress already who have said they would like it passed. While Senators Ryan Lyndell and Cody Riley had proposed something like that last year, it didn't really get off the ground, being an election year. Tied to Congressional ethics, meaningful reform could be possible-But only if both sides are willing to compromise.

Illegal Immigration.
Major issue. The President-elect and Republicans will be looking for enforcement first, while Democrats will argue for a path to citizenship. Democrats do hold the advantage on this, as they did have the first Hispanic President, and have been making inroads into the Latino community more than Republicans. Unless they want to be shut out of the next wave of voters, Republicans will not want to look anti-immigrant, and so the moderates and pragmatists will likely override the hardliners and reactionaries of the right. While Hispanic immigration will be the key issue, other illegal immigrants will also be taken a look at. Sam Seaborn, the newly-elected Senator from California, has a proposal that would build stronger paths to citizenship for college students whose visas who have expired, as well as encouraging immigration of college students and other highly-trained professionals to the U.S.
With all of the complexities of immigration, it seems unlikely that there will be an omnibus comprehensive reform bill, more likely a series of smaller bills that all focus on certain issues, and add up to a major one, though a large, single bill is possible.

These are just a few of the issues that are probably going to get the most attention. Health care and education will both come up (Democrats are going to be focusing on recycling the Santos plans for both, compromising enough to get what they want), and could pass. All in all, it could be one of the most productive legislative sessions we have seen in awhile.