Senate Republicans Move Right

In spite of the on slaught of media stories telling us that the "middle" is the only safe place to be seen, as reflected on the cover of a recent Time Magazine, Republicans overwhelmingly choose Senators Mitch McConnell (KY) and Trent Lott (MS) to lead their party as Minority Leader and Whip respectively. Mitch, one of the most Conservative members of the Senate, won by 100 percent of his colleagues votes. Trent only won by one vote due to a challenge by much more moderate Lamar Alexander (TN). Trent, too, is one of the Senate's most Conservative members.

I believe many Senate Republicans, who have long been more moderate than their House colleagues, believe that their party's defeat this month was due to abandoning Conservative principles and have reiterated such a conviction in their choices of leadership. Also strong is their choice of Southeners (even in the defeated challenger) as leaders, which likely reflects the geographic future of the Republican party for the Presidency as well, in my opinion.