Since Obama declared his presidential candidacy three long years ago, it feels as though the chattering political class focuses exclusively on about a half-dozen or so liberal leaders: Obama, of course, as well as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her former-President husband, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and so on.
And because Congressional committee leadership is dominated by the seniority system, the powerful Senate and House committees are run by the long-serving lions of Congress who have served superbly for 20, 30, even 40 years or more.
See the complete lists at :
Once in a while, we're left wondering: Where are the younger, fresh Democratic voices of leadership? Who will lead the Democratic party in a decade or two?
To start to answer these questions, I've written a new article, Ten Democrats Under 45 to Watch in 2009-2010.
These ten are mayors and governors, members of the Senate and House, and two Obama cabinet members. Their partisan viewpoints range from so conservative fiscally that he antagonizes Nancy Pelosi, to so liberal socially as to cause some voters to cast their ballots against gay marriage.
They are an interestingly varied lot of seven men and three women, ranging from the usual valedictorians and Ivy Leaguers to an NBA all-star, an Iraq War veteran, and the resident of a New Mexico pueblo community.
Enjoy!
(Photo of Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania wearing both his Congressional and 82nd Airborne pins as he held a 2007 news conference to discuss President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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