Watch him below on Neil Cavuto’s show.

This year marks President Obama’s third State of the Union address.  Much of the address should remain similar to years past, and many expect the President to focus his speech on jobs and the economy.  However, this year will introduce significantly different features than years past.  Not only will the President be speaking to a congress with divided chambers, but members will also do something that would have seemed simply incomprehensible even two years ago:  sit with members of the opposing party.

For as long as is recorded, the different parties in congress have seated themselves in opposing sides of the chamber.  The Republicans occupy one side, and the Democrats occupy the other.  This division marks the stark polarization that has plagued our political scene in recent years.  Violent and divisive rhetoric threatens our political landscape, and the recent shootings in Arizona remind us that the words we use to convey our thoughts are more important than ever.  While rhetoric is probably not the cause for the shooting, the way that pundits and representatives speak needs to change.  And let us remind ourselves that Republicans such as Sarah Palin are not the only figures to blame for our political landscape.  Not only did Keith Olberman refer to Fox News as  “worse than Al Qaeida”, he also commented on his twitter account that “Fox News is 100% bullsh**” and  “Rush Limbaugh is 100% Pigeonsh**”.  While far-right conservatives share some of the blame for today’s polarized political climate, far-left liberals are also to blame.  Now is the time for both sides to admit mistakes, reconcile differences, and move forward- and it appears they might.

Over the last week, numerous spokespeople on both sides of the aisle have come together to denounce divisive and violent political rhetoric and call for more unity and bi-partisanship in congress.  In fact, both Democrats and Republicans will intermingle at the upcoming State of the Union address, with the unlikely duo of Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) at the helm.  While these Senators, along with many others, disagree on many issues, the love they share for their country will bring them together for this one night.   With luck, this small act of unity will lead to a more collaborative and bi-partisan style of government.  With the State of our Union in the balance, it remains important today more than ever that both Conservatives and Liberals alike to condemn violent rhetoric and realize that we are all working toward a brighter and greater future for our country.

At yesterday’s party meeting, tea party backed Jack Kimball, who had also run for Governor in 2010, ended up narrowly defeating Juliana Bergeron, who had been backed by Sununu. Elsewhere, in contested elections for chairman in Washington state and Arizona, tea party candidates also emerged victorious.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney gained 35% of the delegates in New Hampshire’s first straw poll (of course, straw polls must be taken with a grain of salt, especially one this early). Ron Paul came in second with 11%, with all other candidates scoring in the single digits.

For 2012, my eyes will be on two people in particular: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Of these three, Conrad’s will cause the most stir – a Democrat hailing from a traditionally conservative/populist state, Conrad’s retirement makes North Dakota a prime target for the GOP. The Democratic bench is extremely thin there, so expect a crowded GOP primary. The winner there will likely serve in the Senate for decades to come.

Texas and Connecticut are also likely to have heated primaries – Hutchison’s seat already has several prominent Republican contenders, and Democrats angling for Lieberman’s seat have begun declaring their candidacies.

Assuming that John Ensign (R-NV) steps aside (given his general unpopularity) for Congressman Dean Heller (R- NV 1), right now the GOP is looking at 2 likely Senate pickups in 2012 – Nebraska and North Dakota. They need 4 to win outright control of the Senate.

Also, good luck to newly elected RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. He faces a difficult task in combating President Obama’s talented fundraising machine, which will raise in excess of one billion dollars in 2012, given the power of incumbency and a united Democratic base.

With his remarkable experience and accomplishments, Mr. Grayson is undoubtedly an excellent choice to lead the Institute of Politics. The Harvard Republican Club is very excited to work with him in the future.

Senate – GOP +6, House – GOP +63, Governorships – GOP +6

Meanwhile, the Alaska Senate race has been called in favor of Lisa Murkowski, but Joe Miller has filed suit to block her. Down by over 10,000 votes, Miller’s campaign has only challenged 8,000 of Murkowski’s ballots. Given that it is extraordinarily unlikely that Miller will win (and that many of his campaign’s challenges seem frivolous – i.e. spelling/handwriting disputes), I hope that this case is resolved quickly.

With final examinations lurking around the corner, Christmas (and a return to our hometowns!) will soon follow as 2010 winds down.

Of course, I’m not quite done yet… there are 3 gubernatorial elections next year

Not to mention the 33 Senate seats, 435 Congressional seats, and the Presidency in 2012…

Preliminary 2012 Senate competitive races:

Connecticut (ID – Lieberman)

Florida (D – Nelson)

Massachusetts (R – Brown)

Michigan (D – Stabenow)

Missouri (D – McCaskill)

Montana (D – Tester)

Nebraska (D – Nelson)

Nevada (R – Ensign)

Ohio (D – Brown)

Pennsylvania (D – Casey)

Virginia (D – Webb)

West Virginia (D – Manchin)

“Without proper adherence to the role contemplated in the Constitution for the presidency, the checks and balances in the constitutional plan become weakened. This has been most obvious in recent years when the three branches of government have been subject to the tutelage of a single party. Under either party, presidents have often forgotten that they are intended to restrain the Congress at times, and that the Congress is independent of their desires. And thus fused in unholy unity, the political class has raged forward in a drunken expansion of powers and prerogatives, mistakenly assuming that to exercise power is by default to do good.

Even the simplest among us knows that this is not so. Power is an instrument of fatal consequence. It is confined no more readily than quicksilver, and escapes good intentions as easily as air flows through mesh. Therefore, those who are entrusted with it must educate themselves in self-restraint. A republic — if you can keep it — is about limitation, and for good reason, because we are mortal and our actions are imperfect.

The tragedy of presidential decision is that even with the best choice, some, perhaps many, will be left behind, and some, perhaps many, may die. Because of this, a true statesman lives continuously with what Churchill called “stress of soul.” He may give to Paul, but only because he robs Peter. And that is why you must always be wary of a president who seems to float upon his own greatness. For all greatness is tempered by mortality, every soul is equal, and distinctions among men cannot be owned; they are on loan from God, who takes them back and evens accounts at the end.

It is a tragedy indeed that new generations taking office attribute failures in governance to insufficient power, and seek more of it. In the judiciary this has seldom been better expressed than by Justice Thurgood Marshall’s dictum that, “You do what you think is right and let the law catch up.” In the Congress, it presents itself in massive legislation, acts and codes thousands of pages long and so monstrously over-complicated that no human being can read through them in a lifetime — much less understand them, much less apply them justly to a people that increasingly feel like they are no longer being asked, they are being told. Our nation finds itself in the position of a dog whose duty it is not to ask why, because the “why” is too elevated for his nature, but simply to obey.

America is not a dog, and does not require a “because-I-said-so” jurisprudence to which it is then commanded to catch up, or legislators who knit laws of such insulting complexity that they are heavier than chains; or a president who acts like, speaks like, and is received as a king. The presidency has run off the rails. It begs a new clarity, a new discipline, and a new president.

The president is not our teacher, our tutor, our guide or ruler. He does not command us, we command him. We serve neither him nor his vision. It is not his job or his prerogative to redefine custom, law and beliefs; to appropriate industries; to seize the country, as it were, by the shoulders or by the throat so as to impose by force of theatrical charisma his justice upon 300 million others. It is neither his job nor his prerogative to shift the power of decision away from them, and to him and the acolytes of his choosing.”

Exactly two things have made airplane travel safer since 9/11: reinforcing the cockpit door, and convincing passengers they need to fight back. Everything else has been a waste of money. Add screening of checked bags and airport workers and we’re done. Take all the rest of the money and spend it on investigation and intelligence [.....]

Neither the full-body scanners or the enhanced pat-downs are making anyone safer. They’re more a result of politicians and government appointees capitulating to a public that demands that “something must be done,” even when nothing should be done; and a government bureaucracy that is more concerned about the security of their careers if they fail to secure against the last attack than what happens if they fail anticipate the next one.