Below The Beltway

There are yet more signs that demographic shifts in the Old Dominion are working against them:
After an election in which Virginia was one of the most hotly contested states in the presidential race, the results show Virginia Democrats amassing a formidable coalition as the state’s suburban communities grow more diverse, white voters in Northern Virginia [...]

With one day left before the run-off election, Sarah Palin is down in Georgia campaigning for Saxby Chambliss:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Call Sarah Palin the closer.
The Alaska governor and former Republican vice-presidential nominee is back on the campaign trail Monday, teaming up with Sen. Saxby Chambliss at four campaign events in Georgia on the last full [...]

The Washington Post profiles what may be the beginning of the race for the 2012 Republican nomination:
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Last weekend, 18 days after Barack Obama decisively defeated their candidate for president, a mostly Republican crowd of self-described conservatives received their first introduction to someone many prominent members of the GOP think could be [...]

Some time this morning, the selection of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State will be official:
(CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama will officially nominate members of his national security team at an event Monday morning, including Sen. Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, according to two officials.
The Obama transition team announced Sunday that Obama will unveil [...]

The more I hear from this guy, the more I like him:

MSNBC’s First Read picks on the theory that Hillary Clinton may be Constitutionally barred from serving as Secretary of State:
If President-elect Barack Obama nominates Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state, many legal scholars believe it would be the former law professor’s first violation of the Constitution as president.
Why? Because the Constitution forbids the appointment [...]

Patrick Ruffini thinks his fellow conservatives should spend a lot less time worrying about the Fairness Doctrine:
I have two words for these people: Not happening. Not only has Obama, though a spokesman, flatly denied any interest in reimposing the Fairness Doctrine, or otherwise failed to show any interest in the issue, but his pursuing it [...]

Yesterday, we were promised that Barack Obama would be discussing planned budget cuts today:
Obama’s staff won’t elaborate, but the President-Elect said just now that he’d roll out a plan to cut the federal budget tomorrow — something both presidential candidates said they’d do, but neither detailed.
“[T]o make the investments we need, we’ll have to scour [...]

Delaware’s Governor has appointed a long-time aide to Joe Biden to fill his Senate seat, but it looks like it’s just a temp job:
Ted Kaufman, a longtime aide to Joe Biden, will be appointed by Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner to fill the vacancy created by the vice president-elect once he resigns from the Senate.
Kaufman [...]

As I noted yesterday, there’s a possibility that Hillary Clinton may be Constitutionally ineligible to serve as Secretary of State due to having served in the Senate during a time when the salary for that position was increased.
Today Eugene Volokh has two blog posts about what’s being called the Emoluments Clause controversy.
First, Volokh takes [...]