The 2012 Elections: What to Expect and How the Congress Will Take Shape in 2013

Martin Frost can handicap various House and Senate races around the country for the November 2012 elections and comment on trends that may impact the overall change in seats for each party.  Accurately predicting in 2006 that Democrats would capture 30 seats and take back control of the House, Frost can also handicap races by time zone to help audiences understand what the returns will mean as they are reported by the media.  He will also make projections on how the various possible outcomes (shift in control or decrease in Democrat's majorities) will impact the President's legislative program in the next session of Congress.

Dueling Gurus: Davis, Frost and the Battle for the 2012 Congressional Elections

The most influential congressional handicappers on today’s political landscape, former Congressmen Martin Frost (D-TX) and Tom Davis (R-VA) offer unparalleled perspective, astute analysis and exceptional insight on the 2012 elections. Drawing from their first-hand experience on the front lines as party campaign chairs as well as distinguished political leaders, this dynamic duo possesses a level of knowledge and practical political experience that is unsurpassed and extraordinary.  Enlightening, entertaining, and engaging, Davis and Frost go beyond the hype to help audiences discern the true drivers of the candidates, their campaigns and the impact on families, communities, and business now and in the future.

Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich --Two Peas in a Pod:  A Comparison of the Leadership Styles of the Two Most Recent Controversial House Speakers

Gingrich and Pelosi are very similar in their approach to the Speaker's job even though their philosophies are quite different.  Both believed in concentrating power in the Speaker's office and having much of the final legislative product actually crafted in the Speaker's office rather than strictly through the committee process.  Both have worked to create a distinct cult of personality, which is different from many previous speakers who were basically not well known to the public at large.  As a result of raising the profile of the Speaker, both have become lightening rods for the opposing party and have been the subject of attack ads by it.  Both also were willing to bypass strict seniority in elevating Members to key leadership roles on committees.

The Challenges of Achieving Bi-Partisanship in the Next Congress

The public often complains about the lack of bipartisanship in Congress.  Frost recently participated in a panel discussion with three other past legislative leaders on this subject -- Former Speaker Tom Foley, Former Republican House Minority Leader Bob Michel and former GOP Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.  Congressman Frost took the position that it requires leadership from the top of both parties to make bipartisanship a reality and that the public must demand that Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders act in a more cooperative basis.  A true test of bipartisanship will occur when the President's deficit reduction commission makes its recommendations in December and when Congress then takes them up for a vote.

The 2010 Census Reapportionment and Redistricting: What to Expect When the Lines are Drawn in 2011

Frost headed IMPAC 2000, the Democratic Party's redistricting organization following the 1990 and 2000 censuses.  He will comment on the dynamics that affected redistricting during those two very important cycles and how the results impacted Congressional elections for the rest of the decade in each case.  Frost will also discuss the politics on reapportionment and redistricting which will occur in 2011 and 2012 and the projected gains and losses for each state and for each party.  Additionally, Frost will comment on current efforts to reform the redistricting process by changing to a non-partisan on bi-partisan commission state by state.