THE BLUE DOGS ARE RED:

Democrats See Rift In House (Erin P. Billings, April 25, 2005, Roll Call)

A major rift has developed within the House Democratic Caucus, as moderates and liberals wage a war over influence and questions mount over the leadership's direction for the minority party. [...]

Tensions flared at the gathering over recent defections by moderate Democrats on key votes, most particularly the recent bankruptcy bill, in which 73 Members including House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) sided with the GOP. The meeting left Hoyer defending the moderates' votes and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) siding with progressives and criticizing centrists.

"People are frustrated we had a divided leadership on this bill and they were very outspoken on the opposite sides. Maybe that's what helped this meeting turn into what it turned into," said a senior Democratic staffer. "It's possible this was the final straw for many."

Numerous House Democratic sources said the meeting simply underscored broader tensions between a growing and emboldened centrist faction and the traditionally dominant liberal wing of the Caucus. [...]

"There is a feeling that there is nothing to unite this party right now," said another senior Democratic staffer of the Caucus' failure to take strong, detailed positions on issues. "There is Social Security, and we're doing a good job on that, but that's it. There are no grand ideas or principles for the party. [...]

Even before Tuesday's dust-up, a veteran Democratic House Member summed up the 109th Congress this way: "There is heavy division in the Democratic Party over virtually every policy issue." [...]

One aide said while it's unclear how things will play out, there is a recipe in place for the frustrations of conservative and moderate Democrats to explode. ... But another Democratic source countered: "We aren't going to win by being Republican lite. If we're going to be the opposition party, let's be an opposition party."

Opposing the war on terror, the Ownership Society, a law-and-order judiciary, and Judeo-Christianity doesn't seem likely to win them much either.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 25, 2005 7:45 AM