Moderation in the Pursuit of Victory?
Chris Jackson, who writes an blog unofficially advocating for former Congressman and current DLC chairman Harold Ford, Jr., makes this astute observation:
As I looked around the internet at reaction to the Governor and Congressman's op-ed, I was once again stunned to see how many of my Democratic friends were dispassionate to the idea of having ideas that appeal to the center of our country. In reading their comments, they seem to think that our country is moving further and further left, so there is no need for our party to look to lead from the center anymore.I could not disagree more.
Although our party did make big gains last year in the mid-term elections, it was far from a mandate for a left leaning policy. Many of the candidates that won around the nation for the Democrats were not liberal, but moderates who appealed to both Democrats and Republicans and offered change (IE: Bob Casey Jr., Jim Webb, Jim Tester, etc.) from the status quo. Moreover, I would argue that it wasn't the love for our party or even our agenda that gave us the majority in both the House and Senate, but rather the overwhelming disdain among everyday Americans towards the Republican Party and the policies that they had in place.
While that argument is correct, the chances of the Democrats ignoring it are more likely than not.
As I looked around the internet at reaction to the Governor and Congressman's op-ed, I was once again stunned to see how many of my Democratic friends were dispassionate to the idea of having ideas that appeal to the center of our country. In reading their comments, they seem to think that our country is moving further and further left, so there is no need for our party to look to lead from the center anymore.I could not disagree more.
Although our party did make big gains last year in the mid-term elections, it was far from a mandate for a left leaning policy. Many of the candidates that won around the nation for the Democrats were not liberal, but moderates who appealed to both Democrats and Republicans and offered change (IE: Bob Casey Jr., Jim Webb, Jim Tester, etc.) from the status quo. Moreover, I would argue that it wasn't the love for our party or even our agenda that gave us the majority in both the House and Senate, but rather the overwhelming disdain among everyday Americans towards the Republican Party and the policies that they had in place.
While that argument is correct, the chances of the Democrats ignoring it are more likely than not.
posted by MCO at 7:21 PM
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