The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy
Oct 31st, 2008 | 6 responses
We haven’t even voted yet and there are people thinking about 2010.
One of the things that I have noticed over time is that the hard left in the Democratic Party is acting very eerily to the far right in the GOP: looking for those who don’t fit their agenda and taking them out via elections.
The Hill Newspaper is reporting that a new progressive group backed by two unions, MoveOn.org and two liberal bloggers are planning to target centrist Democrats in 2010 by running progressive candidates against them:
The Accountability Now coalition, whose members include the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), MoveOn.org and the United Steelworkers of America, plans to target members of Congress who waver on their agenda. The group is raising money to fund progressive primary challengers in 2010.
Created by liberal bloggers Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com and Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, the Accountability Now political action committee has already raised $500,000 since starting up in March. The group hopes to press Democrats to use their majorities to pass liberal legislation and work with a White House occupied by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
“A lot of people see this as the way to make sure Obama is able to do what he wants to do,” Hamsher said.
Progressives in the party are trying to make sure that wayward Dems tow the party line or else face a challenge.
Republicans have long had “witch hunts” to get rid of people who were not conservative enough. I think that has diminished the party in the long run, because it is the appeal to the center that wins elections, not trying to be pure enough.
What these progressive activists fail to see is that appealing to the center is what has made Senator Obama so popular and has brought the party back into power. You think they would have learned that by now.
H/t: PoligazetteCross-posted at NeoMugwump
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6 Responses to “The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy”
AS the U.S. becomes a one party state, it will only get worse. The elite white progressive have realized that they are the best organized group in politics. They also realize that the seniority rules of the Democratic Party make many progressive proposals harder to pass so the idea it to force all Democrats (the supposed big tent party ) into line. I guess all that talk about blue dog democrats and that the DEmocratic party is not really interested in gun control, thought control, forced busing, and social engineering were really just lies.
“They also realize that the seniority rules of the Democratic Party make many progressive proposals harder to pass so the idea it to force all Democrats (the supposed big tent party ) into line.”
I agree. This sounds as much like a threat to the leadership in 2009, as a longer game plan on these groups' parts.
Move to the Left, or we will take you out in 2010.
As Dennis notes, this hubris occurs with remarkable bipartisan frequency:
Clinton's stumbling after 1992. . .Gingrinch's overreach in shutting down the government. . .Bush's across-the-board overreach, resulting in 2008. . . .
An interesting sign might of the times would be when – if President – Obama sacks Petraeus. MoveOn will be demanding as much as payback.
If you leave your standard Elected Democrat without tight supervision, he turns into a Moderate Republican, it's the nature of the beast.
You have to remind them who brought them to the dance, and what the consequences of straying to far of the reservations are.
I see this as a very simple and expected reaction to the center having been dragged toward the right for so long. It's all part of putting things back into balance. Did the right truly think consequences would never catch up with them? That the pendulum would never reverse it's momentum? I only hope the democrats, if they gain significant control of government, prove better at taking the long view than the republicans did.
The Hill article mention two Democratic centrists in blue states – Maryland and California. I don't see the Democratic leadership going for more liberal demonocrats in Colorado and North Carolina to replace Salazar and Heath Schuler. The majority of these Blue Dogs are in purple or red states, an Al Franken would have zero chance.
* Mike Arcuri (New York)
* Joe Baca (California)
* John Barrow (Georgia)
* Melissa Bean (Illinois)
* Marion Berry (Arkansas)
* Sanford Bishop (Georgia)
* Dan Boren (Oklahoma)
* Leonard Boswell (Iowa)
* Allen Boyd (Florida), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration
* Dennis Cardoza (California)
* Christopher Carney (Pennsylvania)
* Ben Chandler (Kentucky)
* Jim Cooper (Tennessee)
* Jim Costa (California)
* Bud Cramer (Alabama)
* Lincoln Davis (Tennessee)
* Joe Donnelly (Indiana)
* Brad Ellsworth (Indiana)
* Gabrielle Giffords (Arizona)
* Kirsten Gillibrand (New York)
* Bart Gordon (Tennessee)
* Jane Harman (California)
* Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (South Dakota), Blue Dog Whip
* Baron Hill (Indiana)
* Tim Holden (Pennsylvania)
* Nick Lampson (Texas)
* Tim Mahoney (Florida)
* Jim Marshall (Georgia)
* Jim Matheson (Utah)
* Mike McIntyre (North Carolina)
* Charlie Melancon (Louisiana)
* Mike Michaud (Maine)
* Dennis Moore (Kansas), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy
* Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania)
* Collin Peterson (Minnesota)
* Earl Pomeroy (North Dakota)
* Mike Ross (Arkansas), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications
* John Salazar (Colorado)
* Loretta Sanchez (California)
* Adam Schiff (California)
* David Scott (Georgia)
* Heath Shuler (North Carolina)
* Zack Space (Ohio)
* John Tanner (Tennessee)
* Gene Taylor (Mississippi)
* Mike Thompson (California)
* Charlie Wilson (Ohio)
Jspencer,
At least the Democrats understand how demographics affects politics. However, what the Democratic Party absolutely refuses to do is understand how demographics affects economics. So, the long term consequences that are considered and not considered will just change.