Perhaps the “teens” will be known as the Scrimmage Decade. One of the chief characteristics of the 2008 election – aside from the primary battles, of course – was a rather unified front among the bloggers, the talking heads on television and the politicians themselves. There were sporadic exceptions, of course, such as the never ending, quixotic campaigning of Ron Paul’s minions and Hillary’s PUMAs, but for the most part it was a big love festival among the R’s and among the D’s. Sights were fixed on the perceived enemy and off to the political battlefield we marched!
But 2010, barely a week old, is shaping up to be something different entirely. Finger pointing abounds and “D on D” or “R on R” violence seems to be breaking out all over. Let’s take a quick tour of some of the skirmishes currently under way.
Out in California, liberals are up in arms over progressive Lynne Woolsey’s decision to support “blue dog” Jane Harman. This Dem on Dem attack stems from Harman’s choice to buck her own party on a variety of issues which are apparently not palatable to the Huffington Faithful.
Over on the “R” side of the aisle, the reliably conservative American Spectator is telling Sarah Palin to “get over herself.” Palin has apparently raised some hackles by passing on CPAC this year and just generally messing up the destiny of the GOP for 2012.
In New York, MS-NBC political analyst and former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford jr. is looking more and more like he will challenge Kirsten Gillibrand in a primary for one of the Empire State’s Senate seats. This is driving the DNC into fits, but Ford says he will not be bullied by her allies, party leaders or the White House. Good luck, Harold. You’re going to need it.
Back to the Republicans, it’s hard to find anyone in the Grand Old Party that’s not mad at Chairman Michael Steele these days. The man who was going to bring more of a “hip hop flavor” to the party has been quite successful in raising money for the 2010 campaign and oversaw two big gubernatorial wins last year, but his shotgun mouth keeps getting him in trouble with both grassroots conservatives and the party leadership every time he shows up on TV to promote his new book.
The list keeps going on. Democrats can’t understand how a Republican is moving within striking distance of taking Ted Kennedy’s old seat, and they don’t know who to blame for that one. The tea partiers are still up in arms at the NRSC for endorsing Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio in Florida. Food fights are breaking out everywhere!
Coming from the somewhat unique perspective of The Moderate Voice, I have to say that I couldn’t be happier. This is exactly the kind of regularly scheduled shake-up that we need in American politics. Complacency and a tendency to get stuck in the same old two party rut with the same old faces running the show are precisely what leads to stagnant, inefficient, unresponsive government. A little unrest around the edges gives more influence to third parties and gets the two big ones listening to their members around the country again. So get out your popcorn, folks, and program your DVRs. This year in politics might be a lot more fun than the last few have been.