Over at The Reaction, I address a recent post by Mark Schmitt (i.e., The Decembrist) on whether or not the Democrats should emulate the Republicans in terms of party unity (specifically, the unity-enforcement strategies of Grover Norquist and the Club for Growth).
Some on the left have long argued that the Democrats need to mirror the Republicans and enforce ideological unity/purity, and the debate continues to rage in light of the recent CAFTA vote — with some on the left suggesting that Democrats who voted for CAFTA should be held accountable for somehow being, well, un-Democratic. It’s all a kind of witch-hunt, to be sure.
Whatever your partisan leanings — I’m something of a Democrat these days, though as a Canadian it hardly matters! — it’s an illuminating debate on the nature of party politics. I provide some commmentary on American versus parliamentary democracy (a subject I’ve addressed in both my academic life and my professional life — and now in my blogging life, too), but make sure to check out the various links to get to the heart of the debate.