Walt Minnick was one of the 22 budget-dissenting Democrats I wrote about last week. Today, Politico profiles him, shedding light on the reasons for Minnick’s resistance to the Obama administration.
Minnick is one face of the Democrats’ larger governing dilemma, which Sean Trende reviews, in length, at RCP. Trende’s conclusion:
Obama still has a number of members from conservative districts who will have to watch their backs with their constituents. Until Democrats find a way to address the structural problems described [in this article] — and are willing to shed some members of their coalition in the process — they will continue to have a difficult time governing. In the meantime Obama will have to set an agenda that can be sold in some Republican-leaning states and districts, or risk having that agenda derailed.
Translation: To succeed, Obama will need to adapt some of Bill Clinton’s “New Democrat” instincts.