One Term Control Of The House If Too Aggressive?
It is an article of faith among many liberals that Democrats must advance a bold agenda if they win a majority in the House of Representatives next month.
From expanded health care and scaling back President Bush's tax cuts to withholding money from the Pentagon's war budget and investigating high crimes and misdemeanors, there is enormous pent-up energy to accomplish what could not be done during 12 years in the minority.
Yet as Democratic leaders, including would-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, gear up for an increasingly plausible scenario, they face competing demands likely to temper their liberal ambitions.
The new Democratic majority, should it occur, will consist of a fresh crop of moderate and conservative members whose elections will have been won in part by distancing themselves from the party's progressive wing.
Faced with possible Republican control of the Senate, the president's veto pen and most likely a narrow edge in the House, many Democrats insist they must moderate their agenda and reach out to Republicans to expand their majority and improve their chances of winning the White House in 2008.
"The only thing worse than not taking back the House would be taking it back for one term,'' warned Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, an officer in the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 37 conservative and moderate House Democrats. "I think even the most 'liberal' person in our caucus understands that. There's folks who may not believe that things are going as fast as they want them to go, but they understand we have to be pragmatists."
There's some really low-haning fruit out there. There are things American's want done and they'll not see your passing good legislation, establishing universal health care, implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations or investigating the illegal actions of Bushco and contractors in Iraq as being too "out there". Take your time and do it right, but get 'er done.
Now, if I am not blogging in the next few days it will mean either I've been Bloggered again or summoned to Washington to explain my suggestions and strategy to the Dems.
On second thought, it will mean I've been Bloggered, pure and simple.
(read more)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home