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In my last post I wrote about Democratic congressional funding chairman Rahm Emanuel having screened out high-polling progressive
candidates in favor of rightward-leaning ones, and how at least one Democrat (Rep. Jim Moran of VA) believes this was a mistake
because many of those progressives would likely have won their races, producing a Democratic majority closer to its base than
the new crew coming to Washington. Moran called this incoming Democratic class the most conservative he has ever seen.
And now look at what we have: A struggle for the position of Majority Leader between John Murtha -- who stood up against Bush
and has the backing of party progressives -- and Steny Hoyer, a pragmatic type who has the support of conservative
Democrats. Think Emanuel's Democratic campaign funding decisions might be looming large about now?
If you hear a fluttering and scratching on the roof, it's the sound of certain heavy birds coming home to perch above your
head.
I'll grant that the major-media hype about the Murtha-Hoyer fight is overheated. And some pro-Dem observers dismiss the entire
issue as trivial. They are happy to have a Democrat as Majority Leader, period. Oliver Willis, for instance, writes:
"So, lemme get this straight: the 'battle' and 'fight' and 'controversy' is over which DEMOCRAT is going to be MAJORITY LEADER
OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES under SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, DEMOCRAT Nancy Pelosi?... I could not care less about who's
in the job if that's the case. They've got a (D) after their name. That's what matters."
Sorry, but I beg to differ. A Democrat who will vote against universal health care is not the same as a Democrat who will
vote for it. A Democrat who will gingerly negotiate with Bush over extending the carnage in Iraq, or who will go easy on private-sector
war profiteers, is not the same as one who will demand common sense and justice. A Democrat who will waver on gay rights or
habeas corpus or the rights of illegal aliens is not the same as one who won't.
Mind you, I am not trying to tag Murtha or Hoyer with any of these positions. In fact, what I am saying is that the real issue
isn't about Murtha or Hoyer at all. It's about the conflicting congressional constituencies to whom they appeal. It's about
what kind of Democratic majority we are going to see in 2007, and how much power the Emanuel-selected conservatives
in the party will wield.
Keep an eye out for those chickens.
© 2006 Bruce A. Jacobs (Posted 11/14/06)
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