Democrats Could Face an Internal Civil War as Gentry and Populist Factions Square Off

New Geography ^ | 02/28/2009 | Joel Kotkin

[Lorianne]

This is the Democratic Party's moment, its power now greater than any time since the mid-1960s. But do not expect smooth sailing. The party is a fractious group divided by competing interests, factions and constituencies that could explode into a civil war, especially when it comes to energy and the environment.

Broadly speaking, there is a long-standing conflict inside the Democratic Party between gentry liberals and populists. This division is not the same as in the 1960s, when the major conflicts revolved around culture and race as well as on foreign policy. Today the emerging fault-lines follow mostly regional, geographical and, most importantly, class differences.

[madison10]

Couldn’t happen to a creepier bunch of people.

[DBCJR]

Many Dems from red states can’t afford the political fallout. Watch as they clamor to avoid a 2010 reversal.

[peace with honor]

HOPEFULLY, SONNER RATHER THAN LATER

[Clemenza]

Self-important lattecrats versus the unbathed hippies versus the union chest beaters versus the angry blacks. Let’s get Vince McMahon to promote it on pay-per-view.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Old western Pennsylvania saying “ A Democrat would rather fight a Democrat any day than a Republican.” Maybe it will be the nation’s salvation.

[April Lexington]

Don't worry! Even if the Democratic Party splinters into a million factions, the GOP will STILL lose elections to these monsters. They know one thing and one thing only. Power is to use.

The GOP, on the other hand, wastes power reaching across the isle and selling out to Democrats.

Time for a new conservative party!

[Tarpon]

Blu-dogs are the weak spot. What we want to target in 2010.

[wac3rd]

I guess the Communists somehow are bickering with the Maoists...sounds really, really hateful.

[dynachrome]

What’s the fight about? Who can be the most stalinist?

[Kansas58]

My Gov saw it coming, I think.
She took a 4 year hitch with O rather than risk running for office again, next year!

[Tarpon]

Dean's strategy in 2006-2008 was to target RINOs with conservative Democrats. The Republican RINOs found themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to defend a challenge from the right. It worked in about 40 races.

Lie cheat and steal, never forget that's how Democrats operate.

The winners are called blu-dog Democrats.

[Paladin2]

"Let’s get Vince McMahon to promote it on pay-per-view."

Put it on Dr. Phil or Jerry Springer.

[dangerdoc]

Don’t fool yourself. She took the job because she sees it as the road to the Whitehouse.

She is a lame duck here in Kansas, anyway.

Good riddence to bad rubbish! Now lets build us some coal fired power plants.

[Kansas58]

Hey, I was thinking the same thing.

I do not like Parkinson, but in my heart, I know he can be bought, lol!

Any chance he will cave on the Coal Fired Electricity deal?

Should the legislature wait to present their bill for signature, until “D and C Kathy” is in DC?

[Lorianne]

LOL I love the term lattecrats

[Clemenza]

Coined it when I lived in Seattle. Basically, the Washington State Democratic party was divided between the Seattle Lattecrats (Chris Gregoire, Gary Locke) and the populist Tacomacrats (Norm Dicks, Booth Gardner, etc.).

[DBCJR]

Smart lady. She’ll parlay that job into the private sector in 4 years.

[madinmadtown]

Good question. My fantasy is that Richard Daley will be the one to take Obama out. Daley is synonymous with Democratic politics. One party system, unions, graft and the like, but he isn't really a communist. He might want companies to pay their dues to his soldiers, but he doesn't really want to run the companies and he doesn't really want to run health care and he is allowing charter schools to flourish in spite of the unions. He is a Catholic and he understands how important Catholic schools and charities are to making his city livable. He understands how small businesses such as restaurants and stores make his city livable. He understands how charity supports the arts in the city. He may be a big government guy, but he does understand that government can't do everything as effectively as private enterprise.
Obama is on the verge of making all these things in his city disappear. Obama is on the verge of destroying his beloved city and I do not believe that Daley is a communist.
Hopefully, Daley has enough goods on Obama to save his city and therefore the rest of us.

[dangerdoc]

He has no future in the DNC, which means he is free to actually help the Kansas economy if he desires.