Posted on 11/08/2006 3:48:50 PM PST by MadIvan
Our correspondent examines how the party masterminded its move to the centre and reined in liberals to seize hostile territories
They wear cowboy boots, chew tobacco, love hunting, hate abortion, want less government spending — and some voted for Ronald Reagan. Now they are headed to Congress as Democrats.
Although the Democrats’ victory was above all an overwhelming repudiation of the conflict in Iraq, it was also built on the back of moderate, often conservative candidates recruited to compete in traditionally Republican territory.
When Congress returns in January, both the House and Senate will see something of an ideological shift, with an influx of freshmen Democrats who, while unified in their opposition to the war, are well to the right of the party’s current caucus on cultural issues.
Their success reflects a resurgence of “Blue Dog” Democrats — socially conservative but generally economic populists — across the Midwest, and a bold new strategy to target the Republican-leaning West and South West — states such as Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico — as a way of winning back the White House in 2008.
If Jon Tester, the Democrat’s Senate candidate in Montana, wins his race against Conrad Burns — he declared victory last night but votes were still being counted — the chamber will have a Democrat who is an anti-abortion, pro-gun, three-generation farmer with a buzz cut, three missing fingers on his left hand and no big fan of Hillary Clinton.
Jim Webb, the Democrat favoured to win a probable recount in the Virginia Senate race, was Reagan’s Navy Secretary. A social conservative, he hates liberals and likes guns so much he gave one to his son at the age of 8. He champions, as he puts it, “Southern redneck culture”. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he converted to the Democrats only over his opposition to the Iraq war.
Bob Casey, who soundly defeated the Republican Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, is also anti-abortion. Like many of the new Democrats, he ran a profoundly populist protectionist economic message which attracted many blue-collar “Reagan Democrats” back to the party in the Midwest, where job losses and economic pessimism combined with Iraq to make the region one of the bleakest landscapes for Republicans yesterday.
Heath Shuler, a former quarterback for the Washington Redskins, was once courted by the Republicans as a possible congressional candidate. He is anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-free trade — and is now the Democrat representative for the North Carolina 11th District.
In Indiana, a state overwhelmingly won by President Bush in 2004, three Republicans in the House of Representatives lost seats. All faced conservative Democrats. One, Brad Ellsworth, a county sheriff, is a social conservative who signed a no-tax-rise pledge during the campaign. Joe Donnelly was another cultural conservative winner in Indiana.
In Colorado, Democrats continued their push into the West with victory in the state’s gubernatorial contest, meaning the party now has a sweep of western governors stretching from Canada to Mexico, through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
In Kentucky, John Yarmuth, a former Republican candidate running as a Democrat, beat Anne Northup, a five-term veteran. Democrats also picked up an open seat in Republican Arizona and even unseated a Republican incumbent in Kansas — where Mr Bush won
62 per cent of the vote in 2004.
These new Democrats represent what Rahm Emanuel, the congressman who masterminded its takeover of the House, described as the future of the party, and the key to its presidential hopes. The growing belief of many Democrat strategists is that the South — the party’s base until the 1960s, but now solidly Republican — is beyond their reach, and that the future lies in targeting the Midwest and West with moderate candidates. That theory was bolstered by the defeat in Tennessee of Harold Ford. Despite running as a conservative on nearly every issue — even immigration — the black former congressman could not prevail in the one Southern senate seat in play.
The result was rich vindication for Mr Emanuel and other top Democrats who have spent two years recruiting candidates to make the party competitive in western states they had all but ceded in recent years.
Mr Emanuel and other centrists have told the incoming Democrat leadership — which is far more liberal than the new influx of moderates — that the party’s liberal wing must not dominate the agenda. The new crop of moderates will be anxious to keep the party rooted to the middle ground.
Their arrival on Capitol Hill will be one of the first early tests of the leadership skills of Nancy Pelosi who, as House Speaker, will have to forge a coalition in a party that has profound philosophical disparities.
Ironically, the greatest losses for Republicans came in the North East, the last redoubt of the party’s mainstream moderates. They were routed.
And I'm sure you're very pleased that 48 million dead babies will become 49 million, 50 million, 51 million. WHEN DOES IT STOP?
Red Cats will scratch them to pieces.
Ivan, may I ask what was England's general reaction to our election?
Until then,I predict most of these guys become Nancy and Hillary's cabana boys.
Regards, Ivan
Only dem I ever voted for was Sam Nunn and at the time he seemed to be a real conservative. He unfortunately got the idea to explore a run for president and pro-life isn't a winner on the national scene for a dem so he "moderated" his stance. I have never voted for a dem since.
I don't know what DC does to people, there must be something in the water. The Episcopal priest at my parish when I was growing up was really conservative. He went to St. Alban's on the HIll, parish church for the National Cathedral and we don't even know him these days. He is writing the same sex marriage vow service for use when they are finally adopted.
DC is poison to the conservative mind. So few seem to survive.
VoteYesForLife put in $2.1 million (incl. the $300 I gave), WITHOUT the President's support, WITHOUT the support of the National Right to Life Committee.
The bill would have made it to the Supreme Court, satisfied the condition laid out in Roe vs. Wade Section IX Paragraph A, and ultimately overturned the most ghastly court ruling in human history:
A. The appellee and certain amici argue that the fetus is a "person" within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. In support of this, they outline at length and in detail the well-known facts of fetal development. If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses, [410 U.S. 113, 157] for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the Amendment. The appellant conceded as much on reargument. 51 On the other hand, the appellee conceded on reargument 52 that no case could be cited that holds that a fetus is a person within the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment
That some, like you, to justify past actions must live in a fantasy world in which the baby magically "poofs" into personhood at some arbitrary point in its well-underway development is not good cause to continue the most brutal act imaginable upon the largest single victim group in human history (yes, we have overcome Hitler's deathcount, Stalin's deathcount, and Mao's).
The defeat of a referrendum backed by a $2.1M group by a $8M group does not indicate we are a pro-abortion nation. It indicates we are a blissfully ignorant nation that can be bought.
Ultimately, it's people who fill in the ballot. I respect your beliefs. What I'm saying is that the majority of people in this country don't agree with them.
Just SOP.
Back in the day the Democrats were the slave owners, because of the MSM and gubmint skoolz the sheeple will argue this fact.
They'd be crazy to give up that power by doing Pelosi's bidding in lockstep against the wishes of the socially conservative constituencies in their districts that put them in office based on their campaigns as conservatives.
If they're the least bit smart, we're going to see real some horsetrading across the aisle from them, just like the pubs saw from Chafee et al. That 'in name only' burr's in the other team's saddle & it's a heck of a lot bigger now, lol!
If you are correct, of course, then this country is toast.
They will be stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place when they have to vote on the issues. How can they balance loyalty to the dem party with loyalty to those who elected them. This could be amusing....in a sardonic sort of way.
Gene Taylor, the Mississippi Democrat, is agruable the best of the Blue Dog lot. Colin Peterson of Minnesota is another one I know to be generally decent like Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
The Republicans have a large enough minority in the house they could insist on leadership positions for Blue Dog Democrats like Jane Harmon of California who, while not exactly conservative, could be trusted with the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee unlike the impeached disgraced (bribery and malfeasence) former federal judge A. Hastings of Florida who is due to get the position under a Pelosi speakership.
There are more than enough Blue Dog Democrats to chair every house committee of national security importance, or even every committee, including Speaker of the House if the Republicans had the balls to approach them and the Blue Dogs had the balls to buck their radical left leadership. Ain't gonna happen, though-- although the 40 or so Blue Dogs are far more than the number of Republican house seats lost.
Look for him to marry before he runs again and have at least 1 kid...for the photo ops.
I totally agree. Also, Raul Emanuel is not a "centrist". He is leftist Clinton Rat. These so called "blue dogs" in the House will be disciplined by lady Pulosi herself into voting as she tells them or they get no committee appointments, no social place at beltway events and no help from the Rats when they run again.
I have to bitterly disagree with your characterization. You're sugar coating how bad they really are.
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