The Woman in the Middle (Moderate Democrat Is New Target of Liberal Bloggers)

Washington Post ^ | WP Staff

[LM_Guy]

The Democratic majority was only three weeks old, but by Jan. 26, the grass-roots and Net-roots activists of the party's left wing had already settled on their new enemy: Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.), the outspoken chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition.

Progressive blogs -- including two new ones, Ellen Tauscher Weekly and Dump Ellen Tauscher -- were bashing her as a traitor to her party. A new liberal political action committee had just named her its "Worst Offender." And in Tauscher's East Bay district office that day in January, eight MoveOn.org activists were accusing her of helping President Bush send more troops to Iraq.

Helping? Jennifer Barton, the lawmaker's district director, played them a DVD of Tauscher blasting the increase as an awful idea in a floor speech eight days earlier.

"The words are fine and good, but we are looking for leadership," scoffed Susan Schaller, one of the activists.

Leadership? Barton showed them the eight golden shovels Tauscher had received for bringing transportation projects to her suburban district, along with numerous awards she had won for her work protecting children, wetlands, affordable housing and abortion rights.

"That's fine and good," Schaller repeated, "but this is about Iraq."

The anti-Tauscher backlash illustrates how the Democratic takeover has energized and emboldened the party's liberal base, ratcheting up the pressure on the party's moderates. That pressure is also reaching House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a San Francisco liberal who recognizes that moderate voters helped sweep Democrats into the majority. Pelosi has clashed with Tauscher in the past, but she's now eager to hold together her diverse caucus and to avoid the mistakes of GOP leaders who routinely ignored their moderates.

So far, Pelosi and her leadership team seem determined to protect Tauscher and her 60 New Democrats -- up from....

[LM_Guy]

Demo-Cannablisim has just begun ;~)

[P-40]

I just heard Senator Landrieu (LA) take on the Sierra Club and the New Jersey EPA Commissioner over offshore drilling. I wonder if the lefties saw that. :)

[flashbunny]

My worst case scenario for 2008 is that the GOP nominates a liberal republican like Rudy and the dems put up a conservative talking democrat. But with the liberal moonbats in full swing, it doesn't look like it will happen this time around.

[ken5050]

Remember that Pelosi herself had a primary challenge from the left wing nuts...

[MinnesotaLibertarian]

The lefties already don't like Landrieu. She's the second most conservative Democrat in the Senate after Ben Nelson (D-NE). She's also their weakest incumbent in 2008. We'll see which the moonbats decide is more important.

[P-40]

She's the second most conservative Democrat in the Senate

I didn't know that about her. Her call to cut off the gas pipeline to New Jersey was pretty funny though. She sounded like a Republican. :)

[Tzimisce]

The kook fringe thinks they own the Democratic party. The problem is, no one is really sure how tight their lock is. Give in to these people and you might lose moderate Dems. Don't give in to these people and you lose them.

[jdm]

Liberal bloggers must have googled her name and saw this photo of her sitting next to President Bush.

Anyway, my vote for hottest moderate Democrat:

Kirsten Powers. She's so darn cute.

[BunkDetector]

The wing nut responses coming from the left seems eerily familiar...
So, she's a DINO?

[telebob]

Ellen Tauscher is a typical Bay Area liberal. She's no 'moerate' except in the eyes of the far left. She's a lefty being attacked for not being lefty enough.

Tough sh*t...