Posted on 05/17/2010 3:53:25 PM PDT by Libloather
As Republicans flock to to the right, Democrats scatter in all directions
Republicans will end the year a more philosophically coherent right-wing party, writes columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. Democrats, on the other hand, will become more ideologically diverse.
E.J. Dionne / Syndicated columnist
Originally published Monday, May 17, 2010 at 1:42 PM
WASHINGTON — This year's elections may exacerbate the difference between our two political parties, but not in the way most people are talking about.
With incumbent Democratic senators under threat in two more primaries on Tuesday, the conventional view is that Republicans and Democrats will emerge from this election more ideologically polarized than ever. Primaries will push Republicans to the right and Democrats to the left.
That's only half true. Republicans will, indeed, end the year a more philosophically coherent right-wing party. But the Democrats will, if anything, become more ideologically diverse.
In the GOP, the right is on the march, and even relatively conservative incumbents such as the defeated Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah are not safe against more-conservative-than-thou challengers. But in many of the Democratic primaries, incumbents are in trouble not because they are insufficiently liberal, but because they are incumbents.
The classic case was West Virginia's Democratic primary last week. Rep. Alan Mollohan became the first House incumbent this year to lose his seat. He was defeated largely because of ethics questions, and many voters simply decided that his 14 terms in Congress were enough. The winner was state Sen. Mike Oliverio, who was bolstered by strong support from anti-abortion groups and is, by almost any measure, more conservative than Mollahan.
Pennsylvania could produce Tuesday's shocker result.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
I wish the GOP would move right. The left has moved farther left than ever. They are socialists now.
Remember Newsweek.. “We are all socialists now”.
Democrats ALL have a cache of these icons they drag out when needed.
Yeah, the Democrats are ideologically diverse: there’s leftists, there’s radical leftists, there’s extreme leftists....
YES!
What he meant to say is “Democrats will be ideologically dispersed.”
Those on the "right" are all of the same mind—in the sense that they want the goverment to not do any of these things.
I miss Bloom County.
Yeah, the Democrats are ideologically diverse: there’s leftists, there’s radical leftists, there’s extreme leftists, and there's communists....
RATs are corrupt, power-hungry, anti-American sewer sludge.
The theme song for We The People. Speakers up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x2G3wGVAnlQ
I suspect the more “moderate” Dems will get wiped out, and the Democrats will wind up with only their leftist base.
No, the man says they are more “diverse.” There are communist Democrats now, and socialist, too, and even some Utopian Socialists, and some Marxists, and some with a Fascist inclination. They are diverse.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
Whenever I read a column by ol’ EJ, I wonder about that theory of parallel universes and the idea that a microscopic distance away from our reality there lies another reality, like ours, but in many ways different, too.
E,J. Dionne is incapable of telling the truth (even if his life depended on it).
It is not that he is incapable of telling the truth, it is rather that he, being a liberal, believes that what he says is necessarily true because he says it.
This is all about convincing independents that they should really consider voting democrat because, you know, since they have no coherent, defensible principles, chances are you’ll agree with them on something.
Yeah, like 'Fringe'.
Dang, I KNEW I missed one! :)
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