Liberal Activists Planning to Go After Centrist Democrats
When it became clear that Democrats would expand their majorities in Congress, and probably take over the White House, all partially due to the activism of liberals on the Net and on the streets, I argued that it would not take them long to purge the Democratic Party from all centrist elements, and to force Democratic politicians to support distinctly liberal policies.
One of the main reasons I believe not one single moderate or centrist should vote for either Obama or candidates for Congress is that you do not have to be a rocket scientist to see the ‘revolution’ coming.
Today, the Hill published a report which makes clear that I’m correct: an coalition founded by FireDogLake’s Jane Hamsher and Salon’s Glenn Greenwald, both ideological and partisan liberals, is working with MoveOn.org and other organizations to force Centrist Democrats to abandon their views and, instead, to support a highly liberal agenda.
If they do not, the Accountability Now coalition will simply challenge Democratic Congressmen and Senators with more liberal members who are then owned by said groups.
Members of Accountability Now include the dreaded Move.org, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the United Steelworkers of America.
The group is currently raising money for progressive candidates who’ll run for office in 2010. Greenwald and Hamsher have thus far raised $500,000, which will undoubtedly become much more in the coming two years.
Hamsher told the Hill: “A lot of people see this as the way to make sure Obama is able to do what he wants to do,” which means, of course, pursuing liberal policies. If centrist Democrats fear for their job they will not dare negotiate hard with Obama or Congressional leaders. Instead, they will simply rubberstamp whatever it is these people want to do.
Or that is the plan, at least.
Hamsher also made clear that the bailout bill is considered ‘a bad vote’ by the organization. “I think people are at a breaking point over the bailout,” she said. “This whole idea of ‘Let’s give all this money to the people who screwed things up’ pushed people over the edge.”
Interesting is that Accountability Now is unwilling to talk to Democratic leaders because they want to be “scary” to them; an outside yet inside force, forcing them to vote for liberal plans or else.
If Hamsher and Greenwald’s plans work out as they planned, Americans can expect to see a very liberal Washington in the coming two years, and quite possibly afterwards.
If the centrists are forced out the Dems will lose their majority in relatively short order.
It happened to the Republicans when they did it, so hopefully the Democrats will learn from that lesson.
It depends on what kind of president Obama is, if he acts like Bush and lets the nuts runs things than they will lose. But if he squashes Pelosi/Reid (who is moderate but is very partisan)than the left will be frustrated but happy enough with the little power they do have.
I just doubt that will happen, they have waited eight years (more if you add from 94) and they are anxious to officially start the progressive movement. And with Obama’s little track record of bucking his party, I will doubt he will stop them. I could be wrong, as a few of my close Democrat friends tell me that he is pragmatic and has had moments of pissing off the left, like FISA.
The far right and far left…peas in a pod.
Given that the Republican Party is completing its death spiral and the U.S. will quickly become a one party state, it makes sense for the progressives to focus on the Democratic primaries. In the future, the real elections will occur in the Democratic primary with the general election being a moot exercise.
Considering that primary votes will be more liberal for at least a couple of election cycles, the progressives can enforced orthodoxy.
However, the progressives are not thinking long term enough. As the Republican Party collpases, all of the former Repubicans will begin to vote in the Democratic primary and will probably cause the defeat of many progressive Democrats.
A long term thinker and organizer who wants some form of fiscal conservatism to survive would want to start recruiting moderate/conservatives to run in Democratic primaries against progressives.