What's the Matter With Democrats?

Boston Globe columnist Bob Kuttner does a fantastic job exploring what the hell is wrong with Democrats these days. While most of the party's members in Congress are fighting the good fight, Kuttner notes that the party still doesn't have a coherent message because there are still a cadre of Democrats who regularly bail out and vote for legislation that persecutes the middle class (see the recent bankruptcy bill as a good example).

Why is this? "Dozens of Democratic legislators vote with Bush, usually to curry favor with organized corporate business interests that write these bills (and campaign checks)...This blurs the distinction between the parties and leaves the impression that Democrats don't know what they stand for. Nobody wants to follow a wimp."

Second, "center-right Democrats urge their party to avoid 'populism.'" But as Kuttner notes, "sticking up for the economic interests of ordinary people is not populist in the sense of class warfare. It's the essence of what once made Democrats the majority party."

Read the whole article - it's powerful.