Ignoring the GOP, "Moderates" Insist on Crying

Democrats have a lot of challenges ahead - stopping the hard-right's agenda, fighting for the progressive cause, and pushing back against the GOP in Congress, to name a few. So it is truly disheartening to see today's new Roll Call story showing that, instead of fighting all these important battles, "moderate" Democrats are spending a huge amount of their time crying like infants and making baseless charges against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

Remember, I recently praised these "moderates" for their announcement that they would be opposing CAFTA - so I'm not one who only bashes these folks, and never gives them credit. But enough is enough: this petty war these "moderates" are waging against the Democratic leadership is truly irresponsible and has become completely destructive.

It would be one thing if they had a serious, substantive complaint against Pelosi. Yet, according to Roll Call, these "moderates" are still whining simply because a few weeks ago Pelosi had the guts to tell the truth and level with Democrats who sold out the party by supporting the credit card-industry written bankruptcy bill. In other words, all she did was tell the truth and try to keep her party together - exactly what a LEADER is elected to do. For Democrats who desperately need to project strength and resolve, this whining and crying is just another example of "moderates" once again undermining the party at the worst possible time.

"Moderates say they are waiting for action, not apologies, from Pelosi," the story says about these political crybabies. "They say they want the Minority Leader to show that moderate and conservative Democrats are part of party decision-making..." Funny, last I checked, these "moderates" are not only "part of party decision-making" but they have actually taken over decision making for the party by abandoning the party on key votes, and therefore sending the embarrassing message to America that Democrats are divided on even the most fundamental economic issues. In fact, these "moderates" have been so assertive in making such destructive decisions on behalf of the party, the right-wing Washington Times is now bragging about them - a true sign of disgrace. The paper notes:

"So far this year in the House, 50 Democrats helped pass class action reform...42 joined in legislation repealing the death tax, 73 supported the bankruptcy bill...[and] 41 joined the Republicans on the final version of the energy bill."

Sadly, that sure as hell sounds like "moderates" are more than just "a part" of the decision making process.

Roll Call additionally notes that these "moderates" want to know that "that their views — even when different from the liberal majority of the party — are understood and respected." The flat-out answer here should be easy: NO. Pelosi is right to let her colleagues know that when they undermine the majority of Democrats who are courageously defending ordinary Americans, there will be no "understanding" or "respect." There will be exactly the opposite - that's the kind of tough discipline the Republicans used to build their majority, and that's how Democrats will ultimately build theirs. Pelosi and the Democratic leadership should ignore these sad crybabies who are undermining so many good Democratic foot soldiers in Congress, stay focused on the real problem (aka. the GOP), and press on the way they have been over the last few months.

NOTE: I put "moderate" in quotes because the term is a complete misnomer that really means Democrats who are willing to support the GOP's right-wing economic agenda when politically/financially advantageous. See my earlier piece in the Nation that more fully analyzes how the term "moderate" and "centrist" as used in today's political vernacular have nothing to do with reality.