I'll admit -- and give me a chance before you jump all over me -- that I'm more of a centrist than a progressive. Philosophically liberal, but a pragmatic moderate. (And I would add that I think the DLC is headed in the right direction and is a valuable member of the Democratic Party.)
Above all, though, I want to win. See more at The
Reaction, where not too long ago I wrote a long piece on how the Democrats can win again, which I hope you all check out and perhaps comment on -- I value the high level of readership here, and, as I try to formulate my own thoughts on these matters, I'd certainly appreciate your feedback.
However, I worry that the Democrats, as per usual, are engaging in vicious internecine strife at the expense of party unity. The two major American parties, after all, are big-tent parties, and electoral success often means harnessing the strengths of internal diversity and translating them into a coherent platform with broad appeal to a diverse electorate. (If you want ideologically rigid parties, go to Europe and seek out PR electoral systems.)
Internal debates may be useful in a stimulating sort of way, and I certainly prefer parties that allow for dissent over ones that enforce conformity, but narrow ideological squabbling tends to be counter-productive by diverting attention away from the ultimate goal of electing candidates. And this at a time when the Republican coalition is showing signs of imminent collapse, when Bush's approval ratings are declining rapidly, and when, contrary to popular media oversimplification, many Democrats have done extremely well and the party should be poised to strike nationwide.
Why can't the DLCers and the Deaniacs and all the other sub-groups of Democrats just get along? Can't they see that they have a common opponent? Don't they realize that they won't succeed without each other? Or would they all rather be ideologically pure than politically successful? (My blog, The
Reaction, is generally liberal-to-moderate, but I learn from and link to a variety of other blogs that span the Democratic tent. I may not always agree with what I find, including here at Daily Kos, but I think it's important to reach out among one's friends.)
Time will tell. 2006 is right around the corner.