Are the vast left wing conspirators going to far in targeting the newly formed Moderate Dems Working Group?
Led by Sens. Evan Bayh of Indiana, Tom Carper of Delaware and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, the roughly 15-member group is dubbing itself the Moderate Dems Working Group. It will also include key figures such as Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, a pivotal negotiator in the stimulus debate.
But positioned at the fulcrum of the Senate's precarious power balance, the group and its members also are quickly becoming a major target of the party's left.
A major target? Sounds serious, doesn't it?
Among the recent hits, Rachel Maddow, the popular MSNBC television host, last week flashed pictures on the screen of Udall, Bennet and other members of the group, dubbing them "conservadems."
Gasp! What else?
Still, experts say comments such as Maddow's are likely only the first salvo in a nasty internecine fight —
The horror! But surely there's more:
Maddow's five-minute "conservadem" segment last Thursday provoked at least 20 calls Monday to Udall's office and more than a dozen e-mails to Democratic Party headquarters in Colorado.
More than a dozen? I'm surprised all of the internets weren't brought down.
Seriously, this has to be the most ridiculous case of preemptive whining since ever. Because as long as the group simply serves as a platform for professional moderate Evan Bayh, chances are they'll only be mocked on an as-needed basis. Of course if they turn into sanctimonious obstructionists ...