Looming Train Wreck
I probably shouldn't point this out and simply let it happen. But Dan Gerstein brings it up over at The Politico, so it isn't exactly a big secret. He posts that the nutroots are now gearing up for a flat-out "impeach Bush" effort. And a full scale struggle for control of the Democratic party as well. Mind you that Gerstein is loathed by the nutroots more than George W. Bush, if that's possible. But read his words first:
Two weeks ago, Sheehan threatened to launch a primary campaign against Pelosi in her San Francisco district unless Pelosi agreed to begin the process of impeachment against President Bush by July 23—the day Sheehan wraps up her latest anti-war protest tour with a publicity raid on the Capitol.
The speaker’s spokesman confirmed a few days ago that impeachment remains “off the table.” So on Monday, we can expect the gloves to come off between the left’s two leading ladies.
It will be tempting to write this off as just another piece of attention-getting street theater by Sheehan—who just two months ago announced she was retiring from the protest movement —or your run of the mill, fringe-fueled family feud that Democrats once were famous for. But to do so would be to oversimplify what this spat is about and underestimate why it matters.
The reality is that the coming Golden Gate Bridge Brawl is a pivotal proxy fight—similar to but bigger than the recent family squabble over the Fox debate—for a much bigger existential conflict within the Democratic Party between the D.C. establishment and the grassroots. Hanging in the balance is not just next year’s national election, but long-term control of the Democratic brand.
This conflict, which, unlike most recent intra-party dust-ups, is largely about tactics and tone, not issues and ideas, has been simmering ever since Howard Dean launched his campaign to take back the party in 2003. It was put on the back burner last year as Democrats united to win back both houses of Congress.
Gerstein also points out that the Democratic Congressional leadership was darn near heckled off the stage by nutroots activists at a rally. All this bodes ill, as Gerstein tries to point out.
Dean and company will be under a lot of pressure from the establishment to hew to Pelosi’s line and definitively rule out impeachment as an option. Most leading party strategists I have talked with say that mounting an impeachment push now would be, in the words of one pollster, “about the dumbest thing we can do.”
Trumpet flourish: Enter the nutroots. An absolute, iron-clad guaranteed losing strategy: force impeachment. Count the nutroots in! The Republicans fell into that worthless mess themselves a few years ago. The voters promptly beat hell out of them. The nutroots, incorrectly, think they can do it right because truth, justice and the American way are on their side. In fact it is truthiness, echo chamber demagoguery and political ineptitude that they have working for them right now. They are setting the Democratic party up for a surprise - not a good one, either. Because regardless of the handy poll results the nutroots think they have on their side, the voters will punish the Dems if they go that route. But heck - no lefty will believe me (or Gerstein) on that, so carry on.
By Quilly Mammoth, Sunday, 22 July , 2007 @ 8:35 pm
The simple fact of the matter…which the Nutzroots refuse to look at…is that the Democrats won because Rahm Emanuel backed centrist candidates. Virtually every new congressperson backed by Emanuel is either a member of the Blue Dogs or could be one. And Emanuel knew the what the American People wanted as this interview from the Rolling Stone reported:
Nutzroots? Meet Tree.
By Purple Avenger, Sunday, 22 July , 2007 @ 8:36 pm
The moonbats think low Bush approvals implies a public thirst for failure. This misinterpretation of polling results will be their undoing.
Dean and company have constructed a Frankenstein monster.
By feeblemind, Sunday, 22 July , 2007 @ 9:50 pm
Quite frankly, I was disappointed in the lack of fireworks between the far left and the rest of the dem party in ‘06. I am beginning to wonder if they are all bark and no bite?