Left Behind

by digby

This is nice:

“The Democratic Party is geographically rich and ideologically variegated,” Reid writes. “Our many voices is the source of our strength. Sometimes, some on the left in our party don’t seem to understand this.”

And some on the right seem to feel they have veto power over the majority.

The article from which that’s lifted discusses an essay Reid has written explaining his decision to allow Lieberman to stay in the caucus. He recounts the defection of Ben Nighthorse Campbell from the Democrats in 1994 as the object lesson in never allowing the left to pressure a right wing Democrat lest they leave the party. It’s a funny lesson, considering the fact that Nighthorse Campbell said at the time that he left the party because Bill Clinton’s economic policies were too liberal and he resented the fact that he was asked to stay loyal to the party. In fact, he was quoted later saying he “only wished he’d made the change years earlier.” If Reid really thinks that he should have been accommodated so that Clinton’s economic plan would fail, he’s one hell of a leader.

Nighthorse Campbell left the Senate in 2004 after voting enthusiastically for Bush’s tax cuts. But one does wonder how much he enjoyed his independence under the Bush administration’s iron hand, which made any arm twisting Bill Clinton ever did look like child’s play. The fact is that Nighthorse Campbell was riding the 1994 Republican Revolution wave, just like a whole bunch of other craven opportunists who wanted to surf with Newtie the superstar. It was a fashion statement.

It’s pretty clear that the Democratic leadership still has an irrational fear of the DFHs, and it is irrational. Nothing “the left” is arguing for is out of the mainstream of American thought. Indeed, what “the left” wants is what President Obama and the Democratic Party ran on.

Yet, Lieberman went out on the trail with John McCain and said President Obama wasn’t qualified. Specter is changing parties not for reasons of conscience, but because he can’t win a primary as a Republican because they are batshit insane and the Dems apparently gave away the store. Most telling about all this is that with the exception of Jeffords, all recent party switchers made sure to win their elections with Democratic Party money. Both Shelby and Nighthorse Campbell switched right after they had run as Democrats and now Specter is switching ahead of the race so that he can win with Dem Party money as well. Lieberman left the party after he lost a primary and he won with Party backing anyway and then repeatedly and openly stabbed presidential its nominee in the back as often as possible.

What a great scam. But I do have to wonder why anyone, left, right or center, gives money to the party when its obviously expects absolutely nothing in return? It’s a bad bargain.

Update: I do love the fact that Politico reporter helped Reid formulate his rationale for all this.

Put most simply: The Campbell lesson helped keep Lieberman, Lieberman helped get Collins, Collins helped bring along Specter. Finally, the same type of party extremes that led Campbell to switch then drove Specter to jump.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Reid said in response. “But that’s right. That’s good.”

That’s very cute. Nighthorse Campbell won his election with the full support of the rank and file of the party and a ton of Democratic money and then refused to support the party and left shortly after the election. And it’s exactly the same as Specter, who failed to get the support of the rank and file voters and the Republican Party and only moved to the Democrats so he could take their money and block a real Democrat from winning the seat. Got it.