Litmus tests

Political blogs and pundits are buzzing about the candidate for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee who has a long record of opposing one of the Democrats' core liberal positions.

"How on earth could he lead the party, energize its base, and raise money from the liberal coastal enclaves that provide so much of the party's financial base? Sure, he has a good national profile, has paid his dues, and has great ideas for the future of the party, but how could anyone think such a person could successfully lead the Democratic Party?"

If you're thinking former Indiana Congressman and 9-11 Commission member Tim Roemer you've been drinking too much pundit kool-aid.

The Duke is talking about Howard Dean and his pro-gun record and NRA endorsements. It should surprise no one familiar with the Indigo philosophy that the Duke does not excommunicate Democrats for opposing abortion or supporting gun owners. But why has the Democratic punditocracy rejected Tim Roemer out of hand while embracing Howard Dean? Has gun control really fallen that far out of favor as a leftie litmus test? Obviously, Dean's vocal opposition to the war endeared him to many activists on the left side of the spectrum. But if we think that kind of leadership forgives a disagreement or two, we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the formidable appeal of someone like Roemer.

• A Democrat elected repeatedly from a tough district in the reddest of states.
  
• A thoughtful foreign policy thinker whose service on the 9-11 Commission gives him instant bipartisan credibility on security and the war on terror.
  
• Supported by pro-choice San Franciscan Nancy Pelosi and pro-life Nevadan Harry Reid

This is EXACTLY the kind of person who knows how to build a winning coalition.

Some of the most vehement criticisms of Roemer relate to his votes on abortion and budget issues, but you don't win in South Bend or Indiana without demonstrating some independence from the national party.

Of course, Howard Dean said some nice things about Gingrich's Medicare reforms, and the Duke has already mentioned his record on guns. If Democrats excuse those Howard Dean positions but dismiss Roemer out of hand, their knee-jerk, lazy litmus test thinking will continue to marginalize a vast population of hard-working families who should be in lock-step with the Democratic Party's economic message.

Conservative Democrats

The gnashing of teeth about the ascendance of conservatives in the South is overblown. (from NewDonkey)

Brownstein notes the formidable rise in the percentage of southern voters self-identifying as "conservative."
But a comparison of Bill Clinton's 1996 performance in the South to John Kerry's in 2004, makes it pretty clear that the rise--or more accurately, the resurgance--of southern conservatism is not necessarily the only cause of the current Republican ascendency, and is not inevitably an immovable object in the way of a Wave III Democratic revival.
In 1996, the ideological profile of southern voters was: 44% moderate, 39% conservative, 17% liberal. In 2004, it was 43% moderate, 40% conservative, 17% liberal. Not a big difference at all.
Clinton lost southern conservatives in 1996 by 55 points, while Kerry lost them by 73. And Clinton won the plurality group of southern moderates by 20 points, while Kerry won them by 4.

Good Democrats can win conservative southerners ... heck, "conservative" is certainly not the first word that comes to mind when evaluating Bush's fiscal policy. It's important to remember that "conservative" can mean a lot of different things, and that Democrats can compete on that terrain.

Honesty is the best politics

Blue state or Red state, folks elect people they trust to be honest and straightforward. Ethics trumps ideology any day. That's why folks like Paul Simon and John McCain are so universally admired. Michael Crowley's piece in this week's New Republic suggests that Democrats take a page from Gingrich's book and criticize the Republican Congress for its ethical lapses.

"...as long as Republicans deprive Democrats of any parliamentary power, Democrats should consider fighting back by extra-parliamentary means--going beyond the standard parameters of legislative debate and attacking Republicans not just on issues but on ethics, character, and their management of Congress itself. "

I agree, as long as we don't read Newt's last chapter on self-destruction.

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050124&s=crowley012405

Mood Indigo

You ain't never been blue, no, no, no
You ain't never been blue
Till you've had that mood indigo
That feeling goes stealing down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh
Go along blues

I always get that mood indigo
Since my baby said goodbye
And in the evening when the lights are low
I'm so lonely I could cry
For there's nobody who cares about me
I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be
When I get that mood indigo
I could lay me down and die

You ain't never been blue, no, no, no
You ain't never been blue
Till you've had that mood indigo
That feeling goes stealing down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh
Go along blues

(1930) Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills