Battle between the liberal and moderate wings of Dem party has already begun

Buried in this WaPo piece about how the election was a “rebuke” for Bush, the war, and Republicans, was this gem (emphasis added):

The complexion of the Democratic presence in Congress will change as well. Party politics will be shaped by the resurgence of “Blue Dog” Democrats, who come mainly from the South and from rural districts in the Midwest and often vote like Republicans. Top Democrats such as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) see these middle-of-the-road lawmakers as the future of the party in a nation that leans slightly right of center.

In private talks before the election, Emanuel and other top Democrats told their members they cannot allow the party’s liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year. Democrats will hold 30 or 35 seats that went for Bush in the past, meaning that Democratic candidates such as Brad Ellsworth in rural Indiana are likely to face competitive races again in 2008. Still, their interests are likely to collide with those of veteran liberals such as Reps. Henry A. Waxman (Calif.) and John Conyers Jr., (Mich.), who will chair committees.

[…]

Partisan standoffs are likely over the war and any Democratic efforts to repeal Bush’s tax cuts for upper-income America. In both cases, Democratic divisions could complicate Pelosi’s plans. Democrats largely avoided detailed positions on a new Iraq strategy, but votes over spending for the military and the Iraq operation will force them to take a position.

Heh. And the far left blogosphere is already pitching a fit over Emanuel’s and other top Democrats’ plans to suppress their more liberal wing. I love it.

There’s no question we need to get our house in order and analyze where we went wrong, so elections like this don’t happen again. But in the meantime, the prospect of infighting between the liberalcrats and the more moderate wing should provide some much needed entertainment for months to come for those of us who are numb from last night’s resounding defeat. They may not be as united as they’d like you to think, which could bode well for Republicans – provided Republicans play their cards right, literally.

Update: The HuffPo is in an uproar over “liberal suppression” as well :)

Read more via Bryan at Hot Air, Captain Ed, Joe Gandelman, RedState, BCB, Hyscience, Macsmind

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