On Compromises and Betrayal

In the wake of the recent cave in, er compromise, between the President and the Congressional Democrats regarding Iraq War funding and the question of a time line for a troop withdrawal I began to wonder about the pressures the peace crowd is putting on the Democrats and I then began to think of how little the shortcomings and or down right betrayals of the Party on the fold has had little affect on voter loyalty made manifest in the ballot box.

I was trying to think of a time in the political world in my lifetime when or where there was a cost to bear on the party for their multitude of unfulfilled promises. I thought of one time when the price was paid, although I can recollect many times when a bill, or lack thereof, was present.

The Democrat majority paid a price in 1994 when they lost their hold on power in D.C., but that was also after more than 40 years of running roughshod over the minority, and it seems that since then loyalty has only gotten stronger.

Naturally, the minority party gets not only its core voters but also an underdog minded segment of voters who will vote against whomever is in power, but in my lifetime it appears that there is seemingly no sin that would shake a large majority of Democrats from voting for the party. These are a group that has earned the name "Blue Dog Democrat" because they would certainly vote for a blue dog in an election if the bitch(couldn't resist) ran as a Democrat.

But that is old news, most people know this, and it does cut both ways, to a certain degree. However I could list many Republicans and conservatives who have ran afoul of their base, and subsequently I witnessed that base turn from the party. Bush the elder, and the GOP last year immediately come to mind, and its no stretch to name two handfuls more.

This is in reality a strength of the GOP that trims the party of dead wood, so that despite efforts to embellish the smears, no one in the GOP measures down to Ted Kennedy(man-slaughter) or Robert Byrd(long time KKK member).

The news yet to be written is that like a VA hospital threaten with closure, coincidentally in the same year a powerful congress person is up for re-election, a save will be made. Before the next national campaign I wouldn't doubt nor be surprised if Pelosi, Bush, and Reid all made nice again only with the legislature claiming an accomplishment to rally the base in an election year.

But it would be surprising if those who claim the label of liberal and who want to end the war today would actually demonstrate a little resolve themselves and abandon the party that had abandon them years ago.