Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
One member of that batch of ‘conservative’ Dems (i.e., the Not Marxists contingent) is warning Pelosi to stick to the center on issues. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat from Indiana, and newly elected, also understands what November 7th was all about.
Donnelly, Freshman Democrats Tell Pelosi to Stick to the Center
Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) — Representative Joe Donnelly, a freshman Democrat from Indiana, has a blunt message for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Stick to a “middle-of-the-road agenda” or their party’s control of Congress may last just two years.
If Pelosi “goes too far one way or another, we’re not coming back,” Donnelly says. He sees his party’s victory in the November elections as less an endorsement of its agenda than a rejection of Republican rule: “People just got real tired of this bunch, and they fired them.”
Donnelly’s view reflects those of many of the 30 House Democrats elected in districts previously held by Republicans. Their fragile hold on their seats means they’ll be pushing their new speaker, who represents heavily Democratic San Francisco, to limit confrontations with President George W. Bush and the Republicans over taxes, the war in Iraq, stem-cell research and abortion.
His understanding of the situation, and what the election really meant, is refreshing and certainly welcomed. His is a point I have made here, on Fox News and in my Philadelphia Inquirer opinion piece from last month. While I wouldn’t mind the Dems being fired in ’08, for the sake of our country during the next two years, I hope she listens to the new Blue Dogs more than she does Cindy Sheehan, the Code Pink freaks, and slobs like Soros and Dean.
We shall see.
Let the games begin!!!!
My God, is it truly possible that we could end up with a two-party system with sane, common sense voices on BOTH sides of the aisle? Can it be done? I surely hope so! A lack of anything to push against over the last eight years was as much responsible for the Republican implosion last November as anything else, and we all benefit from a non-insane Democratic Party. Let’s hope this is a trend, and Congressman Donnelly isn’t set upon by a slavering hoard of MoveOn jackals looking to strip his political bones for not being wacko enough to meet their exacting standards.
And exactly what is it that the Republicans, from the President on down, have done to reassure the voters that they have given up their profligacy, their milktoast rules for waging war, their refusal to get serious about illegal immigration, or their corrupt kowtowing to special interests? Just why should any human above room temperature trust the party that turned to Jello as soon as it got inside the beltway?
Good for Donnelly and company. We’ll see how long this lasts.
In public, I’m sure Pelosi will have her “game-face” on, but behind the scenes I bet she is seething about the newby’s comments. Her boat is being rocked–again. And I love it.
I’ve had the thought for many years that the future of Conservatism is more dependent on the makeup of the Democrats than the Republicans. That is, to dilute the Left and eventually defeat it from within rather than send wimpy, begrudgingly conservative Republicans to fight the fight. The Democrats have been brilliant in tailoring messages to individual constituencies to lock them into the party fold. I am not disparaging the Christian Right, it’s just that the Conservative political movement has for too long been overly dependent on this faction and has therefore become unnecessarily associated with theology rather than philosophy. The Conservative movement should focus efforts to run conservative Democrats to win the constituencies whose sentiments lean conservative, a.k.a. classical liberalism: small government, strong military, American exceptionalism, capitalism, individualism. This would be a long-term effort. Unfortunately, time is running out on this as the world is hell-bent toward socialism and the Left tightens its stranglehold on the culture and academia.
Thank you, Pat_S! I am refreshed with your clarity, my hands are applauding 🙂 However, I will not get my hopes up for the 110th. Just because one freshmen democrat is concerned about what the voters think? His komrades in washington will correct his faulty thinking and erase that little bit of concern for the citizens in short order. Look for business as usual from the palace.
I am an independent voter who leans right on foreign policy issues. But over the summer I registered as a Democrat so that I could vote for Joe Lieberman in the senatorial primary in August against Ned Flanders Lamont. When one of my moonbat colleagues accused me of subverting democracy by my actions (because I’m not “really” a Democrat), I told him that I did it because I was trying to help the Democrat party save itself from itself!
Well, it appears that Joe Donnelly understands what I was trying to do and is doing the same thing with his message to Grandma Pelosi. This is good news for the country becasue a one party system is good for nobody. And until the Dems come back to reality, they are pushing us towards just that.
“Milktoast”?
C’mon! As soon as this freshman figures out how the game is played and is offered some choice assignments, he will “get on-board” and become a “team player”… The next time you hear from him he will be thanking the Speaker for her brave leadership on behalf of the children! Sorry…I’m a bit jaded being a conservative and all…
>>My God, is it truly possible that we could end up with a two-party system with sane, common sense voices on BOTH sides of the aisle?
I was thinking the same thing…until I saw Fat Teddy on TV yesterday. The quintessential essence of “bloated elitist pigâ€.
To ConnecticutBruce:
Most of the people who voted for Lieberman in the general election were Republicans. It sounds like you voted for him in the primaries. I wish I could have voted for him, but I don’t live in the state.
As for Pelosi, I see her as an infighter, not a leader. I watched her innaugural speech as Speaker. She doesn’t have the fortitude and confidence of a leader. She’s certainly no Newt Gingrich, and I’m not speaking of her politics.
I heard commentary recently saying that it’s more likely the House committee chairs will wield the power, and they’ll tell her what to do, rather than the other way around. The one trump card she has is she is a major fundraiser for the party. People have to get on her good side if they want to take part in the influence she has. I imagine the committee chairs don’t have to listen to her, because they’ve been around at least as long as she has. They have their own fundraising operations by now. They don’t need hers. If she wants to wield influence in the House, she’ll probably have to win loyal friends among the rank and file Democratic House members. That’s doable.
She’s surprised me by saying she won’t pursue impeachment against Bush, or a rapid withdrawal of troops. I don’t know what to think. I know it’s been on the mind of some voters, so she had to address it. I wonder if she is attempting to blackmail Bush. Cooperate on some key issues or else “I don’t know what Jon Conyers is going to do. He’s a wild man.”