Ideology splits new Democrats

NY Times:

Carol Shea-Porter is a New Hampshire social worker who campaigned on the cheap and ran hard against the war in Iraq. Heath Shuler is a North Carolina football star who is pro-gun and anti-abortion. Jerry McNerney is a California alternative-energy entrepreneur with a doctorate in mathematics.

Together they are part of the new mosaic of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives — incoming lawmakers who will make a diverse group of political officeholders even more eclectic. While much of the focus in the campaign was on the more moderate tendencies of Democratic contenders, the scope of Tuesday’s Democratic surge makes for a more complex picture and a broader mix of ideologies.

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The results of some close races remained in question Wednesday but Democratic officials said they thought they would be seating at least 28 new members, bringing the party’s totals to at least 230 in the 435-member House. They are still trying to get a handle on exactly who some of these people are, but it is clear they present a different tableau from the liberal lions who will be taking and retaking the chairmanships of some important House committees.

The diverse viewpoints and backgrounds they are bringing to Washington could pose problems for Representative Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the newly empowered Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, as they quickly move to line up lawmakers behind the party’s stances on national security, economic and social issues. The rank and file was eager to be unified when it meant a chance to overturn Republican rule; now Democrats must set the agenda and deliver.

“How are Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi going to forge consensus on Iraq and on a budget?” Mr. Rosenberg asked. “Where are we going to end up on these two vital things, given the extraordinary diversity of this new Democratic majority?”

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There are probably enough conservatives in the group for President Bush to forge a working majority on many issues. That would pose a real crisis for Pelosi who has tried to instill party discipline when the liberal leadership opposed Republican ideas. Look for the discipline to breakdown on emotional issues like the war and abortion.

Terrence Jeffrey has some of the specifics on how the new Democrats reject San Francisco values.

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Despite the Democratic victory, "Red State America" is alive and well. The deep cultural divide that caused the Electoral College map to be painted in almost equal blocks of red and blue in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections has not disappeared.

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The true test will be whether these people can maintain their integrity while empowering people like Pelosi and Murtha who want the US to lose in Iraq and be weaker in national security.