Mike the Usurper wrote:

dc0de wrote:

So, it seems to me that having an opinion that falls outside the party lines is "... simply isn't allowed in the Democratic party."

I can't even begin to describe how far off the mark this is. While being pretty much uniformly against the war is one thing that the Democrats agree on, there is a very wide margin as to degree and reasoning.

Beyond which, it's quite clear that one of the biggest structural difficulties the Democratic Party faces -- contrary to the Republican Party -- is precisely that it is extremely fractious and far ranging on all issues.

The GOP is far more (not completely so, but substantially) monolithic. The very liberalism that characterizes left-of-center America gives rise to, i think, very destructive cliqish behavior in which the hyper-idealists of one stripe can't get on board with those of another because of some perceived failing in compatibility with their personal priorities.

It's perverse and kind of strange that the most cohesive aspect of the party is that when some members of it piss off others, the attack is against "The Democratic Party" not against the specific others. We're quick to dismiss the Party as not representing us, and terrible and molding it into a compromise platform that's largely unified in voice.

RE: Rep. Baird Gets Blasted for Iraq war views