Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary
Not different from when Reagan or Bush2 came to power.
Dems are hardly united. They barely passed the House Healthcare bill. The Senate is going to be even harder. There is no magic Kumbya among Dems, that is just a silly notion. Anyone who has followed politics for the last 40 years knows that.
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In pragmatic politics, “united” does not imply total agreement on every policy issue, but rather a shared broad political ideology and agreement on MOST issues with a willingness to accept dissent from within and yet still accomplish your goals w/o alimenting those dissenters on other issues.
As you noted, Reagan was good at it and was accepting and reached out to Blue Dog fiscally conservative Democrats but who might not share his or Republican views on abortion, gun control, or massive defense/war spending....Today's Republican party is not so accepting (in fact, not accepting at all).
Lately (since 06 at least), the Democrats have demonstrated that same pragmatism and are accepting of greater diversity of opinions in order to be in the position to govern (218 is all it takes in the House) and the Republicans have become increasingly more ideologically rigid.
And as to the “grass roots” movement, the Tea Parties are demonstrating the same rigidity and unwillingness to accept any dissent from within...which ultimately will exclude most Independents who might be fiscally conservative, but moderate on social issues or not fully accepting of free market principles or spreading democracy around the world.
To believe that “united” means total agreement on every issue is an example of the rigidity that is working against the Republicans and the Tea Parties.
Obviously, you don't share that view, and UG even less so since he is even more rigid than you.