NY Times: Democrats Run To The Right

Today's New York Times has a front page article titled "In Key Races, Democrats Run To The Right." http://tinyurl.com/y5tzz9 Times writers Shaila Dewan and Ann Kornblut give the following analysis of the center-right trend among Democrats candidates especially in "red" states:

"In their push to win back control of the House, Democrats have turned to conservative and moderate candidates who fit the profiles of their districts more closely than the profile of the national party."

"Heath Shuler is just such a candidate. Shuler, a retired National Football League quarterback, comes from an evangelical Christian background and holds fast to many conservative social views like opposition to abortion rights."

"But if candidates like Shuler do help the Democrats gain majority control of Congress, it will come at a political price, raising the possibility of a new centrist tilt to the Democratic Party."

"My guess is that if Democrats are in the majority, it's going to be because of these New Democrat, Blue Dog candidates out there winning in these competitive swing districts," Representative Ron Kind of Wisconsin, co-chairman of a caucus of centrist Democrats in the House, said in an interview."

"Democratic officials said they did not set out with the intention of finding moderates to run. Instead, as they searched for candidates with the greatest possibility of winning against Republicans in targeted districts, they said, they wound up with a number who reflected a more moderate approach. That is especially true in suburban areas and some rural districts, according to Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."

"As a group, they are moderate in temperament and reformers in spirit," Emanuel said.

"But will they have an impact? Absolutely," Emanuel said. "They're going to have an impact on the Congress and the caucus."

"The candidates cover the spectrum on political issues - some are fiscally conservative and moderate or liberal on social issues, or the reverse. Their weight could help tip the balance, depending on how narrow the majority is in the House, as well as influence negotiations with Republicans on everything from Social Security to stem cell research."

"Shuler, who addresses environmental conservation from the viewpoint of an avid hunter and speaks of health care for the poor as a moral responsibility, is a prime example."

"There are currently two main groups of moderate Democrats in the House: the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of socially conservative and moderate members formed in 1994; and the centrist New Democrat Coalition, formed in 1997."

"While there are differences between the two - the Blue Dogs tend to be more rural and Southern, with occasional alliances with Republicans, while the New Democrats are more suburban and wealthy and place a premium on party loyalty - there are members who belong to both."

"The centrist movement was embodied by former President Bill Clinton, who rose to prominence through the Democratic Leadership Council, which embraced a so-called "third way" of politics and eschewed what it saw as outdated liberalism. Yet since Clinton left office, Democrats seem to drift back in the direction of their liberal identity, nominating two presidential contenders who were seen as less committed to the moderate cause."

"Shuler, 34, grew up in a Democratic family, the son of a mailman in Bryson City, North Carolina. He has set out to bring conservative Democrats who have voted Republican, like Brenda Davis, back into the fold."

From behind the counter at Spud and Deb's Hunting and Pet Supplies in Enka, North Carolina, Davis, 41, said she voted Republican in the last election because of her religious beliefs, but this time around is supporting Shuler.

"Considering my son is a marine and he's done two tours in Iraq," Davis said, "I'm with the Democrats."

If Democrats continue to nominate candidates like Heath Shuler, I espect that many voters will consider supporting our party candidates once again. Shuler seems to have the right balance of social traditionalism and economic populism.

Democrats need to move to the mainstream on social values and national security issues. There must be no doubt about our commitment to family values and protecting America from the threat of terrorism.

At the same time, it is imperative that Democrats reaffirm support for an activist role by government to provide a safety net and protect workers and consumers. The greed of the marketplace has to be restrained by regulation to protect the public. Trickle down economic policies that have benefited the rich at the expense of the poor and middle class must be reversed. So-called "free trade" can be replaced by fair trade. A Democratic Party that embraces economic fairness for working families and respects traditional morality will become the majority party once again.