2 House Democrats Defeated After Opposing Health Law (NY Times)

[LiberalFighter]

2 House Democrats Defeated After Opposing Health Law

The defeat of two conservative House Democrats by more liberal opponents in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary illustrates the strong hold the new health care law still has over committed Democratic voters and foreshadows an even more polarized Congress next year in the aftermath of the latest round of redistricting.

I call bull on the polarization. If Democrats are elected in droves and part of the reason is because of the health care law then Republicans will either act more responsibly if they win by a smaller margin or be irrelevant. We had polarization because of the Republicans unwillingness to reach across the aisle.

“A lot of us thought of his record as his strength,” said Hugh M. Reiley, the chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Party, referring to Mr. Holden. “He was not falling prey to all that party bickering. He was able to reach across the aisle.”

How was he able to reach across the aisle if all the Republicans wanted to do was kill anything that the President wanted or was the right thing to do? Was he reaching across the aisle towards the Democrats or the Republicans?

With the defeat of Mr. Altmire and Mr. Holden, a Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats that peaked in 2010 at 54 dipped prospectively to 23. To advocates for Mr. Critz and Mr. Cartwright, the election showed that Democratic voters are in a fighting mood, and that progressive views are again at the leading edge of the party.

Oh I do hope these Blue Dogs become like a dog that sleeps out in the wilds of Africa.

To the west, Mr. Critz — with an army of organized labor supporters behind him — ran hard on union themes against outsourcing of jobs and international competition.

Organized labor members campaigned against another Democrat and the presumed winner and won.

He also pointed to something else: angry women, still upset over measures like Pennsylvania’s efforts to mandate invasive ultrasounds before abortions.

Ms Kane apparently with the support of fed up women beat who everyone though would win the nomination.

I think we all need to review what happened here and consider how this can be done against even entrenched Republicans.

For the most part I did not use the full paragraphs and hope it is not a 4-5 paragraph violation of DU.

[gratuitous]

1. News flash: Democratic voters prefer Democratic candidates

Can someone let the party pooh-bahs know? A record of supine compromise with barbarians isn't really a record of strength.

[Scuba]

2. Sounds like Reiley needs to go too.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. I still wish that Patrick Murphy

had run for his old 8th congressional district seat again instead of for Attorney General, even though that district was re-drawn. The state party here needs a big overhaul.

[qb]

4. Good news! I hope more DINOs get what's coming to them.

[Recursion]

5. Err... wasn't one of them beaten by someone who also opposed HCR?

It's just redistricting; same thing that knocked Kucinich out earlier.

[BigDemVoter]

6. Oh boo hoo

Those DINO'S need to be kicked out.

Nonetheless, there ARE times when one has no choice--it's either a DINO or a Tea Bagger--in that case I would hold my noise and F-O-R-C-E myself to pull the lever for the DINO (not that I'd be happy about it!)