from Roll Call
By Erin P. Billings
April 25, 2005
A major rift has developed within the House Democratic Caucus, as moderates and liberals wage a war over influence and questions mount over the leadership's direction for the minority party. ...
Tensions flared at the gathering over recent defections by moderate Democrats on key votes, most particularly the recent bankruptcy bill, in which 73 Members including House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) sided with the GOP. The meeting left Hoyer defending the moderates' votes and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) siding with progressives and criticizing centrists.
"People are frustrated we had a divided leadership on this bill and they were very outspoken on the opposite sides. Maybe that's what helped this meeting turn into what it turned into," said a senior Democratic staffer. "It's possible this was the final straw for many."
Numerous House Democratic sources said the meeting simply underscored broader tensions between a growing and emboldened centrist faction and the traditionally dominant liberal wing of the Caucus. ...
"There is a feeling that there is nothing to unite this party right now," said another senior Democratic staffer of the Caucus' failure to take strong, detailed positions on issues. "There is Social Security, and we're doing a good job on that, but that's it. There are no grand ideas or principles for the party. ...
Even before Tuesday's dust-up, a veteran Democratic House Member summed up the 109th Congress this way: "There is heavy division in the Democratic Party over virtually every policy issue." ...
One aide said while it's unclear how things will play out, there is a recipe in place for the frustrations of conservative and moderate Democrats to explode. ... But another Democratic source countered: "We aren't going to win by being Republican lite. If we're going to be the opposition party, let's be an opposition party." ...
Sources throughout the Caucus said that's the message Pelosi and Hoyer tried to deliver at the meeting Thursday, which was described as "heated" and "very unpleasant." Sources said both Pelosi and Hoyer were also visibly angry.
Sources said liberal Members at the whip meeting were furious at moderates and accused them of selling out to special interests on the bankruptcy bill. Pelosi also joined in voicing her displeasure, expressing particular frustration at the New Democrat Coalition for writing a letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) urging him to bring the bankruptcy bill to the floor.
One source ... said Pelosi's comments "picked the scab off the rift" that was already there when she further alienated moderates, who were already prepared to be more forceful and outspoken in the Caucus. ...
The Minority Whip also suggested that the split on the bankruptcy bill was not unusual in this session. Beyond bankruptcy, Democrats have also fractured this Congress on class-action reform, the estate tax and energy policy, all issues that have led to a divide in Democratic votes in the past.
The recent dissension, however, has struck an obvious chord. Some suggested that perhaps House Democrats, under the new leadership of Pelosi and Hoyer, hit new records for unity in the 108th Congress. The Members were also energized over a presidential election and the chance to at least make gains in the House. ... |
