Are Democrats Facing Their Own Tea Party-Style Reckoning?
I witnessed the Republican Party become increasingly hostile to centrists. Now I’m seeing the same thing happening on the left.
By TOM DAVIS March 18, 2019
Tom Davis was a seven-term congressman from Virginia’s 11th district.
politico.com
I witnessed the transformation of my party into one increasingly challenging for centrists. And now, I’m seeing the same thing happening to the Democrats.
Just as her Republican predecessors had to manage the Freedom Caucus’ demands for legislation that would endanger more vulnerable Republicans, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has to govern around the left’s highly energized and emergent “Herbal Tea Party” segment. That wing, led by vocal freshmen, is rooted in solidly Democratic, highly urbanized areas where incumbents’ only worry is securing their party’s nomination—and to do that, they need to appeal only to the base. Meanwhile, the many freshmen Democrats elected in traditionally red districts—who must hew to the center to have any chance of being reelected in 2020—get painted with the same brush, imperiling the party’s majority.
For Democrats, letting the tail wag the dog is a no-win formula. And already, Republicans are seeing a resurgence of sorts.
In special elections held this year, the GOP has flipped state Senate seats in Connecticut, Kentucky and Minnesota, and a state House seat in Connecticut. This is in stark contrast to the run-up to the 2018 midterms, when the GOP was losing special election after special election in reliably Republican districts....
...Going into 2018, Republicans ignored the early signs of voter unrest at their peril. They let their tail wag their dog. Now, it’s happening to the Democrats. Two months into the new Congress, the exuberance of her most progressive members is a challenge to Pelosi’s majority. And it will remain so. But if the early returns from recent special elections are to be given credence—and, looking at historic trends, they should—the atmospherics of the 2018 elections are gone. |
