The Democratic center

[ProSense]

PAUL WALDMAN

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/11/10/the_democratic_center/">The Democratic center

By Paul Waldman | November 10, 2006

CONSERVATIVES searching desperately for a silver lining in the cloud of Tuesday's defeats have tried to argue that Democrats only won because they ran conservative candidates. And they've gotten support from key members of the mainstream news media.

"These Democrats that were elected last night are conservative Democrats," said CBS's Bob Schieffer the morning after. "The Democrats' victory was built on the back of more centrist candidates seizing Republican-leaning districts," said The Washington Post. The press is busy preparing portraits of those moderate Democrats who may be pro life or pro gun, to demonstrate that they are the face of a new Democratic Party, one that won by becoming more like their opponents.

Coming from media that never tire of telling us that America is a fundamentally conservative country, it isn't too surprising to hear. But it's just not true.

In fact, the Democratic freshman class of the 110th Congress includes a few conservatives, but overall it is made up of candidates who held traditional Democratic positions. While some races have yet to be decided, we know a few things about the new Democratic members. All of them support increasing the minimum wage, and all oppose privatizing Social Security. Nearly all support embryonic stem cell research. All except a few are pro choice. And all of these positions enjoy majority support.

So Democrats didn't win because they moved to the right or ran conservative candidates. Many of the more conservative Democrats who ran in red states actually ended up losing. Those who won did so by opposing President Bush, questioning the war in Iraq, and carrying the Democratic banner. It was Republicans who were afraid to put their party identification on their lawn signs and in their ads.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. In my state of NH Hodes and Shea Porter

are not conservative Democrats. The Bullshit Media System is in full spin mode trying desperately to avoid the emergence of a populist moderate Democratic party that could actually effect real change for working families in this country.

[acmejack]

3. No kidding, it's all the rage.

Conservative dems, pro life, pro gun, republican s who couldn't beat the incumbent in the GOP Primary, so they merely had to run as Democrats. Not to worry, everything is still cool!

They are spinning a real web of Bullshit for public consumption.

[scarletwoman]

2. Wonderful piece! Waldman nails it.

I don't know what it's going to take to move the corporate media off its false narrative about America being "a fundamentally conservative country", but it's a narrative that needs to roundly repudiated at every opportunity.

This piece is an excellent template for doing so. Thank you for posting it.

k&r,
sw

[roguenkatz]

4. I know what will make them move...

Reinstatement of the fairness docterine, reinstating regulation of the media and once again limiting the amount of media one corporation can own.