New Senate breed: Liberal and proud of it

[cal04]

The Senate is about to become a liberal lion’s den.

There’s a new gang of senators who ran their campaigns as unabashed progressives and won. Several of them will replace more moderate predecessors, led by Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a hero of the left who reclaimed the seat of the original liberal lion: Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Warren, Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) join newly reelected Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island to strengthen a once-dwindling group of die-hard liberals.

Howard Dean might say these are the folks who belong to “the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.” They are pro-gay marriage, pro-union, favor tax increases on the wealthy and support Obamacare. In some ways, they are populist throwbacks — in the spirit of Paul Wellstone or Hubert Humphrey — who don’t flinch from explaining the positive role that government can play in people’s lives.


http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=F6758A39-12D8-41CD-8485-BC48D07CDE66

[cali]

1. It is good news

but they forgot some notable liberals already in the Senate- Barbara Boxer, Pat Leahy, Bernie Sanders.

[PrMaine]

2. Another Factor

The last election may have taught Democrats that it is again OK to be a liberal (or a progressive if you prefer). They've been running from that label for thirty years and finally they can turn around and start to wonder what in the world they've been afraid of.

[Blue4Texas]

6. I know, right?

I am proud to be a Liberal

[graham4anything]

3. and every one of them needs to STAY in the senate the next 18 years or more-no leaving

no going for other postiions, no cabinet, etc.

we cannot afford to ever lose one of these liberals elsewhere

If only LBJ were back as majority leader

[Sekhmets Daughter]

4. Amen...

[calico1]

5. I hope they remember this and realize that

they win more when they run as Progressives and not as Republican lite candidates.

BTW, Chris Murphy is only 39 so I expect he'll be around for a while.

[Autumn Colors]

10. I bet a good % of Murphy's votes were on the Working Families Party line

In CT, any major party candidate can also be nominated by the WFP and so their name appears on two lines on the ballot (but you can only vote for them on one). The idea is that if you vote for them, but do so on the WFP line instead of the Democratic Party line, you're sending them a message that you're expecting them to be MORE liberal. I've yet to see WFP endorse a republican so this is mainly for Dems so they have a better idea where their constituency stands on the spectrum of the left.

[calico1]

11. Are you from CT?

If so, howdy neighbor.

[Autumn Colors]

12. Yep!

I'm in Litchfield County.

[calico1]

13. I am way at the other end.

Ledyard.

[ananda]

7. Liberal and proud of it!

As it should be...

[AzDar]

8. We need to remind folks, apparently...that this country was founded by LIBERALS.

[asjr]

9. I wish someone of the "powers that be" would

ask Howard Dean to be in the administration. He is an amazing person who loves this country and says what he feels. No lying eyes there! I would listen to him before I would a lot of people in DC now.