Roberts Battle Adds to Democrats' Divide

[papau]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/17/AR2005081701937.html

washingtonpost.com
Roberts Battle Adds to Democrats' Divide

By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 18, 2005; A04



The public tug of war among Democrats this week over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. underscores the conflicting pressures facing Democratic leaders as they try to satisfy a growing cadre of activists anxious to battle President Bush while avoiding the appearance of being captives of their most vocal constituencies.

The debate over what to do about Roberts is the latest in a series of disagreements over the past three years pitting the party's Washington-based leaders against traditional liberal advocacy groups or the newer world of grass-roots activists stitched together through e-mail and Web logs.

The disputes reflect the frustration and uncertainty of a party that has been routed from power in all three branches of government during the Bush years. There have been disagreements over policy, with widespread anger among activists at Democrats who backed Bush's tax cuts and voted for the war in Iraq.

There are also abiding tensions over what political strategy might be most effective in carrying the party back to power. Some elected officials, according to critics, have been slow to appreciate how the power balance in the Democratic coalition has shifted -- away from established interests and toward citizen activists who tend toward a more aggressive brand of politics.<snip>

[MrBenchley]

1. Uhhhh....

Remember when it was an American ideal to have discussions of public issues, as the Democrats are doing...instead of lining up lockstep behind a fuehrer as the Republicans do?

[Dynasty_At_Passes]

2. They better sit up, take it in, and get used to it.....

The people aren't going to take it anymore, and I hope they know that. John Conyers gets it and so does his colleagues.

[papau]

3. The Democratic Establishment has been a disaster - cowards more

worried about social status than anything else.

Thank God for Dean.