Democrats have a majority in Congress; liberals, however, do not.

[Writer]

And there lies the rub: This Gallup poll indicates that self-identified conservatives and independents far outweigh self-identified liberals in the public. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx

Now, one can argue about whether that accurately reflects the nation's ideological make-up as a whole, or whether it reflects where individuals fall on specific issues, but assuming that the poll reflects the nation's ideological make-up, the composition of Congress, especially the Senate, doesn't surprise me that much.

The Blue Dog Democrats are, as we all know, the fiscally conservative branch of the Democratic Party. For the most part, they are socially liberal, but they will vote against any bill that they feel is outlandish government spending. Obama has confronted this cleavage between party and ideology time and time again while working on health care reform.

They're a pain in the ass; however, they did win their seats, and in some cases, won seats long held by Republicans (CO's 4th is one example). They do have a (D) next to their name, so that means they won't sit out and be obstinate. They'll at least come to the table to talk, although they likely won't side with a progressive financial initiative.

I keep reading the same complaint that we have a "majority" in Congress, and therefore, we should get whatever we want passed. But if "what we want" is a liberal or progressive initiative, then no, we do not have anywhere near the number of votes necessary. I'm perplexed by this oversight on behalf of many in the liberal blogosphere, Jon Stewart, and others, who keep overlooking how Congress is constructed ideologically. Yes, Democrats have a majority in Congress, but liberals do not. The GOP, on the other hand, is comprised of ideological conservatives, because moderate and liberal Republicans have defected (and some have long since defected) from the party during the Bush years. The only voters left voting Republican are the far right-wing conservatives, hence the GOP's ideological purity in Congress.

So... where do we go from here? Do we truly believe that rural districts, or states that went for McCain, for instance, will oust a Blue Dog Democrat for a liberal Democrat? I know that many do indeed believe that, but I also don't believe in a mass public theory either. People come to their belief systems based on their individual social relations - not simply because of propaganda from "on high" - and if those relations are conservative in nature, they are more than likely going to be conservative themselves, rejecting opinions that don't reflect their personal convictions.

Think about it... if YOU believe so strongly in liberal ideals, and have a hard time seeing the other side, don't you think that conservatives will also have a hard time seeing our side? We are politically different, but we are still comprised of the same blood and tissue. We all have the same instincts to protect that which forms our collective political identities.

So do we have a majority in Congress? Not in the way you think.

[ShortnFiery]

1. Considering the crappy legislation that got SHOVED through during BushCo.

I'm not getting the impression that it's a Liberal vs. Conservative or even a Democratic vs. Republican struggle.

Who wants to be the first to kiss Corporate ASS?

That seems to be the best way to look and Congressional Legislation: WHO DOES IT TRULY BENEFIT?

[Forkboy]

2. The Left fled like scared babes from the word for 20 years. What did you expect the result to be?

[ShortnFiery]

5. Only the representatives. Many of us outside of the beltway are Proud Liberals.

I'm sick of the gutless stance. Getting re-elected should not be their only goal.

Otherwise, political office and service are just ROTATING BEAUTY CONTESTS.

No one can be a leader unless there's Jingoism and Propaganda in the rhetoric. :thumbsdown:

[Ozymanithrax]

3. As long as we are a two party system parties will not be pure...

The main difference is that Conservatives are much better at party discipline. I have the feeling that it is because their brains are wired that way.

[Armstead]

4. Ask a person if they're liberal they might say "No" .....But if you ask them...

...if they believe in a minimum wage, or if they plan to use Medicare when they're old, or believe in he concept pf Social Security,or believe that massive abusive monopolistic corporations and banks should be brought under control, or believe that African Americans should have the right to vote, or.....etc. the chances are that a majority would give an answer that could be defined as liberal.

The problem is that the definition of liberal has been perverted by the CONservative GOP, aided and abetted by the "centrist" CONservative factions of the Democratic Party.

The solution is for moderate and liberal Democrats to start identifying themselves as liberal, and defend the term and explain relentlessly what it really means.

[babylonsister]

6. Wow, I agree with you! 'Liberal' was framed as a nasty word for a

lot of years sadly. Too bad so many people are so hung up on what they hear instead of how they think or feel.

[Clio the Leo]

7. Exactly. NT

[quaker bill]

8. People have consistently

over estimated the size of the victory in 2008. We did get across the finish line first, but in a more gasping, straining, photo-finish manner than most believe. Further, we only did that well by running a number of blue dogs who managed to post a "w" in some fairly conservative weighted places.

The resulting government is a reflection of the actual weakness of the victory.

It is often good to recall that at his peak of power, FDR had 84 democrats in the senate, not 59. When you count it as senators that could truly qualify as "liberals", depending where you draw this line, we are somewhere between the mid 40s to the low 50s. Some would argue that even the mid 40s is far too generous a definition of "liberal". If the test is support of "single payer" HCR, we are probably talking about the high 30s.

If it is truly liberal change you want, we have to win alot more races.

[VMI Dem]

9. Shit, liberals don't have a majority in the White House.

[Orsino]

10. Therefore let's stop whining about how much more the GOP accomplished with smaller majorities.

Today's Dems are perfectly capable of passing corporatist agendas, too. It's only when they try to act progressive that they look weak and disorganized.

[Phx_Dem]

11. +1

[cleveramerican]

12. In times of national stress Caution rises and Liberalism declines

in times of great confidence caution recedes and liberalism expands.

Obama was elected in a time of great national stress.

The safest position looks appealing to both parties right now

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

13. It always amazes me....

that a party that is dedicated to diversity and tolerance should be so surprised that there is a diversity of opinion among people who call themselves Democrats. Not every Democrat is Dennis Kucinich. Not every Democrat is Ben Nelson.

Deal with it, fer chrissakes.

[Captain Hilts]

14. Most liberal Congress we've had in a long time. Sad, but true. It was worse 20yrs ago. nt

[tavalon]

15. This is truth

I am a liberal. In fact, I'm a bleeding heart liberal. I'm amazed that I still have blood pumping through this liberal heart of mine. There are damn few who represent me in DC, damn few.