THE AWAKENING MODERATE DEMOCRATS - AT 7:48 A.M. ET:  One of the major stories in these past few weeks has been the flexing of muscles by the Democratic Party's moderate wing - sometimes known as the Blue Dog Democrats.  It is reminiscent of the time, from roughly 1939 through, very roughly, the late sixties, when Congress was controlled by a coalition of northern Republicans and Southern Democrats.  John Whitesides reports for Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With friends like these, President Barack Obama may not need enemies.

Obama's hopes for passing an initial version of healthcare reform by August are dead in the Senate and on life support in the House of Representatives -- and his fellow Democrats played a big role in their demise.

A House group of Democratic fiscal conservatives put the brakes for now on Obama's top domestic priority in a fight over how to curb rising costs, sparking a sharp and highly visible party feud on Friday.

How did this happen?  Just months ago we were assured by much of the pundit class that this was the liberal hour.  Delirious in their joy that the spirit of the late sixties had touched us again, there were visions of any manner of social schemes, flower-decorated designer jeans, and a reining in of military power.

So what happened?  Distinguished political science Professor Steven E. Schier, of Carleton College, co-editor of "The American Elections of 2008," explains it this way:

"A big majority is a diverse majority, and Democrats do not have the ideological homogeneity to just march in lock step with the president."

Schier goes on to say:

"A big majority can be a blessing or a curse -- and in this case it's a curse for Obama," Schier said. "A lot of Democrats are getting nervous about this."

COMMENT:  It was Will Rogers who famously said, "I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat."  The Democratic Party traditionally was raucous and divided.  Then, in the 1960s, as a result of Democratic support for civil rights, the party started faltering in large parts of the South, where Republicans gained strength.  (This was despite the fact that Republican votes in Congress had been critical to the passage of major civil-rights legislation.)  The liberal wing of the Democratic Party became dominant, at least in the image that the party projected.  Now, with a comfortable majority, the old divisions among the Democrats are starting to show again.

This, I believe, is good for the country, and even good for the Democratic Party, whose leaders are learning that there's a world outside Beverly Hills, Manhattan, and Georgetown.

July 28, 2009