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Hear What Media is Saying About New Democrats in the 110th Congress |
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In push to regain Congress, Democrats take a more centrist tack ELECTION
Heath But if candidates like "My guess is that if Democrats are in the majority, it's going to be because of these New Democrat, Blue Dog candidates out there winning in these competitive swing districts," Representative Ron Kind of Wisconsin, co-chairman of a caucus of centrist Democrats in the House, said in an interview. Democratic officials said they did not set out with the intention of finding moderates to run. Instead, as they searched for candidates with the greatest possibility of winning against Republicans in targeted districts, they said, they wound up with a number who reflected a more moderate approach. That is especially true in suburban areas and some rural districts, according to Representative Rahm Emanuel of "As a group, they are moderate in temperament and reformers in spirit," Emanuel said. If Democratic recruits like "But will they have an impact? Absolutely," Emanuel said. "They're going to have an impact on the Congress and the caucus." Collectively, the group could tilt the balance of power within the party, which has been struggling to define itself in recent elections. The candidates cover the spectrum on political issues some are fiscally conservative and moderate or liberal on social issues, or the reverse. Their weight could help tip the balance, depending on how narrow the majority is in the House, as well as influence negotiations with Republicans on everything from There are currently two main groups of moderate Democrats in the House: the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of socially conservative and moderate members formed in 1994; and the centrist New Democrat Coalition, formed in 1997. While there are differences between the two the Blue Dogs tend to be more rural and "I think there's tremendous agreement and awareness that getting the majority and running over the left cliff is what our Republican opponents would dearly love," Tauscher said, "And that is a compunction that we've got to fight." The centrist movement was embodied by former President Bill Clinton, who rose to prominence through the Democratic Leadership Council, which embraced a so-called "third way" of politics and eschewed what it saw as outdated liberalism. Yet since From behind the counter at "Considering my son is a marine and he's done two tours in In 2001, Republicans tried unsuccessfully to persuade But Democrats found Dems, lobbyists may expand partnership By Jim There have been hotter tickets on Off and on for the past two years, the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), a "pro-growth" group that bills itself as a link between Democrats and the business community, have held regular meetings with a few friends and financial backers on Over coffee and a modest breakfast, the handful of lobbyists who regularly attended swapped ideas with members and helped them develop a list of priorities, as they all dreamed of the day when Democrats regained control of the House so that they could actually implement the agenda. But even if Democrats fall short of the majority this midterm, New Democrats and like-minded lobbyists say they may need to hold their meetings in a bigger room. In a more evenly divided House, groups like the New Democrats and the Blue Dogs, a group of centrist-to-conservative Democrats, will likely hold greater sway over the legislative agenda, and therefore will be more sought after among K "On every issue, no matter the outcome in November, the slim majority will result in enormous influence for the NDC and other moderate blocs," said Rep. Adam Moreover, "The closer we get [to the majority], the more relevant the New Dems are," said Coalition Chairwoman Ellen Tauscher of Lobbyists who have attended the regular meetings say that they were among the few on "Any number of lobbyists on With a solid majority and firm grip on the Rules Committee, which decides which amendments can be introduced on the floor, House Republican leaders could pretty much determine the legislative agenda on their own, the lobbyist said. It was up to Democrats in the But in recent months both New Dems and Blue Dogs have both done a "great job of presenting themselves as key to control the next Congress," said another Democratic lobbyist. That success can be seen in the money both groups have raised in the run-up to the election. The New Democrat Coalition PAC has raised nearly $500,000, distributing funds to more than 30 candidates. That number includes 21 challengers who would add to the ranks of the 43-member group if elected. The Blue Dogs have done an even better job raising money. The group for the first time has raised over $1 million for candidates it supports. Other caucuses, too, will be competing for the hearts and minds of party leadership. There are 64 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, whose ranks include several members in line to take over key committees should Democrats win back the majority. New Dems, with members from urban or suburban areas, and Blue Dogs, with a more rural base, are likely to be in conflict at times, too, particularly over social issues. On those occasions Blue Dogs could be tough to beat. Lobbyists who support both groups say Blue Dogs have been more unified, focusing on budget issues, and attracted more support downtown. The group also sponsors weekly meetings with lobbyists. But while New Dems have lost members in recent years, lobbyists said the result has been a more cohesive group that could rival the Blue Dogs in business community backing. Members are now required to regularly attend coalition meetings to demonstrate their commitment. One thing that hasn't changed is the New Dems closeness to the high-tech community. Many of its members hail from districts with a large number of high-tech jobs. Members are strong supporters of the "innovation agenda" developed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that seeks more money to support math and science education, permanent extension of the popular research and development tax credit, and a goal for universal broadband Internet access within the next five years. In August, That followed a retreat last spring at the Hyatt Regency Resort at And the breakfast meetings, once held once a month, have been "amped up," in the words of one congressional aide, to once a week. Regularly attendees include: Dan Tate, of Capitol Lobbyists said their clients could be expected to take an even greater interest in New Dems after the election. "For a long time there were entire sections of the business community that haven't looked at these groups," Tate said. "But there is a natural fit there." That doesn't mean, though, that business groups can expect to be as welcome in Democratic offices as they are in Republican ones. "We represent swing districts," Tauscher said. "But we are damn good Democrats." Dems face a tug-of-war in own tent (10-29) 04:00 P From expanded health care and scaling back President Bush's tax cuts to withholding money from the Pentagon's war budget and investigating high crimes and misdemeanors, there is enormous pent-up energy to accomplish what could not be done during 12 years in the minority. Yet as Democratic leaders, including would-be The new Democratic majority, should it occur, will consist of a fresh crop of moderate and conservative members whose elections will have been won in part by distancing themselves from the party's progressive wing. Faced with possible Republican control of the "The only thing worse than not taking back the House would be taking it back for one term,'' warned Rep. Mike Thompson, D- 'An open opportunity' That view is certainly not reflected on conservative talk radio, where there are warnings about a virtual revolution if liberals such as Thompson's view may not be fully embraced by the Democratic base, which believes its loud and persistent protest of Republican leadership is responsible for the party's rising stock. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, whose North Bay district adjoins Thompson's, said a Democratic majority would allow the party to thrust into the national spotlight big issues such as getting troops out of Iraq and offering universal health. "It's an open opportunity for Democrats to stand up," said Woolsey, who is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of 62 liberal members. Woolsey said she would support a measure to cut portions of the Pentagon's budget and censure Defense "We can't run an election against what (Bush) is doing in Pelosi's challenge is to navigate a course that will satisfy the liberals who form the party's base and conservatives whose success is critical to the party retaining its power. It is a juggling act that has already tested Pelosi's skills as House minority leader since her election to that post by the caucus after the November 2002 campaign, but one that will grow much more difficult and consequential if Democrats are in the majority. The 66-year-old Pelosi's personal ideology and most of her "If we win ... we will have to govern from the middle," Pelosi said. "Our guiding principles will be to foster integrity, civility and fiscal responsibility." For now, Pelosi is promoting a legislative strategy with broad appeal should Democrats capture the 15 seats they need to regain a majority they lost in 1994. If chosen by the Democrats as their leader, Pelosi has pledged that on her first day as speaker she will enact rules to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation," and on the second day she has called on the House to adopt all 41 recommendations made by the bipartisan The legislation probably would draw support from the entire Democratic caucus and put an interesting test to Republicans and Bush, who has vetoed just one bill during his presidency. More of the Democratic agenda is contained in a glossy 25-page book put out by Pelosi (www.housedemocrats.gov) and includes specific proposals such as doubling the size of the military's special forces, requiring automakers to build more cars that can use ethanol, expanding the research and development tax credit, and matching up to $1,000 in contributions made by middle-income workers into retirement plans, to vague policy objectives such as a pledge to "eliminate Osama bin Laden." Broader goals not in plan The plan does not include broader liberal goals such as universal health care or withdrawal from With Bush as president, some Democrats caution against high expectations. "It is important to keep in mind that if Democrats win the House, and even the "The most we can hope for is to force a negotiation over how the country is run, and that is a significant improvement over our current lot in life, but it's not the same as setting the agenda," Reed said. Democrats and Bush have a poor record of cooperation, though some of the biggest accomplishments of recent presidencies -- tax overhaul under President Ronald Reagan, welfare overhaul under After losing consecutive presidential elections and control of the House for 12 years, as well as being the minority party in the Bob Borosage, co-director of Campaign for But he said many liberals will grow restless if Democrats do not force a change of course in Trade could cause division Borosage said the first big split could be over trade, where Democrats will be torn over whether to extend the president's fast track authority, which allows him to negotiate trade deals without advance congressional approval and is up for renewal in June. In the weeks leading up to the election, however, even liberal Democrats have been talking like moderates. Rangel said: "God knows, the Democratic leadership will be reaching across the aisle. "We have to for two reasons. One, we can't get Democrats to walk lockstep no matter how hard we try. Two, we will never have the margins -- even if we did do it -- to get anything done," he said. Rep. Pete Though his own Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, who is chairwoman of the New Democratic Coalition, a group of several dozen moderate Democrats, credits Pelosi with tempering the party's most ideological extremes and unifying members behind a common agenda. "We are united and joined together by values and by virtue of the fact that we want to not only earn the majority, we want to remain in the majority,'' Tauscher said of the party's pragmatism. "It's important to remember that we're going to have a number of Democrats in seats that had been held by Republicans, and the GOP is going to come roaring back in 2008 and try to knock them off. "We are forced by economic circumstances, the war, and many different reasons, to attack some of these big ticket items with incrementalism," Tauscher said. Democratic heavyweights A House Democratic majority -- should it happen in the Nov. 7 midterm elections -- would install a new lineup of veteran lawmakers to influential posts. The final say on committee chairs would be decided when the House convenes in January, but a few of the more prominent chairs probably will go to: Ways and Means: Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., who has represented Judiciary: John Conyers, D-Mich., has represented the Government Reform: Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, has represented portions of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood for 32 years, and is expected to become the Democrats' chief congressional investigator. As chair of the panel's Health and Environment subcommittee prior to the Republican takeover in 1994, Waxman held high-profile hearings on AID Energy and Commerce: John Dingell, D-Mich., is the longest-serving member of the House, arriving in 1955, when Nancy Pelosi was still a teenager. Dingell has led tenacious inquiries into energy and communications monopolies as well as the Department of Energy labs run by the Financial
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