An article in the latest Newsweek might offer a little comfort. Zev Chafets explains how the electoral necessities of some Democratic senators might blunt Obama administration efforts to swing too far left in the next couple of years:
What [Sen. Jim] Webb does in two years will certainly affect Virginia politics. How he positions himself in the meantime may have broader significance as well: Webb could serve as a model for 10 other Democratic senators who face reelection battles in states like Virginia, where unstinting support of the Obama agenda could be a recipe for early retirement.
Republicans also are gaming how conservative Democrats like Webb will figure into the new calculus. ?The big buzz in D.C. is whether Obama tacks to the left to appease his base or moves toward the center to appeal to moderates,? says Republican strategist Mark McKinnon. ?The reality is he doesn?t have a choice. Not if he wants to actually get anything done in the next two years. There is a bloc of 11 [Democratic] senators who will be up for reelection from conservative states, and they are likely to establish a formidable group that will block any progressive legislation that is high on the liberal agenda.?
In addition to Newsweek?s coverage, it?s good to remember the potential for positive unintended consequences linked to divided government.
