So Much for "Choice" - Intolerant Democrats Devour Their Own

[Cow Poke]

Intolerant Democrats Devour Their Own

The party’s left wing wants to purge anyone opposed to abortion or single-payer health.

It is impossible to deny that the past six months have been rough for the Republican Party. The GOP Congress failed to fulfill its pledge to repeal and replace ObamaCare, and the president now has a lowly 38% job-approval rating, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

Yet none of this means these are bright days for Democrats. Last week one of their own, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, announced—while standing next to President Trump at a boisterous rally—that he was switching to the Republican Party. With the addition of Mr. Justice, the GOP now holds 34 governorships, tying the party’s nearly century-old record.

Mr. Trump’s 42-point margin of victory in the Mountain State contributed to Mr. Justice’s decision. The governor also laid blame, however, on Democratic state legislators, saying they had “walked away from me.” Democrats controlled the Legislature as recently as 2014, but Republicans now have majorities of nearly 2 to 1 in both the state House and Senate.

At first glance, one might assume the governor’s party switch was what caused Sen. Joe Manchin’s tirade on Sunday, when the West Virginia Democrat told the Charleston Gazette-Mail: “I just don’t give a s—. Don’t care if I get elected, don’t care if I get defeated.” But Mr. Manchin’s ire was actually directed at Democratic critics, who were irritated by his refusal to sign a letter on tax reform issued by his party’s leadership.

Mr. Manchin is not the only Democrat facing pressure from the Elizabeth Warren- Bernie Sanders hard left. In May, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota cast the deciding vote to preserve a costly Obama administration methane regulation that her state’s energy industry strongly opposed. She voted against North Dakota’s interests because she is up for re-election in 2018 and left-wing activists threatened to gin up a primary challenge or withhold their support in the general election....

[JimL]

Intolerant Democrats Devour Their Own

The party’s left wing wants to purge anyone opposed to abortion or single-payer health.

It is impossible to deny that the past six months have been rough for the Republican Party. The GOP Congress failed to fulfill its pledge to repeal and replace ObamaCare, and the president now has a lowly 38% job-approval rating, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

Yet none of this means these are bright days for Democrats. Last week one of their own, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, announced—while standing next to President Trump at a boisterous rally—that he was switching to the Republican Party. With the addition of Mr. Justice, the GOP now holds 34 governorships, tying the party’s nearly century-old record.

Mr. Trump’s 42-point margin of victory in the Mountain State contributed to Mr. Justice’s decision. The governor also laid blame, however, on Democratic state legislators, saying they had “walked away from me.” Democrats controlled the Legislature as recently as 2014, but Republicans now have majorities of nearly 2 to 1 in both the state House and Senate.

At first glance, one might assume the governor’s party switch was what caused Sen. Joe Manchin’s tirade on Sunday, when the West Virginia Democrat told the Charleston Gazette-Mail: “I just don’t give a s—. Don’t care if I get elected, don’t care if I get defeated.” But Mr. Manchin’s ire was actually directed at Democratic critics, who were irritated by his refusal to sign a letter on tax reform issued by his party’s leadership.

Mr. Manchin is not the only Democrat facing pressure from the Elizabeth Warren- Bernie Sanders hard left. In May, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota cast the deciding vote to preserve a costly Obama administration methane regulation that her state’s energy industry strongly opposed. She voted against North Dakota’s interests because she is up for re-election in 2018 and left-wing activists threatened to gin up a primary challenge or withhold their support in the general election....

Huh, what happened to your "democrats always walk in lock step" rant CP. There are always political pressures on political figures in both parties dependent upon the state they represent. I guess the stupid party, I mean the republicans, would support one of their own who was a pro abortion or single payor health insurance supporter, right. LOL! Introspect much?

[rogue06]

Intolerant Democrats Devour Their Own

The party’s left wing wants to purge anyone opposed to abortion or single-payer health.

It is impossible to deny that the past six months have been rough for the Republican Party. The GOP Congress failed to fulfill its pledge to repeal and replace ObamaCare, and the president now has a lowly 38% job-approval rating, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

Yet none of this means these are bright days for Democrats. Last week one of their own, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, announced—while standing next to President Trump at a boisterous rally—that he was switching to the Republican Party. With the addition of Mr. Justice, the GOP now holds 34 governorships, tying the party’s nearly century-old record.

Mr. Trump’s 42-point margin of victory in the Mountain State contributed to Mr. Justice’s decision. The governor also laid blame, however, on Democratic state legislators, saying they had “walked away from me.” Democrats controlled the Legislature as recently as 2014, but Republicans now have majorities of nearly 2 to 1 in both the state House and Senate.

At first glance, one might assume the governor’s party switch was what caused Sen. Joe Manchin’s tirade on Sunday, when the West Virginia Democrat told the Charleston Gazette-Mail: “I just don’t give a s—. Don’t care if I get elected, don’t care if I get defeated.” But Mr. Manchin’s ire was actually directed at Democratic critics, who were irritated by his refusal to sign a letter on tax reform issued by his party’s leadership.

Mr. Manchin is not the only Democrat facing pressure from the Elizabeth Warren- Bernie Sanders hard left. In May, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota cast the deciding vote to preserve a costly Obama administration methane regulation that her state’s energy industry strongly opposed. She voted against North Dakota’s interests because she is up for re-election in 2018 and left-wing activists threatened to gin up a primary challenge or withhold their support in the general election....

The media is always very quick to hype squabbles within the Republican camp while simultaneously playing down or even ignoring similar strife among Democrats.

[rogue06]

Huh, what happened to your "democrats always walk in lock step" rant CP. There are always political pressures on political figures in both parties dependent upon the state they represent. I guess the stupid party, I mean the republicans, would support one of their own who was a pro abortion or single payor health insurance supporter, right. LOL! Introspect much?

Prior to voting there's always going to be arguments but when it comes time to vote on something you see the lock step as indicated by the case of Heitkamp.

[seer]

Huh, what happened to your "democrats always walk in lock step" rant CP. There are always political pressures on political figures in both parties dependent upon the state they represent. I guess the stupid party, I mean the republicans, would support one of their own who was a pro abortion or single payor health insurance supporter, right. LOL! Introspect much?

Jim, there are a lot of pro-choice republicans. The fact is the Democratic party is systemically getting rid pro-life Dems.

[Sparko]

This is symptomatic of type of liberal who spouts "tolerance" and "inclusiveness" but turn into piranhas at the first sign of someone disagreeing with them.

Usually this is typical of the far left. the alt-left. but it seems to have become more and more that the extreme left has become the majority. Or at least the most vocal of the left. Seems like the moderate democrats are either too afraid to say anything, or have become secret republicans.

[Cow Poke]

Huh, what happened to your "democrats always walk in lock step" rant CP.

Yeah, look what happens when they don't. That's the point that went way over your head.

There are always political pressures on political figures in both parties dependent upon the state they represent.

What you're missing is the total hypocrisy of a party that claims to be all inclusive, but won't allow their own to have different opinions.

I guess the stupid party, I mean the republicans, would support one of their own who was a pro abortion or single payor health insurance supporter, right. LOL! Introspect much?

Instead of spewing forth ignorance, show me ONE similar example of the Republicans shutting down somebody who wasn't in lock step with their agenda. I bet you can't do it, cause you don't have a liberal talking point fax on that.

[rogue06]

This is symptomatic of type of liberal who spouts "tolerance" and "inclusiveness" but turn into piranhas at the first sign of someone disagreeing with them.

The same about being allowed to choose

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[Catholicity]

It seems like both Republicans and Democrats in Washington do this but on different levels to their own. Free thinking politicians on both sides exist but only at the local levels.

[Cow Poke]

It seems like both Republicans and Democrats....

Where do you see the Republican party blasting their own candidates for having different values, and threatening to fund alternative candidates to shut them down?

[Sparko]

Where do you see the Republican party blasting their own candidates for having different values, and threatening to fund alternative candidates to shut them down?

well they kinda tried that with Trump during the primaries.

[Cow Poke]

well they kinda tried that with Trump during the primaries.

Sure, but I think there was a whole lot more at play there, and the Republicans are not the ones who pretend to be "pro choice" and "all inclusive".

[KingsGambit]

Obviously I am all for anything that opens the door for the pro-life movement but I'm not going to pretend that ideological diversity for its own sake is necessarily something that has to be supported in politics.

I've abandoned the Democratic Party for the American Solidarity Party (which is basically socially conservative, fiscally liberal, and explicitly Christian. I haven't changed my party registration only because the American Solidarity Party is so small you can't even register for it in my state). If we had a candidate who was pro-choice we would refuse to support them and for good reason; pro-life is the central part of our party's identity. I wouldn't have time for any arguments that we need to open up the tent to others. I recognize it's a little different for the two big parties that have a different ground game to play though.

But from a purely strategic point of view the Democrats are wise to come on to this though. My state has a strong history with Democrats and blue collar workers who have been lost in the last decade or so (my district had a pro-life Democrat as our representative for almost three decades, though he died a couple years ago). I think the Democrats could get at least some of them back as we tend to be very socially conservative outside of the state's two major cities and if ideological purity is more important to party leaders on the coasts, all they're doing is throwing away entire states.

[KingsGambit]

Where do you see the Republican party blasting their own candidates for having different values, and threatening to fund alternative candidates to shut them down?

Kansas, where the Republican Party is so strong that there are really three parties - moderate Republicans, conservative Republicans, and Democrats. The Democrats have been so weak since Kathleen Sebelius left for the Obama administration that they've been all but ignored, and all campaigning is an outright civil war between the two Republican factions.

[Cow Poke]

Kansas, where the Republican Party is so strong that there are really three parties - moderate Republicans, conservative Republicans, and Democrats.

And, somehow, that's the same as the Democrat Party not allowing otherwise loyal Democrats to run for no other reason than that they are pro-life?

The Democrats have been so weak since Kathleen Sebelius left for the Obama administration that they've been all but ignored, and all campaigning is an outright civil war between the two Republican factions.

I'm not getting how that's the equivalent of the party that preaches tolerance preventing their own party members from running over single issue politics.