Is it possible to be an ideological juggernaut in American politics and hold a majority in Congress? The Democrats aren’t there yet, and historically never really were. They have always been composed of liberal and conservative factions.
Today, the healthcare debate seems to be exposing the still evident, yet shrinking moderate edges of the Democratic Party. The House continues to have its “Blue Dog” coalition and the Senate has its share of moderates. To govern with a majority, there obviously needs to be a party that captures a majority of the interests in the United States.
The idea of a “big tent” party is a broad based political entity that captures a wide portion of the political spectrum within reason. Reagan advocated it in the 1980s as a way to perpetuate Republican momentum and Newt Gingrich was able to capitalize on the South. Under their leadership the Republican Party was able to capture the moderate portions of the nation in the northeast and Midwest that are crucial to governing with any sort of consensus. Today, the largest ideological group is conservative, but it still measures below the 40-percent threshold of Americans. This makes it necessary to include voters who make up the 40 percent of self-described moderates in order to form a governing coalition.
That’s what makes the upcoming special Congressional election in New York especially disconcerting for the Republican Party and its prospects in the 2010 midterm election. New York’s 23rd Congressional District is an endangered relic in politics — it’s a reliably Republican northeastern district. The last time a Democrat held the seat was in the late 1800s and the former occupant, John McHugh, was consistently re-elected with at least 60 percent of the vote before being appointed Secretary of the Army by President Barack Obama. The special election has seen a moderate Republican Dierdre Scozzafava challenged by Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman creating a situation where the Democrat challenger may take what is a rare spot of red in an otherwise blue state. Big Republican names like Sarah Palin and Dick Armey have decided that its better to cannibalize their own and back Hoffman rather than risk some sort of ideological impurity.
On the part of the Republicans who are backing Hoffman, I admire their zeal for conservative ideology but I question their strategic intelligence when it comes to setting up the groundwork for a future Republican government. While conservatives are currently the single largest ideological group, they’re not a nationwide majority. Moderates need to be embraced and encouraged to obtain the necessary mandate. The Democrats would not have the overwhelming majority they do in the House of Representatives without the relatively conservative “Blue Dog” coalition of 52 Representatives. Democrats have embraced the big tent ideology as a necessary aspect in their governing coalition within Congress and have used it to perpetuate their platform.
Republicans need to include moderates if they want to have any sort of future in government. The Conservative Party’s support is the byproduct of a nationwide feeling of discontent with Obama’s policies and its goals are admirable. But as a pragmatic, who sees an opportunity for the Republican Party to turn the corner in 2010, it’s not wise to cannibalize a Republican with a prospect for success in a blue state. If this path continues, the Republicans risk becoming a regional party stuck in the minority until a new generation of leaders figures out that it takes a coalition of ideologies to form a governing party in Congress.