With Democrats now in control of the White House and Congress, it would seem that the party has a clear path to passing just about whatever agenda it pleases.
But it may not be that easy.
The Democrats in the new Congress will have to deal with infighting among party factions who will push for their own priorities.
In the House, the group that now poses the biggest threat to the majority’s tranquility is the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs, a group of right-leaning Democrats elected from barely blue districts whose top priority in Congress is achieving a balanced budget and maintaining strong national security.
The group had 47 members this year and used their size and influence to shape key legislation including a wiretapping bill and the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package. The once-marginal group now stands to become quite powerful by adding more than 10 freshmen to its ranks come January, nearly catching up in size to the liberal House Progressive Caucus, which boasted more than 70 members this year.
“The Blue Dogs are going to be larger in number and larger in importance,” American Enterprise Institute political scholar Norm Ornstein said. “Democrats will not be able to form majorities on their own without the Blue Dogs, and they can’t build bipartisan coalitions without them either. Whether the Blue Dogs can maintain their own unity, or use the leverage selectively and positively, remains to be seen.”
For members from these marginal districts, re-election is never assured, forcing them to adhere to a centrist political philosophy and putting them at odds with any liberal-leaning legislation proposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“They will have a significant number, and Speaker Pelosi understands that,” said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly. “And we want to hold onto the majority, and the Blue Dogs have to vote to represent their district, and we respect that.”
The Blue Dogs already had a powerful ally in House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., a moderate. Now they potentially have an even more important one in President-elect Barack Obama, who began reaching out to the Blue Dogs earlier this year and has promised the group that the party would work to achieve fiscal discipline and honor the pay-as-you-go rule that the group helped get passed in the House that prevents the chamber from adding to the deficit.
University of Maryland political science professor Roger Davidson said the Blue Dogs will play a key role “moderating the kinds of demands the liberal wing will be making,” now that Democrats are in control of both branches of government.
