The progressive blogosphere is still fuming about the 17 House Democrats who voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt of Congress, and it’s filled with outraged comments calling them out as traitors.
Recommended Stories
“Despicable, pathetic, myopic,” reads one Daily Kos post. “Every Democratic Rep. who voted for the contempt resolution should be a target for replacement in the coming years until they’ve all been retired. If they cannot be counted on to stand with fellow Democrats on a matter of principle so fundamental, how exactly is it that they fit in the Big Tent?”
Well, where do they fit in? And what are the politics behind a vote so blatantly cuts against the administration’s interests?
For one thing, most of the 17 are Democrats who live on the edge, or behind red state enemy lines. Not a single one of them could be characterized as safe in November. A handful have already said they won’t be attending the Democratic National Convention.
There are no East or West Coast Democrats on the list; many are Blue Dogs who represent culturally conservative districts that range from slightly to comfortably Republican. When the National Rifle Association decided to score the vote, the die was cast – the NRA is an important force in many of those place.
