The debates surrounding the cromnibus budget bill got me
wondering. I find it very positive that
we have something of a back to normal in the way the parties aligned. The extreme wings of the GOP and the Dems
were both against it and the moderates (or what is left of them) of both parties
joined together to pass it. The contents
of the bill are unfortunate in many ways, but there could be some long term
promise in the way the negotiations went down.
But here is what I am thinking this morning. Four years ago
when the Tea Party started feeling its oats, they went a little crazy. It makes sense as an opposition party to
highlight your differences. When you are
the extreme wing of the opposition party, you have to exaggerate a little if
you want to set yourself apart. But they
started “living their hyperbole” (I made that line up, what do you think?),
otherwise known as buying their own bullshit.
And the fact that their constituencies were quite apt at self-delusion,
the people who really believed in these extremes rose to become movement leaders.
So here is the question for the day. What will the emerging Elizabeth Warren wing
of the Democratic party do next year when they become the extreme wing of the
opposition party? Will they start to
live the liberal version of their hyperbole?
Or will they stay reasonable and pull the rest of the party left?
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