A Sober Look at a Democratic Sweep

(New York Times photo)

The prospect of a Democratic sweep in Novemember has both parties running madly. The Republicans fear this outcome, while the Democrats are salivating. In a prior blog post, I argued that even if the Democrats win the White House and expand their control in Congress, the political ideology of the country would prevent them from moving too far to the left (unlees they want a midterm rebellion).

Now, apparently sanity has captured other Democrats. The New York Times has published an article on the political constraints that would limit the Democrats, even if they controlled all of the national government. In particular, the presence of moderate and conservative Democrats in Congress might preclude a wide ideological shift. The article quotes former Vice President Walter Mondale, who served in the Carter administration when Democrats controlled Congress and the White House. Mondale discusses the difficulty of passing a liberal legislative agenda, even with Democratic dominance. The article does not report Carter's opinion on this matter, although presumably the reporter sought his opinion. It is worth a read, if merely for some balance during this time of melodrama.