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Monday, May 19, 2008VJP: Can the tent become too big?Hampton Roads area Democrat Vivian Paige asks the tough question about coalition building: That the Democrats with the majority can’t get stuff done is a problem. I understand that universal health care has been in the party platform for decades but does anyone think that such legislation could pass our current Congress?The answer is yes, depending on how big a circle you draw. Take the 2000 Virginia Republican majority... what did it accomplish, other than to throw the Democrats out of power? Hence the lesson, one that I am afraid national Democrats have yet to learn. The less simplistic answer to all of this is that "big tents" aren't difficult to establish, so long as those inside understand what the long poles are. For the GOP, it used to be that the long poles were less government, pro-life, pro-family, and pro-2nd Amendment. For the 1994 Contract with America, there were 10 key votes and an overwhelming anti-Clinton sentiment. In 2006, it was anti-Bush sentiment (not anti-war sentiment -- as the current Democratic majority is demonstrating) that drove the train. Mission accomplished... and now the Democratic majority will have to squabble between its progressive and liberal wings for vision while the Republicans shift gears into a minority party with which they have long been comfortable. The tent built by the Democrats in 2006 was pretty darned big... but when the edifice comes crashing down, my bet is that it will occur with plenty of warning, just as the conservative base cautioned in 2006 and continues to warn the GOP leadership heading into 2008.
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AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactLinks
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