So on one hand Zuckerman says that the Dem tent is too big.

Then he says that the Dems don't speak against their leadership enough.

David is a walking contradiction.
 

There is no contradiction there. They allow almost anyone in..and then when the party goes to one end or the other (within their caucus) the other end does not speak out.
 

David doesn't know what he's talking about. There have been plenty of open and public disagreements among dem caucus members. Tell the "Lord of the Flies" it's okay to disagree with fellow party members in public.
 

The truly interesting part here is the completely frank admission by Donovan that the D strategy on health care was WRONG.
 

So? Have you never looked back and said maybe you should have done something different?

Besides, that's only one D's opinion.
 

It should be every D's opinion, cause it's true.

As for looking back... well, I am looking back now and thinking, "we told you so"... so, since they were forewarned, I find it hard to forgive that particular legislative failure on the part of the D's.

FAILURE... got that?
 

OMG you're so right and everyone else is so wrong! How could we have not seen it all along! Please let us worship you, master.
 

This is Party Tent versus Policy Tent.

Party tent: "we need warm bodies everyone in! Anti-choice? Sure, come on in! Anti-worker? No problem!"

See, that's too big... who wants to be in a tent with smelly anti-choice religious nuts?

Policy Tent: "Here's what we can get away with passing this year over the strenuous objections of a small minority who are holding us all hostage to their tantrums. Shut up, we talked about this already. No, seriously, shut the fuck up."

See, no real debate, no gutsy answers, no confrontations to reveal bad policy, no attempt to speak truth to power...

A policy tent should try to include everyone's interests in the hopes of making good public policy.

A party tent is part of the practice of elected representation of constituents, who are not, by definition, EVERYONE, but a specific group of people with various personal characteristics, and whom candidates are purporting to be able to "re-present" in the policy process.

Given the very real policy divides in this country at this time, it seems absurd to imagine that two or even three "parties" could really represent such a diverse country.