New Blue Dogs vs. The Establishment

Ronald Reagan was a political titan. He was adored by the American public and loathed by the liberal Left even while he defined the tone of conservatism for the next generation. His impact on history cannot be underestimated, as he played a key role in the end of the Cold War with his allies Pope John Paul II and Margaret Thatcher. And furthermore, his presidency played out next to a Congress that was dominated by Democrats.

There a lessons that can be learned here. Today's Opinion Journal presents a perspective on the choice that exists for the president and the beaten remains of the GOP. Either an "establishment" coalition can be formed between Republicans and the Democratic leadership, or the GOP can reach out to the new generation of Blue Dog Democrats, who also controlled a large swath of the political turf in the Reagan Era. According to a guy by the name of Newt:

These two choices are strikingly interrelated. An establishment bipartisanship between the White House and liberal congressional leaders will almost certainly make it necessary to focus narrowly on how to minimize difficulties in Iraq and postpone consideration of the larger threats to America for the remainder of this and into the next presidency. By contrast, a conservative bipartisanship that knits together the House Republicans and the Blue Dog Democrats into a floor majority, working with a White House that emphasizes popular issues at the grassroots, would make it much easier to focus on the larger threats to American safety. (Such a bipartisanship could stress making the cap gains tax cut permanent; controlling set-asides and discretionary spending; oversight on failing bureaucracies and waste; English as the language of government; and biofuels as part of an energy policy.)

This potential political calculus is formulated on the idea that government should actual accomplish a few things in the next two years instead of position themselves for the next presidential election. It also relies on a degree of political dexterity that hasn't hithertofore been on display from the White House. To effectively reach around the blood-hungry partisans that may be steering the congress and the key committees - that level of Reaganesque savior faire and charm seems beyond the skill set of current management in the executive branch, but it may be possible - especially if a few key brokers emerge from the Republican side.

And how about some new leadership? Corruption was one of the key items that voters cited in the election - it's almost laughable that not only are the Democrats elevating Jack Murtha, but the Republicans are actually return a notorious pork-addicted pol like Trent Lott.

Maybe there is a small chance for Panetta-like delusions of comity. But there's only about 12 months before full-frontal partisan warfare breaks out in the run-up to the nominations. Savvy politicians on both sides might be able to use this narrow window of opportunity to circumvent the entrenched powers and actually get something done.

Update: Captain Ed breaks it down better than I ever could ...

Tags: Blue Dog Democrats, Ronald Reagan, Bipartisanship