Redstate

By Dan McLaughlin Posted in 2006 — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

We on the Republican side may not know what lies ahead on the morning of November 8, but the Democrats sure aren't waiting around for votes to be cast to fight over who gets to lead that new majority they are so sure they will have:

As Democrats enter the final days of their push to take back control of the House in next week's election, two divisive backroom leadership fights are brewing within the party, raising fears that Democratic unity could be fraying even before the first votes are cast.

For some Democrats, the battle between Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the minority whip, who had been expected to ascend to majority leader without opposition, and Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.) threatens the party's efforts to appear ready to govern.

The key word there being "appear."

Hoyer supporters question why Murtha has chosen to pick a fight now when the Democrats are the most unified they have been in 50 years and are on the verge of taking control of the House.

"I have a lot of respect for Jack Murtha, but I remain shocked that he is talking about making a run for majority leader," said Rep. Ellen Tauscher (Calif.), a Hoyer supporter and a leading Democratic moderate. "I don't understand it. I'm not supportive of it, and it's having a deleterious effect on what I think and hope will be a huge win on November 7."

In fact, the architects of the coming Democratic victory are so certain that they aren't even worried about antagonizing people they just assume will come out and vote for Democrats, like they are told:

In what could be another high-profile showdown, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), the ambitious former White House aide who runs the Democratic campaign arm of the House, may seek the third-ranking post of majority whip, pitting him against Democratic Caucus Chairman James E. Clyburn (S.C.), the only African American in a leadership position.

This could exacerbate racial strains in the House, since both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have complained that Emanuel is insensitive to minority concerns. Members of the black caucus accused him of using strong-arm tactics to collect dues for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Hispanic caucus withheld its dues last year until Emanuel hired a Hispanic staffer at the DCCC.

One can only hope that the infighting over the spoils will be suitably memorialized in the Terry McAuliffe wing of the Al Gore Presidential Library.