The Democrats' Civil War

Can a party divided against itself stand? The Hill reports on the growing tension between the liberal and moderate wings of the Democratic Party over health care. After a bipartisan group of senators led by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) signaled it would kill a public option, liberals like Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) are preparing a volley of markups to restore their priorities. The House legislation, meanwhile, is stalled in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and is no longer expected to be passed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) August deadline. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has now hinted that Democrats should run liberals against moderate Blue Dogs in coming primaries. The Hill calls the looming Senate showdown “arguably the most difficult decision of [Harry Reid’s] career.”