Dems vs. Dems

This story is kind of like the Iran/Iraq war - nobody cared who won but wished they both could lose:

Forget the Republican filibuster and the race to 60. The real fight in the next Congress is Democrats vs. themselves.

With nearly complete control of Washington for the first time in three decades, Democrats are entering a treacherous power zone in which many of their priorities could easily be undone by the geographic, demographic and ideological factions that compete for supremacy within the party.

Unless Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) can whip their caucuses into unity, numerous fault lines will be revealed: Southern Democrats vs. Northern liberals on labor law; California greens vs. Rust Belt Democrats on global warming; socialized medicine adherents vs. go-slow health care reformers; anti-war liberals vs. cautious centrists on national security. And don’t forget the anti-bailout crowd vs. the powerful Michigan Democrats in both chambers when it comes to money for Detroit.

Republicans insist they will fight for their issues when they can, but they also might simply take a front-row seat to see if Democrats implode.

“When you’re playing with live ammunition and you have to actually live with the consequences of the policy, it’s much, much tougher,” said Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). “Do Democrats really want to hamstring U.S. manufacturers with new climate change regulations in the current economic climate?”

Democrats contend their majority is now large enough that they can afford to lose many of their own on key votes.

“Yes, we will have differences, but having a larger majority gives us a chance to build consensus,” Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said. “To build consensus, you don’t need unanimity.”

Let's not forget that it's not enough to have a majority in the Senate, you've got to get to 60 votes, and on issues like card check (which eliminates secret ballots for union elections), or global warming nonsense, there will be many Democrats from different regions of the country that won't be inclined to go along with the party line.

If you expect any unity in Congress, you better look to the GOP.