Hoyer Makes The Case

In a new world where bloggers are listed as part of the "trifecta of Democratic interest groups" on equal footing with labor and trial lawyers, the power wielded by some elements in the blogosphere is considerable. California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher is finding that out first hand.

Working For Us is a group avowed to hold Democratic elected officials in liberal districts accountable for straying from the party line. From their About Us page:

"There is especially no excuse for those Members who have strong Democratic districts, but still vote against the interests of their working-class constituents - those are the worst offenders."

If you'll remember, I talked about this group back in January. During that initial run of press for their efforts and those of the adjacent They Work For Us group, Working For Us had a list of top offenders on their website, which included the aforementioned Rep. Tauscher as well as Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar. That list has since been removed, and the text of the top offenders page has changed to encourage people to write in with nominations.

The Washington Post article attributes the removal of that list to Steny Hoyer and a conversation he had with Steve Rosenthal, one of the organization's founders. It seems as if, in the interest of being reasonable or something else, Working For Us changed course a little bit without abandoning their mission. Kos is on the board of They Work For Us, and I assume he still supports the cause behind it.

The story also details how reformed Democrats are welcomed back into the fold. As a constituency group, blogs are now of the same influential prominence as some groups that have been around for generations; even though I watched it happen and have been blogging for years, it is still surprising to see. What I think is less surprising but makes more sense is the willingness of the leadership of this group, in this case Steve Rosenthal, to make a significant alteration in message when presented with a reasonable case.

On both sides of every issue, there are extremists. The idea that unreasonable people exist somewhere in the blogosphere is not revolutionary; any group of people has its outliers. While it is an idea I am still uncomfortable with, I think the stratification between a shrill proponent of 'primarying' every non-stridently-anti-war incumbent Democrat and the case of Working For Us is important to note. Politics is hard, and politics is complicated, and the more flexible you are — and, in this case, the more willing you are to compromise a little — the better off the team you're all playing for will ostensibly be.

I am interested in other opinions on this — do you guys think Working For Us backed down, or are they playing ball?