An article appearing in today’s New York Times mulled over the identity of today’s Democrats, noting that the prevalence of centrist candidates in the midterm elections might signal a rightward shift in the party. Throughout, the article alluded to potential future conflicts for the Democrats and included a telling quote from Representative Ellen O. Tauscher (D-California)

“I think there’s tremendous agreement and awareness that getting the majority and running over the left cliff is what our Republican opponents would dearly love,” Tauscher told the Times, adding that this was something “we’ve got to fight.”

The article apparently upset many liberal bloggers, who afterwards lashed out at the Times.

Writes Talk Left: “Do we Democrats have an ideological war on our horizon? The [Times] seems to hope so… Let’s face it, this story is nonsense. There will be no fights now. Maybe later, but not now. Not on the issues that matter now. Heath Shuler will not drive Democratic policy on abortion. Never.”

For other progressives in the ‘sphere, it was the Democratic politicians speaking with the Times’ who deserved the walloping.

“You want to know why the public still has lingering doubts about whether Democrats stand for anything?” asks David Sirota in the Sirotablog. “It is because of precisely this kind of behavior—behavior that above and beyond any one issue sends a message that Democrats are interested only in their own self-promotion, not in actual convictions. Only people who really, truly in their veins are opposed to any serious change would go out days before an election and brag to reporters that their entire rhetoric about corruption and the war is actually just hollow ploy to fool voters, thus endangering their very chances to win the...

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