Divide And Conquer?

In Oregon, a former state labor leader is helping to head a new political party called the Working Families Party. There may be frustrations in the two pary system, but it is a great danger to future Democratic hopes for the political left to divide their votes. In 2004, John Kerry came very close because the party was so united.

This year this already angry opposition on the left to the early support of the war by Hillary Clinton. And there is some who call for Joe Lieberman to leave the Democratic Party because he is more conservative than many Democrats.

In the recent Canadian elections, the Conservatives only garnered about 39% of the vote, yet won the election because of a divided left. In 1860. Abraham Lincoln, the first candidate of the new Republican Party won the election with about 39% of the vote because the Democrats were split into three parties that year. In both elections, 61% of the votes lost.

In 1968, a heavy divided Democratic Party fell short because of similar divisions over the Vietnam War.

There are serious warnings in these past elections for the heavy divided 2006 Democrats. The Republicans may face major problems this year, but unless there is more a spirit of compromise and a unity among the Democrats, then it is this division that may blunt their own hopes this year. Sometimes the worse injuries are self inflicted.