"A Democratic Win in November Does Not Spell V-I-C-T-O-R-Y"

Steven D:

Many of those who are in positions of power in the Democratic Party, the Senators and Representatives, candidates and consultants, and lobbyists and "liberal" pundits of the DC Beltway crowd will not immediately put an end to the status quo and adopt the agenda of the netroots. On the contrary, many of them would just as soon keep our current system of corporately funded beneficence to the political classes in place, only this time with themselves as the principle recipients of that amoral largesse.

They will be quick to proclaim (even if they do not believe it themselves) that any electoral victory for Democrats validates their brand of politics, one in which old line Clintonistas and DLC members are entitled to assume the mantle stripped away from Tom DeLay, the Heritage Foundation and David Brooks. They will line their pockets with corporate cash, fund their own circle jerk think tanks and glory in getting asked the first question by Tim Russert on Meet the Press rather than being an after thought in a sea of republican faces Sunday morning.

Those, like Hillary, Biden, and Warner, who are already running for the Presidency will go into full campaign mode, carefully measuring each word they say, and being careful not to make the least little noise that might get them labeled soft on terrorism, or too socialistic or too dismissive of the wonders of an untrammeled free enterprise system of capitalism. They may even seek to put themselves to the right of George Bush on the issue of the war on terror, and I wouldn't be surprised to see any number of them come out in support of a "surgical strike" against Iran. In short, they will remain focused on what politicians are always focused upon: keeping their campaign chests full to the brim, and fostering their own personal ambitions.