"House Progressives reflect on being in the minority"

Rep. Jim Mcdermott at the open house.

Chris Bowers (Daily Kos):

Weiner talked about the need for House Democrats to inject a clearer, values-based vision of what the party stands for into the national political conversation. While Republicans presented a focused set of values based on smaller government, "on our side, there is this weird, squishy sense" that some government is good, but it's not entirely clear which parts or why. "You can't overstate the degree to which we rely on the President to set the conversation," Weiner admitted. However, "the President isn't a values guy--he wants to get the best deal for the American people." As such, House Democrats have "spent a lot of time waiting for Godot when it comes to the White House. We have to start setting the agenda ourselves." MORE...