One of the most common interpretations of the election is that Democrats won by running conservative candidates. There's some truth to this, but it obscures far more than it illuminates. Yes, those Democrats who won last week were probably a bit more conservative than the current Democratic caucus, but only a bit. Plus, this is in the nature of all electoral patterns. As Democrats pick up more seats in marginal districts, they will likely be won by candidates more to the center than Democrats in safe districts. The same for the Republicans. If they win back seats in 2008, it will be with candidates more moderate than typical Republicans representing heavily conservative safe districts.
That said, every Democrat who won was more liberal than the Republican they defeated, much more so in most cases.
BTW, apologies for such light posting over the last few months. I was involved in a local congressional race and didn't want to post anything that might be misinterpreted and harm the campaign.
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Steny Hoyer's election as majority leader is a good portent for a less than radical Congress. We'll see how long Reps. Waxman, Conyers et al stay reasonable.
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