After the housewarming

The Democrats have come out of the gate with some feel-good bills , but soon will find the going tougher .
Big promises made during the election resonated with the voters , but getting things done will be tougher than they thought , especially now that Pelosi has said they will not include Republicans in the process . This is a big mistake since their majority is so slim .
The reality of politics will loom large in the next few weeks as they try to meet the expectations of their supporters . The big problem will be the war . As they try to find ways to get out , Bush has begun to finalize a strategy plan which includes more troops initially and more effort from Iraq in making themselves more self-sufficient . These are ideas the Democrats ( at least some of them ) have said they wanted . They are going to be hard-pressed to get a definite timeline for withdrawal . This issue will be the main item that stymies compromise , as Bush will probably not budge from his positions much , and the Democrats , though claiming they want co-operation , have set the stage for none . The only compromise they want is for everyone to agree with them . They don’t seem to have a will to work together with anyone that disagrees with them .
Democrats also believe that if they say or do something , it must be the correct and only way , but Bush still has a veto pen handy . The majority is only one vote in the Senate , so they have to have 100% from their members plus a few Republicans in order to avoid ties , which Cheney could break with his vote .

Now , today on Bloomberg.com , I read that some freshmen Democrats are advising Pelosi to stick to the middle , because they will lose in '08 if the Democrats veer left as is their custom .
For example , Joe Donnelly (D , Indiana) signed up with the "Blue Dog'' Democrats, a group of 44 self-described conservative lawmakers who support balanced budgets and less business regulation and are open to accommodation with moderate Republicans.

"I want to represent Democrats and Republicans,'' he says. "I am going to
hit the ball down the middle.''

The article is here - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7WU1_xanUrI&refer=home