Your laugh line of the day: “The party has grown by becoming the party of inclusion.”

…which is the worried reaction from a Lefty blogger who can’t quite understand why Barney Frank, head of the House Financial Services Committee, would say anything like the below in response to the way that the bankruptcy bill got shot down in the Senate (if only temporarily):

The reason that he said something like that, of course, is because the Democratic party is not the ‘party of inclusion:’ it’s the ‘party of expedience.’ The leadership (which is somewhat more liberal than its current Congressional roster, and very much more so than the rank and file) have been throwing this inclusion line around, with admittedly some success: but they have no intention of actually living up to it.

That’s why the Speaker of the House has completely suppressed ‘regular order‘ in legislation and is now running one branch of Congress like it was a private fief. That’s why the ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats are currently being bribed or cowed into submission on fiscal conservatism. And that’s why Specter’s about to have the deal altered, and he really should pray that they don’t alter it further. In light of that, Frank’s comments seem a good deal more understandable: the man must be bored silly with having to constantly pretend that he likes or even tolerates anybody to the right of him, and if you can’t sound off on those awful trimmers and equivocators on Bill Maher’s show, then where can you?

So I suggest that this Politicususa.com fellow get with the program. The people who actually run his party will let him know when they need him to express an opinion; until then, all that’s desired is the usual money, vote, and critical willingness to accept whatever today’s talking points are.

Business as usual, in other words.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.