DAY OF THE MODERATE DEMS? – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:   Frankly, I doubt it.  The Democratic Party is moving further to the left.  But there are some moderates, and some are still in the Senate, and now their power has grown.  They have the independence because of the states they represent, to vote however they wish.  From The Politico:   

Republicans are about to take over the Senate, but another group is on the rise, too: red-state Democrats.

Red staters and other moderates could determine whether Mitch McConnell or Harry Reid prevails on any given cliff-hanger vote, making these Democrats the new power centers in the Senate.

The centrists, like Joe Manchin and Heidi Heitkamp, could use their influence in the next two years to score bipartisan achievements on issues like energy and health care that could be central to their own future prospects.

And while moderates in the minority are always significant in a closely divided Senate, this group’s decisions on bucking their own party leaders and the White House will determine whether Republicans will succeed in governing — or flop.

When asked about the prospects that his party would block the GOP agenda for the next two years, Manchin didn’t mince words: “That’s bullsh—. … I’m not going to put up with that.”

Others are saying they’re not afraid to defect on key issues.

“Our caucus needs to take a hard look at the way we do things and make sure we are putting the policy issues first before politics,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who spoke with McConnell and Reid after last week’s elections. “The habit we got into in doing nothing, no one was happy with that. I hope that we never go back to that.”

At best, McConnell is looking at a 54-46 majority, meaning he will need at least six Democrats to overcome a filibuster, which could very well be a frequent tool of the likely new minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada. If McConnell can keep his caucus mostly united on each bill, he will have a small number of moderates and swing votes to choose from, whether it’s on energy, taxes, health care or spending legislation.

COMMENT:  I withhold judgment.  Let's see how this actually plays out.  The problem with the argument is that the Democratic Party is internally fierce.  Those who defect on a single vote can be punished with a liberal primary competitor the next time they run.  That competitor won't necessarily win, but can do real damage to the moderate Democrat he or she is running against.  It happens all the time.

November 13, 2014