Obama's coalition

[Onlooker]

The Obama wing
The Clinton wing
The Lieberman wing

I think that's a powerful enough group to push through a progressive domestic agenda. Obama's entire focus is on building a winning coalition so that he can get things done. I think he's absolutely right in the way he's handling this. Think about it: When Obama introduces health care, progressive taxes, investment in social programs, he has already locked up a majority, and now he just has to overcome a filibuster.

Obama is being brilliant. He's building a coalition large enough to get things done, but he's not doing anything for the right wing. He has embraced no one (except Gates) that's to the right of Lieberman, and frankly, except on Iraq, Lieberman is not so bad. We may not like all the players, but there is a lot of common ground between those wings of the Democratic Party.

He still needs to do something for the blue dog wing of the party, that includes populists like Jim Webb. I think maybe his retention of Gates is a way to reach out to them.

Obama is lining up the votes, and it would be worth trying to count the votes Obama has bought with his various political moves as president-elect.

[Thrill]

1. Obama will govern as a progressive in pragmatist's clothing

[Captain Hilts]

2. Lieberman isn't a factor and Clinton and Obama agree on all major policy issues.

So, that's not a wing either.

[LWolf]

3. The only thing "progressive" that particular coalition

will push through is the "progressive policy institute" agenda.

Which I don't now, and never have, supported.