Hunting PUMAs

Did Senator Clinton ever vote against annual renewal of the Hyde Amendment? I only ask. At any rate, it was always passed, year on year, regardless of which party controlled either House. But then, it was of course enacted by a Democratic Congress, and signed into law by Jimmy Carter.

Anyway, the ghastly PUMA crowd seems to be on the prowl for candidates this year. I now know that such people read this blog, and I am truly touched that they regard it as terribly dangerous because of the influence that they at least believe it to have over their well-placed enemies within the Democratic Party, which is news to me, but then how could I have known...?. So I look forward to identifying such candidates here. We are still at the stage where you can stop their nomination, as you stopped Hers and thus, since McCain would by now have been killed by office, prevented President Palin.

But will PUMAs be a peculiarly American phenomenon? Imagine if a British politician emerged who reunited the historically allied forces of economically populist social democracy, of moral and social conservatism (even if he himself did not quite subscribe to all of it, although he did to enough to make the alliance possible), and of the patriotism that by definition includes economic patriotism. Imagine of Ed Balls and David Miliband really did lose their own seats. Imagine if Miliband didn't, since he would still stand no chance against a rival like that. Imagine...