Beltway vs. Blogosphere

Howard Fineman has an article on MSNBC.com about a civil war in the Democratic party.

“It’s not a fight between liberals and conservatives,” Rosenberg told me the other day. “It’s between our ‘governing class’ here and activists everywhere else.”
In other words, it’s the Beltway versus the Blogosphere.

Fineman uses Cindy Sheehan as an example of the growing rift. Beltway folks avoided her while grassroots folks welcomed and cheered her.

It wasn’t so much the content of what she said; she was, after all, claiming mostly to be asking questions. It was the WAY she came to prominence—quickly, virally, seemingly from out of nowhere—and her stubbornly confrontational tone.

No. I think it was her message - End The War. That is what is lacking in the Democratic Party today - someone with the guts to say "End it now" (Not as some say, more troops, or end it in 18 months).

I am waiting to see which, if any, of the crop of likely Democratic challengers tries to make himself the avatar of the “emerging activist class.” Dean did it without even knowing he was doing it. I don’t think Cindy Sheehan is running. Who will it be? Unless somehow it turns out to be Hillary—who voted for the prewar resolution on Iraq and in other ways has tried to burnish her “moderate” credentials.

Who indeed? We need a Peace candidate.