Democrats have a majority in Congress; liberals, however, do not.

[Writer]

And there lies the rub: This Gallup poll indicates that self-identified conservatives and independents far outweigh self-identified liberals in the public. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx

Now, one can argue about whether that accurately reflects the nation's ideological make-up as a whole, or whether it reflects where individuals fall on specific issues, but assuming that the poll reflects the nation's ideological make-up, the composition of Congress, especially the Senate, doesn't surprise me that much.

The Blue Dog Democrats are, as we all know, the fiscally conservative branch of the Democratic Party. For the most part, they are socially liberal, but they will vote against any bill that they feel is outlandish government spending. Obama has confronted this cleavage between party and ideology time and time again while working on health care reform.

They're a pain in the ass; however, they did win their seats, and in some cases, won seats long held by Republicans (CO's 4th is one example). They do have a (D) next to their name, so that means they won't sit out and be obstinate. They'll at least come to the table to talk, although they likely won't side with a progressive financial initiative.

I keep reading the same complaint that we have a "majority" in Congress, and therefore, we should get whatever we want passed. But if "what we want" is a liberal or progressive initiative, then no, we do not have anywhere near the number of votes necessary. I'm perplexed by this oversight on behalf of many in the liberal blogosphere, Jon Stewart, and others, who keep overlooking how Congress is constructed ideologically. Yes, Democrats have a majority in Congress, but liberals do not. The GOP, on the other hand, is comprised of ideological conservatives, because moderate and liberal Republicans have defected (and some have long since defected) from the party during the Bush years. The only voters left voting Republican are the far right-wing conservatives, hence the GOP's ideological purity in Congress.

So... where do we go from here? Do we truly believe that rural districts, or states that went for McCain, for instance, will oust a Blue Dog Democrat for a liberal Democrat? I know that many do indeed believe that, but I also don't believe in a mass public theory either. People come to their belief systems based on their individual social relations - not simply because of propaganda from "on high" - and if those relations are conservative in nature, they are more than likely going to be conservative themselves, rejecting opinions that don't reflect their personal convictions.

Think about it... if YOU believe so strongly in liberal ideals, and have a hard time seeing the other side, don't you think that conservatives will also have a hard time seeing our side? We are politically different, but we are still comprised of the same blood and tissue. We all have the same instincts to protect that which forms our collective political identities.

So do we have a majority in Congress? Not in the way you think.