What matters isn't so much their own personal views, as the views of their constituents.
Definitely comedy goldmine material here...
Technically, both Al and conan could be right. Electorates may not be as well-defined as some prognosticators would label them.
I'm not really commenting on whether the statement is correct or not from a general standpoint; I am only interested in pointing out the obvious non-sequitur.
I think because conan was assuming that Al was implying the views of the candidates didn't matter- which may or may not be true, depending on particular issues, which we'll see about in two years.
It certainly wasn't a pretty victory from the direction I'd prefer to see the Democratic party going personally (suburban-focused), but it certainly provides some well-deserved hope among more populist Dems like Al, after years of relative disappointment. Having a more moderate caucus representing a wider range of the country isn't necessarily a bad thing either.
In terms of what the Democrats
needed to do this year, which was get themselves into government somehow and show that they could win, they did it. That's really the most important thing. Figuring out the ideal contours of a long-lasting majority coalition is something that's just going to have to stay on the to-do list for now.
