Markos Moulitsas

American liberals are tough on terrorists and secure in their knowledge that the Sept. 11 conspirators are guilty of mass murder.

Conservatives are unhappy with a party they feel has strayed from core principles, while progressives are disgusted with Democrats more concerned with their corporate donors than with the promises they made and people they represent. With both sides energized by current events, it looks like incumbents in both parties have much to fear if they stray from party lines.

By the time you read this, New York’s 23rd congressional district will have selected a new representative — but the results of that special election are far less interesting than the civil war it has provoked inside the GOP.

Want to be rich and famous, but you’re not very talented? Sure, you could become a rock star — but political pundits are 50 percent less likely to die choking on their own vomit, and they’re seemingly just as immune to accountability. Observe:

I would pity the GOP moderate, if it weren’t a mythical beast.

As House Republicans ramp up criticism of Nancy Pelosi in an attempt to tie her to Democrats representing competitive districts, one could be forgiven for thinking it was 2006.

Who would’ve thought that rooting for America to host the Olympic Games could ever be controversial? Not only is hosting the Olympics a source of national pride, allowing the nation to showcase the best of America (as we’ve done recently with Salt Lake City and Atlanta), but it’s also a powerful economic driver and catalyst for redevelopment.

Interlopers. 

Beltway conventional wisdom (CW) is a powerful force, and one of its most enduring tenets is the notion that Democrats in conservative districts must agitate against a Democratic agenda to get reelected. You see, CW says, voters in conservative districts couldn’t possibly support progressive legislation — even though they weren’t conservative enough to elect a Republican representative in the first place.

Last week, the political world got a demonstration on the power of netroots Democrats to fundamentally change the dynamics of a political campaign.