In 2302 we are discussing institutions in Congress, including political parties. One of the topics within that subject is the relationship that exists between party leaders and the rank and file. Generally party leaders are able to determine how the rank and file will vote on certain issues - but if the rank and file contains a large and motivated freshman class - like the current Tea Party Republicans - then they may not be able to.
That may be what we are witnessing in the recent defeat of a recent spending bill driven by Democrats opposed to cutting fuel efficiency programs to pay for disaster relief, and conservative Republicans who think the entire spending bill was too large. Another government shut-down looms.
The story also points out the importance of solidarity within a majority party. Republicans split on the vote - Democrats stayed united (always unusual):
The surprise defeat in the House Wednesday of a special funding measure to keep the federal government
functioning past Sept. 30 was a sharp rebuke of the GOP leadership that
controls the chamber and a testament to the fragility of the majority
itself.
The rejection of the measure resurrected the specter of a
government shutdown at the end of the month and suggested that the
heated confrontations that dominated Washington in the spring and early
summer are likely to return this fall.
While it is widely expected that the parties will eventually
reach a compromise to avoid a shutdown, Wednesday’s 230-to-195 vote
showed what can happen when the GOP majority operates with no more than
minimal Democratic support.
The failure of the bill was the
result of a new solidarity among Democrats on funding issues and old
divisions among Republicans on spending reductions.
The job of party leaders is to maintain the cohesiveness of the party. This large freshman class has made that difficult.
