A Party arguing over money and direction 70 days before an election is a not a Party poised for victory:

Democrats have been leading in the polls for months now, but that doesn't mean everyone in the party is feeling so comfortable about their chances of regaining the House in November.

Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago congressman in charge of getting House Democrats elected, has already been in a months-long feud with Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, complaining that Dean isn't spending enough of the DNC's money on this year's congressional races. But now Emanuel is expanding his fight with other groups in his own party, blasting George Soros and MoveOn.org, two key sources of campaign cash for liberal candidates in 2004, for not spending enough money so far in 2006.

Noting that MoveOn.org had run ads in four key congressional races earlier this summer and then stopped, Emanuel told the New York Daily News "they literally moved on. The election is in November, and they moved on in June. What is going on here? I don't get it. I'm bewildered." On Soros, Emanuel said "he says his No. 1 priority is taking back the House. I say, 'Okay, I'm into that. So what are we going to do?'"

Both Soros and MoveOn.org sharply defended themselves, with MoveOn Washington director Tom Matzzie telling TIME regarding Emanuel's remarks that "it's really in poor taste, it shows no class and its not not going to help Democrats get elected."

Emanuel is not a very nice guy - he's got a reputation not only as a first-class political operative, but also of a first-class SOB. Meanwhile, Dean is simply a leftwing untirely unhinged from reality. This is not a good mix for getting a united Party fully concentrated on winning an election.

What these two "gentlemen" also represent is the divide of the Democratic Party. Say what you will about Dean, he really believes what he says - Emanuel, on the other hand, will simply say anything if he thinks it will help him get elected. Emanuel represents raw political power, Dean represents raw political emotion - and if things go smash as I expect them to for the Democrats this November, then look for their to be a major fight between the two sides - a fight which could permanently wreck the Democratic Party.

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