Democrats' Choice: Dig in or Work With GOP (duh!) [View All]

WASHINGTON - Outpolled, outmaneuvered and out of power, Democrats are suffering an identity crisis.

They could dig in for the long haul as an opposition party similar to many European semi-permanent parliamentary models, and espouse popular positions without worrying about governance. Or they could try to reach across party lines in hopes of achieving accommodation with the Republicans for the public good.

There are pluses and minuses to each approach, and finding a happy medium will be difficult.

"Once they get out of the fetal position, which is what they're in right now, the Democrats in Congress are really going to have start catching the pitches that are thrown by the president," said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University.

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