THE RETALIACRATS: Here is a little-reported fact that speaks volumes about the Democratic Party. An ABC News story from July 30 contains this passage:

“In an interview today with ABCNEWS’ Jake Tapper, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown said that if Davis is recalled and someone whom Brown considers to be an unqualified is elected, then Brown would consider it ‘his duty’ to participate in a recall effort of that individual.

“Brown said he considers Simon and Issa to be unqualified.”

It is obvious that Brown would consider any Republican to be “unqualified.” (Arnold Schwarzenegger had not yet entered the race when Brown made these comments — otherwise Brown would undoubtedly have included Arnold among the list of “unqualified” candidates.) In essence, Willie Brown has pledged to start a recall against any Republican who replaces Gray Davis in the recall election.

This is not an outlandish scenario. While most voters are fed up with Davis, don’t forget that the state is packed to the gills with partisan Democrats. If just one million voters are upset enough about the recall to sign a petition, Brown’s proposed recall effort would move forward.

What’s more, I believe that if such an effort appeared to have a real chance of success, the Democratic Party would leap to support it. Never mind that such an effort would be cynical in the extreme. Never mind that it would fly in the face of the Democrats’ sanctimonious rhetoric about the current recall being an unprincipled power grab and a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars. Does anyone really think that the party of Terry McAuliffe and Tom Daschle would forego a chance at naked political retaliation for reasons of principle?? Anyone who believes that has not been following the Democrats’ filibusters of highly qualified judicial nominees like Miguel Estrada.

The judicial filibusters have shown that the Democratic Party is willing to base an entire legislative strategy on the principle of pure retaliation. The Democratic Party has become the Party of Retaliation, and in recognition of that fact, I hereby bestow upon their members the descriptive title “Retaliacrats.” When I use that term in the future, you’ll know what I mean.