Red Dogs pull their weight; McDonnell promoted to frontbench

POLITICO | Although the smallest Democratic caucus within parliament, the Red Dog Coalition (coloquially known as the Red Dogs) has gained some friction in recent months as they threaten party leadership for steering the party far away from the internal overton wndow. Although ultimately supporting the party line when it came to the budget, Red Dogs, being the left-populist wing of the party, resented the "cosmopolitan elite" that led the party under Waters. With important votes lining up in parliament from immigration reform, to exit negotiations, and healthcare, Red Dog Democrats have made it clear that they -- holding 21 of the party's 136 seats -- too had to be included in the decision-making process. As a result, party leadership agreed to concede a position in the frontbench team to a Red Dog Democrat. The MP in question would be influential backbencher John McDonnell, put foward by Caucus Chairman Ted Cruz, to become the party's Chief Whip. 
The position of Chief Whip is one that carries substantial weight within the party, since his job is to be the main channel of communication between the party's membership and leadership, and can thus in essence shape much of the discourse and influence the course of the agenda. Ultimately, a Chief must be feared in order to be efficient, for it is better to be feared than to be loved -- for love is transient but fear is forever. When they are at their best, there is a brutal clarity about their thoughts and actions. They have to know enough about the policies to understand their importance for party, government and country but not get so far into the weeds that they cannot relate individual votes to the bigger picture. They have to care enough about the politics that they can form and transmit strong messages via their team. And yet they must not be afraid to cajole, flatter and threaten. With this, Red Dog Democrats have gained a substantial victory at the expense of the party's new liberal hierarchy.
Category:The Imperial Constitution