Fiscal responsibility

Outsourced to the Economist:

TODAY'S award for Best Shooting Self in Foot by a Political Spokesperson goes to Brendan Daly, a flack for Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House. The subject: Why 11 Democrats voted against the stimulus package.

The speaker has said many times that the members are representative of their district. Many of the districts are more conservative, and they campaigned on fiscal responsibility, and we understand that.

Did the other 246 Democrats in the House campaign against fiscal responsibility? Did the new president? That's what's being implied here. But what Mr Daly is referring to is the way that some Democrats run against deficit spending as a way of blunting Republican attacks. The other members of their party roll their eyes but tolerate this, because once in office these Democrats don't prevent the majority from passing its spending. Mr Daly surely didn't mean to reveal this.