M.J. Rosenberg "On Pelosi: Blessed Are The Peacemakers."

New TPMCafe contributor Michael Bérubé points out that Americans would sooner vote for a zombie or the GEICO caveman than an atheist.

Harold Ford, Jr. responds to DLC critics.

We've got some interesting responses to DLC Chair Harold Ford, Jr.'s call for an intra-Democratic truce.

Max Sawicky welcomes the idea on the grounds of political necessity, but still makes a list of "rotten ideas that follow from DLC doctrine." Ed Kilgore echoes Ford's call to get past the bad blood to the policy questions at hand. Jo-Ann Mort sees value in the DLC's effort to make the party "competitive and majoritarian" again, but rejects the conservative wonk rhetoric it employs. And Nathan Newman sees common ground only on the one issue where Ford is willing to call for employer responsibility: work/family issues.

Ford will be responding later today. Stay tuned...

Late update: Reader RA makes an interesting argument that reminds me of the Care Crisis conversation we hosted a few weeks ago:

The DLC wants to identify itself as "pro-family" but also "pro-business." There's two problems here. One is that we already have a pro-business party--the Republicans--and we don't need another one; rather, we need one that is dedicated to restraining business' excessive power. The other is that "pro-family" and "pro-business" is inherently contradictory, at least at this point in time. Business policies are probably the biggest single factor negatively affecting families these days (inadequate leave, long hours, downsizing, shrinking health care coverage, stagnant to dropping wages). The Dems need to be an effective counterbalance to business, not another "Republican lite" handmaiden to it.

"I hope we can take this opportunity to put aside stereotypes and identify some common ground." DLC Chair Harold Ford, Jr., blogging this week at TPMCafe, calls for a truce. If the comments are any indication, it'll be an uphill battle.

Harold Ford, Jr., fresh off his first major speech as the Chair of the DLC, will be joining us at TPMCafe this week to discuss his work and the policy initiatives he'll be pushing during the '08 primaries. Should be an interesting debate, the announcement alone started a pretty heated thread.

His visit is a part of our ongoing effort to bring interesting people to TPMCafe to engage the readers and the other writers all week with a specific argument. In the last two months, Matt Stoller, Chalmers Johnson, Amanda Marcotte, Jeff Faux, Marshall Ganz, and our own Mark Schmitt and E.J. Graff have all sparked conversations (and many more have joined in). Next week we'll have TNR Senior Editor Jon Cohn on his new book Sick.

What we want to know from you is: who would you like to hear from at TPMCafe? What issues would you like discussed? Email talk(at)talkingpointsmemo.com. We're all ears.

We got another interesting guest for you this week.

Starting tomorrow, Democratic Leadership Council Chair Harold Ford, Jr. will join us to discuss the DLC's policy plans for the 2008 primary. I'm expecting a lively discussion.

Predictions?