Amidst the euphoria over the magnitude of President Barack Obama's reelection victory in November 2012, there is a growing number of moderate Democrats who are urging caution over the temptation to move the party's platform further to the left. Foremost in their minds is the fate of the Republicans, who, buoyed by their stunning performance in the 2010 midterms, took the result as a mandate to move the party to the extreme right - a decision which they are paying for now.

However, the liberal elements in the party is predicated on the idea that the election proves that the majority of Americans have mandated President Obama, and to a lesser extent, the Democratic Party, to embark on a structural sociopolitical realignment of the country, to correct the effect and influence of the almost three decades long conservative ideological indoctrination.

And yet, the Blue Dog Democrats, another significant element within the party, believes that the result of the election, achieved primarily through the support of the minorities (African Americans, Hispanic and women), belies the fact that the electorates voted for the candidate, and not the party - as illustrated in a study conducted by the NAACP which revealed that only 47% of African Americans are "very enthusiastic" about the Democratic Party after President Obama's presidency ends.

In light of this ideological strive, the choice of the next candidate for the party in the 2016 presidential election has taken an added significance, for not only will the person be expected to win, he or she will determine the direction of the Democratic Party.