COLUMBUS (TDB) -- So who are the Blue Dogs in Ohio? Zack Space and Charlie Wilson are rather conservative rural Democrats when compared to their urban counterparts. And Steve Driehaus, the Cincinnati-area state representative who hopes to knock off Republican stalwart Steve Chabot in OH-01, is pro-life. Glenn Greenwald writes in Salon that the Democratic party's progressive base gets the back of the hand from the Blue Dogs. He says they should be driven away from power in Congress:"On key issue after key issue, it is the Bush White House and Republican causes that have received virtually everything they wanted from Congress, while the base of the Democratic Party has received virtually nothing other than disappointment and an overt repudiation of its agenda . . .
"At the moment, the Blue Dog contingent is dominant in the Democratic caucus and drives much of what the caucus does. The more Blue Dogs there are in the Democratic caucus, the more dominant they will be. Changing the face of Congress requires, first and foremost, that the face of the Democratic caucus change, that its strategic incentive scheme be altered. Until progressives make Democratic leaders pay a price for their allegiance to the right's agenda -- the only price that politicians recognize: having their power diminished and jeopardized -- then none of this will change. It will only continue to worsen."
Apparently the Dems didn't get the memo that this country is Center to Right...
ReplyDeleteIf they purge the Blue Dogs, they will be an extreme minority. The only way Dems won a large amount of seats in 06 was with Blue Dog Candidates like Heath Shuler (NC)
Yes! they should!
ReplyDeleteThere are 47 Members of Congress in the Blue Dog coalition. These members are elected from center to conservative districts and would almost certainly be replaced by Republicans if they didn't vote the way they vote. But the most important vote the Blue Dogs make is the one for Speaker of the House. Democrats are controlling the agenda for the first time in over a decade, and despite popular myth, they are doing important things like raising the minimum wage, establishing an independent office for congressional ethics, and fighting for legislation like the Employee Free Choice Act.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats hold a 37 seat majority in congress. Take away those 47 Blue Dogs, and we're back to Republican control. OK, so every Democrat will vote the correct way and be pure of heart, and the caucus will be all sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately, they'll have no power and get nothing done. Let's keep the Blue Dogs and focus on getting rid of more Republicans. I'd rather have a person who votes the way I'd like 75 or 80 or 90% of the time than Steve Chabot.
Let's do this, we'll trade our RINO's for your blue dogs.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I have never understood how party affiliation devolved into this spot in the first place.
I can't imagine the SPCA allowing a fan of dog fighting in their organization.
It seems like a no brainer to me so the answer must be money.