Time to dog the 'blue' dogs

[babylonsister]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-borosage/time-to-dog-the-dogs_b_176110.html

Robert L. Borosage

Co-Director of the Campaign for America’s Future
Posted March 17, 2009 | 09:29 PM (EST)

Time to Dog the Dogs

snip//

But Evan Bayh and his Blue Dog Senators haven't exactly earned trust for their judgment. Bayh, for example, was a leading supporter of making war on Iraq. He joined with the noxious Joe Lieberman in casting the most votes against the president during the stimulus fight. He recently penned a truly bizarre editorial in the Wall Street Journal calling on the president to veto the final appropriations for this fiscal year.

In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with the economy hemorrhaging jobs, Bayh argued that the appropriation bill was too big and spent too much money. "Families and businesses are tightening their belts to make ends meet -- and Washington should too.' "Spending," the Senator argues, " should be held in check before taxes are raised, even on the wealthy."

Now listen, folks, this is elemental. The economy is collapsing. Having lost some $13 trillion in household and stock market wealth, consumers are tightening their belts. Businesses are cutting back and laying off workers. Export markets have collapsed. States and localities are facing serious layoffs. The only thing lifting this economy is deficit spending by the federal government. It is at this time that the federal government must loosen its belt, not tighten it. Republicans won't admit that. Bayh clearly doesn't get it.

The new Senate Blue Dogs claim, of course, to be high minded advocates of "fiscal responsibility." But this is often a cover for more parochial concerns. Nelson objects to the Obama budget because it calls for moving to direct lending for student loans, saving billions in subsidies to banks and using that money to pay for increased grant aid. Nelnet, a leading student lender, will be hit badly by the change. Its headquarters happen to be in Nebraska.

Kent Conrad argues piously that the deficits are too high, but that doesn't stop him for opposing Obama's call to save billions by paring the wasteful subsidies that go to agribusiness, leading contributors to Conrad's campaign coffers.

Thus far, these Senate wannabe Blue Dogs have done a lot of barking, while threatening to trip up the reforms we need. What they really need is a little discipline. We can't put them on a leash. But at the very least, we could tell them to behave. Why not let them know directly that we don't appreciate their standing in the way? It is time to start dogging the dogs.

The Campaign for America's Future has decided to make this easy. Go to ourfuture.org. We provide a list of the Blue Dogs in the House and the leaders of would be Blue Dogs in the Senate. Pick one, and help instruct them by phone or email. It's time to dog the dogs.

Info to take action here:

http://www.ourfuture.org/node/36490

Call [phone] and ask the operator to connect you to one these conservative Democrats in your state:

House
Mike Arcuri (NY-24)
Joe Baca (CA-43)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Melissa Bean (IL-8)
Marion Berry (AR-1)
Sanford Bishop (GA-2)
Dan Boren (OK-2)
Leonard Boswell (IA-3)
Allen Boyd (FL-2)
Bobby Bright (AL-2)
Dennis Cardoza (CA-18)
Christopher Carney (PA-10)
Ben Chandler (KY-6)
Jim Cooper (TN-5)
Jim Costa (CA-20)
Lincoln Davis (TN-4) Joe Donnelly (IN-2)
Brad Ellsworth (IN-8)
Bill Foster (IL-14)
Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8)
Bart Gordon (TN-6)
Parker Griffith (AL-5)
Jane Harman (CA-36)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL)
Baron Hill (IN-9)
Tim Holden (PA-17)
Frank Kratovil (MD-1)
Jim Marshall (GA-8)
Jim Matheson (UT-2)
Mike McIntyre (NC-7)
Charlie Melancon (LA-3) Mike Michaud (ME-2)
Walt Minnick (ID-1) Dennis Moore (KS-3)
Patrick Murphy (PA-8)
Collin Peterson (MN-7)
Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL)
Mike Ross (AR-4)
John Salazar (CO-3)
Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)
Adam Schiff (CA-29)
David Scott (GA-13)
Heath Shuler (NC-11)
Zack Space (OH-18)
John Tanner (TN-8)
Gene Taylor (MS-4)
Mike Thompson (CA-1)
Charlie Wilson (OH-6)

Senate
Mark Begich (Alaska)
Robert Byrd (W. Va.)
Thomas Carper (Del.)
Kent Conrad (N. D.) Byron Dorgan (N.D.)
Blanche Lincoln (Ark.)
Joe Lieberman (Conn.) Mark Pryor (Ark.)
Claire McCaskill (Mo.)
Mark Warner (Va.)

[OHdem10]

1. Borosage NAILS IT PERFECTLY.

Do not ever forget, Conservatives really believe in a society
ruled by elites. Therefore, they will look out for elites and
Business interests first. They use this fiscal responsiblity
as a cover, as they maintain the status quo.

[pleah]

2. K&R Bookmarked.

[marmar]

3. Very happy to see that there are no Michigan Dems in that doghouse.....

:patriot:

[BlueDogMizzou]

4. I know I'm wasting my breath but...

Just a couple of points but if you drive the blue dogs, such as my self out of the party, where do you think we are going to go?

1. If you swing all of the blue dog votes to the other side, guess who has the majority in both houses?

2. The deficit under Bush went up and up and up, yet the economy headed down. Why do you think giving money to banks, etc. is going to fix the economy. Wouldn't we be better served to build or expand factories that produce wind turbines, solar panels, hybrid or electric fueled vehicles? Sure a very small part of the stimuls might make it to these programs, but less than 1% of the money.

3. In any case, what is wrong with spending only what you take in with taxes? Over time, should we ever again do what Clinton did and have a surplus, we could pay down the debt and actually have additonal funds left over to provide better services across the country.

[burythehatchet]

5. Canine whores aren't just bitches.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. Back to the GOP where you belong.

Let's be blunt, Blue Dogs are nothing but old school, Rockefeller conservatives.

[BlueDogMizzou]

9. So this is only the party of

inclusion, but only if we agree with everything YOU believe in. Some how this sounds a LOT like the Repukes we just got rid of. Do you even know what a BDD believes in? Probably not.

YOU WILL COMPLY...

sure whatever.

[babylonsister]

12. Educate us. Do you? nt

[AndrewP]

20. Exactly. The GOP awaits.

[tkmorris]

13. Re: point number 2

Delivering pallets of cash to Iraqi militant groups is not exactly Keynesian style deficit spending. Spending during an economic downturn tends to minimize it's effects, but a lot depends on what you spend it on.

[kctim]

17. Yep, wasting your breath brother!

[beac]

21. In re: your point #2, you do realize that Bayh's new group will make that

VERY hard to achieve, right?

[Horse with no Name]

30. What difference does it make where you go?

Seriously?
If they seek each other out and make another party within a party--why not just leave the party and make your own? One that represents YOUR values--not try to change ingrained party platforms?
There is a word for organisms that feed off of the host in order to survive--parasites. THAT is what Blue Dogs are. As far as I am concerned, they can go to hell if their only purpose is to torpedo the entire party.

[inthebrain]

7. The Blue Dog phenomena is not indicitive of a small group of Dems

There's a lot of vote bargaining that goes on when they decide to kill a bill or support it. A lot of it based on the Demographics of voters in each senators district.

To say that Bayh's "coalition" only reps a small portion of the party is a bit of a fantasy. There is no left in American government. This is vote bargaining.

[beac]

24. IMO, this is 2016 Presidential-run postioning.

Otherwise, why the need to form a 'group' and trumpet it from the rooftops?

[inthebrain]

27. Because conservative policies serve the wealthy.

The DLC or what ever they calll it around here has no interest in shaking some change from the tree of capitalism.

Guys like Bayh like to serve "those who brung him" primaril the Wall Stree elites. Who 99.9% of this party is in bed with despite their denials.

[butterfly77]

8. Bayh says...

that we have too strong of a majority...

what in the hell is that suppose to mean? Isn't that the purpose to gain a majority so that we can get things done. So is this new gang of 14 suppose to be setting the agenda?

Are there any Asians,hispanic,native americans or blacks in this group.

[babylonsister]

11. Good point, and no. Time to think about what they're up to? nt

[Raineyb]

15. Tells me all I need to know

If any of these bastards obstruct it's time to start looking for primary opponents. I'm tired of this shit.

Regards

[peacebird]

10. I called Warner's office yesterday and today

I guess in light of this I will have to call tomorrow too.

[Jack_DeLeon]

14. Blue Dogs for the win.

I like guns and smaller responsible government.

I also value my 1st and 4th amendment rights along with all the others.

[beac]

19. Do you also like The Great Depression?

Now is NOT the time to talk about shrinking the government.




P.S. No one is trying to take your guns. Please stop whining about that.

[AndrewP]

22. I don't think those who love corporate interests really care much about "common people"

They prefer to wage wars of ideology and talk about holding their guns close.

The love of an Americana that never really existed outside of the movies.

[beac]

23. Funny how it's the 'liberal media' that is in large part responsible for making them believe that

a return to their faux 'real American' values is the only thing that can save America. I've heard that romantic comedies and cinematic perfect sex have had a similarly deleterious effect on what people expect in their real relationships. Crazy.

[AndrewP]

35. Exactly.

As you stated, now is not the time to shrink Government.

The MSM is just a tool of Corporate America, which of course will wail with indignation at the concept of not being allowed to screw people over anymore.

These Blue Dog types are just complicit in helping Republicans save the Corporate agenda.

[Jack_DeLeon]

25. I wasnt whining about that...

it seems that most of the members of this session of Congress understands that restricting gun rights would negatively effect their employment.

I'm not so much for shrinking government jobs right now, but I definitely think we need to stop wasting money. The bailouts have just been a huge waste of money and our children will pay for them. Paying for something they had no choice about being taxed before they ever had any representation, that seems almost like a form of slavery to me.

[beac]

28. I assume you are similarly outraged about the BILLIONS in debt that Bush foisted on your children?

The Iraq 'war' is one of the most colossal wastes of money in all of human history.

[Jack_DeLeon]

32. Yes the Iraqi war was a waste

and more waste on top of that isnt going to fix things.

[benEzra]

29. Nobody's trying to ban "assault weapons"?

Aka, the most popular non-automatic civilian centerfire rifles in the USA, which more Americans own than hunt?

It was only a week or two ago that Attorney General Eric-Stuck-In-The-1990's-Holder called for a ban, before Pelosi, Reid, and a whole bunch of Congressional Dems put the kibosh on it.

[beac]

31. Your poutrage is duly noted.

I suggest we not hijack this thread over gun control.

[Raineyb]

33. If I could care less I would

I've got more important things to worry about than the gun nuts crying because they can't use an AK-47.

You really need that kind of firepower to friggin' hunt?

Regards

[benEzra]

34. Those are the type of misconceptions that make this issue such a loser.

I've got more important things to worry about than the gun nuts crying because they can't use an AK-47.

You really need that kind of firepower to friggin' hunt?

Those are the type of misconceptions that make this issue such a loser.

Actual AK-47's are as tightly controlled as howitzers, grenades, rocket launchers, and tanks in the USA, and possession outside of police/military duty without Federal authorization is a 10-year Federal felony.

The "assault weapon" fraud isn't about military automatic weapons; it is about the most popular NON-automatic civilian centerfire rifles in the United States, and more Americans own them than hunt. (Most U.S. gun owners are nonhunters.)

BTW, do you consider a 5-shot .30-30 Winchester "too much firepower" to hunt with? If so, why?

[FLAprogressive]

26. Well if you value the 4th Amendment...blue dogs aren't for you

They're the ones who FORCED telecom immunity into the last FISA bill.

[beac]

18. Me too. I am SICKENED by Warner and I am making sure he knows it. n/t

[JitterbugPerfume]

16. I am ashamed that I ever voted for Evan Bayh

I should have abstained , He is atrocious.