Maxine Waters warns Blue Dogs to beware 2010: “The chickens are coming home to roost.”

[seafan]

Waters warns Blue Dogs to beware 2010

By Mike Soraghan and Jared Allen
Posted: 07/28/09 08:09 PM ET

Liberal frustration started to boil over in the House on Tuesday as negotiations over healthcare reform with centrist Blue Dog Democrats dragged into a second week.
The delay prompted Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) to lash out at the Blue Dogs as hypocritical and even hint that more liberal Democrats might challenge them in primaries.

“On the one hand they don’t want to spend money, but on the other hand they want to spend money when it benefits them or their district,” Waters said on MSNBC, referring to Blue Dogs’ demand to increase Medicare reimbursements for rural physicians.
Seven Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have effectively blocked the panel from working on the bill for more than a week, saying it’s too expensive and puts too much of a burden on small employers.

Asked if she would recruit more liberal candidates to run against Blue Dogs, Waters said, “That’s normally not done.”
But she added: “There may be people out there listening and observing all of this who may get motivated based on what they’re seeing and throw their hat into the ring.”

She also criticized White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for recruiting many of the House’s more conservative members when he headed the House Democrats’ campaign arm. Now, she said, “The chickens are coming home to roost.”

.....

Her remarks were an escalation from more veiled remarks from liberals last week, such as Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee’s (D-Calif.) saying, “We don’t think any one group in our caucus ought to be able to derail this.”

The comments ended a truce of sorts that has existed since Democrats took power in 2007 aiming to end the Iraq war by cutting off funding. Waters was a founding member, along with Lee, of the Out-of-Iraq caucus, which was frustrated by the unwillingness of centrist Democrats, particularly Blue Dogs, to support cutting off funds.

.....

The Blue Dogs are the same people who had absolutely NO PROBLEM voting for Bush's illegal war against Iraq and Bush's massive tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans.


They are the worst kind of hypocrites. Jesus would not be pleased.

[wroberts189]

1. +7 ..Rep. Maxine Waters ..keep rocking that boat ! nt

[goclark]

7. Finally! The old Maxine speaks!

Hate to say it but for at least two years, she has been pretty quiet.

[mmonk]

2. Tell em Maxine.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Word

Thanks Maxine.

[GReedDiamond]

4. This "centrist Blue Dog" bullshit needs to stop...

...they are Repugs charading as Democrats.

THEY ARE RIGHT WING CORPORATISTS, NOT "CENTRISTS"!

[glinda]

10. Agreed.

[ControlledDemolition]

38. They are CORPORATE FASCISTS! n/t

[deaniac21]

5. Assholes, they just want to be re-elected.

[Horse with no Name]

6. Can we all get together and say "Thank you Rahm"

:puke:

[rhett o rick]

45. Why blaim Rahm? Isn't he doing exactly what he was hired to do? nm

[fascisthunter]

8. GOOD!

[Umbral]

9. So where are all the Rhambo fans?

You know the ones, those pragmatic folks who valiantly defend his brilliant strategy of filling House seats with crypto-republicans.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. yes they are!

awesome and recommended.

[bertman]

12. I wish Rep. Waters was right about "the chickens" but given that the DLC "rules the roost"

and our Democratic Congress continues to ignore the no-paper-trail voting machines, I suspect we'll have plenty of Blue Dawgs around for years to come.

I wish more of our Democrats had the courage and brass to speak out like Rep. Waters.

Recommend.

[John Q. Citizen]

13. I suspect that when Dems and left leaning independants stay home in 2010 that a lot of

these Blue Dogs will be left without seats.

The people are so far ahead of the leaders on Health Care that it's amazing the leaders don't get it.

[freebrew]

14. Oh, they're getting it alright.

A $million here, a $million there all from the health-care industry and probably their repug friends.

[TheBigotBasher]

39. And then the DLC argues it was because

they were not Republican enough

[John Q. Citizen]

43. yep, every chance they get.

[redqueen]

15. I hope she's right...

it's all up to their constituents.

[SemperEadem]

16. A blue dog dem

is a thug who doesn't have the stones to challenge the thug candidate, so they put on the mantle of dem, talk the talk but refuse to walk the walk.

They need to go.

[glinda]

17. Blue Dogs are left-leaning Republicans that could not win their Party support.

So they ran as Dems. They do not belong in the Democratic Party in my opinion. They will cause Obama and other Dems to not get elected or re-elected. They hold too much power because in reality they pad the Republicans in their mission. I wish to hell they would be voted out. They are a blight upon our Party. I hate hate hate hate them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rhett o rick]

25. Yes but the Democratic Party will support their reelection 1000%.

Try to find a Democratic opponent.

[704wipes]

40. yep, walk in any Dem party office, any level and talk about

running or running someone else in a primary against a dem incumbent.... VERY>COLD>SHOULDER for you.
Probably works the same way in the GOP too.

[rhett o rick]

41. Stop funding candidate via the Democratic Party until they stop supporting blue dogs.

Fund your legitimate candidate via moveon or PDA.

[dflprincess]

34. People with the views of Blue Dogs and DLCers

used to be considered moderate Republicans. The GOP has gone so wing-nut crazy it only makes these jerks look "left leaning".

[glinda]

36. Exactly. They used to be considered middle of the road Republicans. You cannot tell me that

the Country has gone bat shit conservative. No way. It is all propaganda.
The Dems need to get a grip and go full steam ahead otherwise we and this blue ball we spin on are going to die an ugly death if not by Global Warming then poor medical attention or poverty.

[sasquatch]

18. Let the wolves eat my friends, let's get honest to God progressive Dems in the white house

[Saxon]

19. Dixiecrats

Back in the day we called them Dixiecrats.

[Alcibiades]

32. Hardly

Even the most Republican-leaning Blue Dog is still going to be right on civil rights. That's probably the thing that makes them Democrats--they cannot stand those George Wallace people who are in charge of the Republican Party of today.

[bc3000]

20. That headline is completely misleading

The headline takes her "chickens coming home to roost" comment completely out of context. She is referring to her opinion that Rahm Emmanuel recruited the conserva-dems and now we're paying the price. It is not a warning to Blue Dogs in 2010 as the headline makes it seem.

The way it is written, the headline sounds like a challenge, a message of warning to blue dogs opposing the democratic agenda. If you listen to the interview, that is not what she is saying at all. Her tone could actually be summed up more like this: "We're screwed, but blame it on Rahm and the white house. Could their refusal to conform hurt the blue dogs in 2010? Who knows? maybe..."

[Marr]

37. Agreed.

[winyanstaz]

21. Jesus would smack their lips off......

I hope every single one of them gets booted out of office by the people.

[rhett o rick]

24. LOL. How? It is a pipe dream. There is no way it will happen. Fantasy.

The incumbent Blue Dogs will get the Democratic Party support and CorpAmerica support. Tell me how you will get an opponent willing to buck the Democratic Party?

[winyanstaz]

26. Its obvious we then need a new party...cause this old one is broken

[rhett o rick]

28. We need to take control of the existing party. Work at the local level.

But, it is very important to recognize we need to work outside the party via pda or moveon to support opponents to the bastard blue dogs.

[winyanstaz]

30. Well that may be the best way I guess

Just seems we have been working hard to do just this and all it got us was blue dogs and more of the same crap.
While they play politics..people are dying and so is our economy and our nation.

[qwertyMike]

31. They can be 'primaried'

The Repugs used to threaten that to keep members in line.

[rhett o rick]

35. This is the misinformation that I think hurts our cause.

repukes maybe "primary", but it doesn't happen in the Democratic Party. Never has and I doubt it ever will in the near future.

Your threat is hollow. If one was to dare try to "primary" as they did in CT, they will find the Democratic Party fighting them tooth and nail. The big money will support the incumbent and not your challenger. And who would you get to challenge an incumbent. It would be political suicide. You don't control the "party", Rham Emanuel does. And he loves incumbents, even the blue dogs.

You are fucked my friend.

I recommend two things. Get in and work to take over your local Democratic Party organization and groom progressives for possible future battles and support outside organizations like PDA and moveon.org that might be able to fund challenges.

[truedelphi]

22. You Go Maxine. I will never forget how President Obama once said

In 2003, Obama said he supports a single-payer health care system, and that the only reason we "may not get there immediately" is "because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House" - which, of course, we have.

"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care program...I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its Gross National Product on health care cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that's what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. And that's what I'd like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House." - Barack Obama, 2003

Funny how the pull of the Corporate Elite can override one's conscience once someone starts liking their new position of Ultimate Status and Ultimate Power. The people's right to a decent health care system gets overshadowed by the enjoyment of riding in Air Force One, and the thrill of being the Commander in Chief.

Once Corporate America explained to Obama and to most in the Senate and the House, that their next round of campaign contributions were tied into mandatory enforcement of every American to purchase the defective product of Big Insurance, almost of these people went along with it. (The 83 members of the Progressive Caucus are still bravely opposing Big Insurance.) The middle incomed and the poor know what a sham this is, because in the end, they are the one's who will pay the piper.

[rhett o rick]

23. YOU WILL NOT GET ANY SUPPORT FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IF YOU TAKE ON THE BLUE DOGS

You will have to seek help from PDA or moveon. The Democratic Party will support and incumbent Democrat to the death. It incumbent Blue Dog will get all the money from CorpAmerica. You will be on your own to raise money.

So to threaten the Blue Dogs, you have to be willing to go the extra mile.

[tj2001]

27. Give'em Hell - and Kick Their Asses to the Curb

Worthless bastards

[rhett o rick]

29. To say that they need to be replaced is bullshit.

Is that the best you have. I have seen a hundred posts saying how we "NEED" to replace the blue dog.

We need suggestion on how. And save the bull crap about voting them out.

To oust a blue dog will require a lot of public money funneled thru an organization outside the Democratic Party. The "party" will support the blue dogs to the end.

So if you are serious about replacing the blue dog bastards, tell us your idea how. Or send your money to moveon or pda. Stop with the worthless bull crap rhetoric about how we "should" vote them out.

Put up or shut up.

[rhett o rick]

47. Jeeze man, cool off. nm

[Alcibiades]

33. Appeal to self interest: if we lose on this, who will lose their seats?

Look at 1994, after Congressional Democrats failed on health care. We lost seats in the south. If we, as Democrats, cannot show something, some accomplishment, for having the largest majorities in my lifetime, then the voters will send them home. Given a choice between a fake Republican and a real Republican, they will choose the real one every time.

If we lose on this, it will be the blue dogs who lose their seats. Come to think of it, some of them should face primary challenges.

[DailyGrind51]

42. Rahm's recruiting of "blue dogs" is like non-alcoholic beer or decaf coffee.

What's the point, if it doesn't deliver the desired effect?

[WI_DEM]

44. I thought that a deal was worked out? did it come undone?

[rhett o rick]

46. This thread is full of hollow threats of primarying the blue dogs. Go ahead and threaten

if it makes you feel any better. Just please tell me you know better. Tell me you don't think that the Democratic Party would let an incumbent get "primaryed"? Never. And the incumbents will get the CorpAmerica financial support every time.

Statistically, it is impossible to "primary" an incumbent Democrat.

I beg that instead of blubbering about how tough the voters are and how they will "throw the bastards out", start working on a solution.

Here are some ideas, please help me with more.

Never send money to the Democratic Party where Rahm can give it to blue dogs.
Give money directly to your progressive candidate.
Give money to organizations like moveon.org or PDA, that are not under the influence of the Rahm Party.
Work at local levels to build progressive candidates that might fight the blue dogs.

Peace out