Blue dog democrats necessary evil or purge worthy?

[Pryderi]

Poll question: Blue dog democrats necessary evil or purge worthy?

[NuclearDem]

1. Neither--primary the Blue Dogs out and put in some real Progressives nt

[Pryderi]

3. Thank you you for answering. Do you think a progressive running in a republican district can win?

[bluedave]

13. NO

I'd say the Repubs are incapable of ever changing

[donheld]

2. This is a really stupid poll

Where's the choice for fighting for real progressives/Liberals?

[Pryderi]

4. Judging from your answer, I take it that you believe a progressive can win in a republican district?

[donheld]

7. What difference does it make

If the elected acts/talks/votes like a republican corporatist you may as well have a republican.

[cutlassmama]

5. +1

[newfie11]

12. Agreed!! n/t

[TheKentuckian]

6. Other same guys, different letters next to their names.

[mazzarro]

8. Blue Dogs Are Never Going To Help Us Get Beyond Looking Sorry All The Time

The unfortunate outcome of discontinuing the 50-State strategy Howard Dean initiated is that we end up without grassroot efforts in countryside to push true working class focused message. We cannot just jump in to areas termed "repuglican" if we do not have strong messaging backed by strong principles focused on the working and the lower classes. The money is on the repuglican side since the rich and wealthy will always fund their deceptions. Ours will have to be strong messaging not through the mass media but through grassroots - which unfortunately we don't have and are not even attempting to have any. So to suggest that we get some repuglican dressed up as a "blue dog" democrat is propagating the same deception that is presently killing us. With them in the ranks of democrats in congress, there is no discipline of message or votes and we end up looking totally amateurish and ineffectual.

[OKNancy]

9. Every time I read where someone says "primary them" I just wonder

what world you live in.

First, in a conservative area, a progressive/liberal probably wouldn't stand a chance in the primary. If by some chance they did win, they would lose in a landslide. So then you have a Republican. It's bullcrap to say that you might as well have a Republican.

Let's take an example of Dan Boren (creep) in Oklahoma. I can't stand the little bastard, but if anyone thinks that a liberal candidate can win in Oklahoma you are smoking something. I suspect it is the same way in many areas. It is better to have someone who votes 40% for the Democratic agenda than someone who votes 0%. And there is the added advantage of numbers. Numbers of Democrats are important for leadership and committee assignments.

Howard Dean did a great job, but even he knew some districts were lost causes. When he was chair, Oklahoma Democrats got little support.

The best thing to do with the Bluedogs is to pressure them to support our agenda, but other than that, in this particular time they are a necessary evil.

[ixion]

10. nice push poll

:eyes:

[xchrom]

11. unrec -

[KharmaTrain]

14. And Who Do You Run And Win In Purple Districts?

If you purge you must replace. Who? And how do you expect them to win in Conservative districts? Bottom line is if the Democrats are to be the majority in the House again there are not enough "liberal" districts to do it...you have to get seats in purple and red areas. So how do you convince those voters to elect Progressives?

[mmonk]

15. It's them or me that needs to leave.

[stray cat]

16. It is better to have the house, senate and presidency in GOP hands

So pure dems can sit talking to themselves and muttering in the corner to themselves

[TroglodyteScholar]

17. I think the necessity of blue dogs is much easier to understand...

...for people who live/have lived in parts of the country where conservative democrat translates to "liberal" in the view of the populace (rural areas, the southeast, etc).

I have voted for plenty of guys and gals who were waaaaaaaaaay too conservative for my taste. But you can't remove a politician from their demographic context in order to judge them--it's simply unrealistic.