BLUE DOGS AND OTHER REACTIONARY DEMOCRATS ALREADY UNDERMINING OBAMA?

[To actually read the chart, click on it to enlarge.]

If you're a regular DWT, reader you certainly are no stranger to the serial treachery of the Blue Dogs and Rahm Emanuel coalition in the House. These putative Democrats, who frequently vote with the GOP to frustrate progressive policies, tend to represent corporate special interests-- from whom they get huge legalized bribes, called campaign donations-- instead of the interests of workers and consumers. In this way they are very much like the Republicans they so frequently make common cause with.

The chart above doesn't show the 10 least loyal Democrats, only 9. The reason for that is that the very worst Democrat, Louisiana freshman Don Cazayoux, has voted so overwhelmingly with Republicans that he's down in the GOP segment of the scorecard, far from even Dixiecrats like Jim Marshall (GA), John Barrow (GA) and Nick Lampson (TX), who regularly rubber stamp Bush on his Iraq agenda, on health care, on energy policy, on civil liberties and on issues from warrantless wiretaps to the dismantling of the rule of law.

Several of these semi-Democrats, particularly Rahm Emanuel puppet Heath Shuler (NC), went so far as to loudly suggest opposing the election of Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker. Many have joined Republicans in procedural maneuvers to help move forward the Republican partisan political agenda of embarrassing their Democratic colleagues on hot button issues. In other words, these guys, and other Blue Dogs, are not team players-- unless you're talking about the Bush-Cheney team.

And today's Hill includes a report on how most of the Blue Dogs have already started undermining Barack Obama. Reactionary Democrats like Charlie Melancon (LA), Charlie Wilson (OH) and Nancy Boyda (KS), have made it clear that they're not on the Obama team. Ironically, one of the worst and slimiest of the Blue Dog Dixiecrats, John Barrow, who is often the Democrat most likely to slavishly follow the Bush agenda, is trying to pass himself off as an Obama booster. Why would Barrow do that after spending years voting for the GOP agenda? Simple. He is being challenged in a Democratic primary July 15 by an admired progressive African American state senator, Regina Thomas-- and in a district where the majority of primary voters are African Americans, many of whom wonder why their congressman has been supporting a corporate agenda instead of their own.

On a day when Hillary has signaled-- clearly-- that she's finally ready to give up her race for the presidency and get behind Obama, some of her most right-wing supporters are still dragging their feet.

For their part, Clinton supporters said they would be open to talking with Obama about his coming general election campaign, but many said they were either not ready to switch sides or were uncertain whether the Obama campaign would be inclined to offer them roles.

For example, Ellen O. Tauscher of California, chairwoman of the New Democrat Coalition, said she doubted she would be asked to put her Silicon Valley contacts to use for the top of the ticket. “That role will probably fall to either Zoe Lofgren or Anna Eshoo,” Tauscher said, referring to two longtime Obama supporters from California. “We’ll see what happens.”

UPDATE: THE WAY DEMOCRATICS RUNNING FOR CONGRESS SHOULD RESPOND TO OBAMA'S WIN

This morning Vic Wulsin who is running in a heavily Republican suburban, exurban, and rural southern Ohio district-- where recent polls show her pulling ahead of clueless Bush dead-ender Mean Jean Schmidt-- sent out a statement on her support of Obama that is quite different from what we're hearing from the nefarious Blue Dogs. Vic:

"Our nation and our party are blessed to have leaders like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Democratic primary has energized and inspired millions of Americans and made our party stronger. Now that Senator Obama has enough delegates to secure the nomination, I pledge to support him in any way I can.

“I have always said that Ohio’s families will be my first priority in Congress. When it comes to the issues that matter most to Ohio’s families, it is clear that we cannot afford to spend four more years in a George Bush economy. That is the message I plan to deliver to voters in Portsmouth, Piketon, Waverly, West Union and all over Ohio’s second congressional district."