What To Do About The Enemy Within-- Conservatives Wrecking Progressive Initiatives In Congress
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I hope you watched the video of Maxine Waters talking about the health care battle that we ran last night. In it she answered a question from MSNBC anchor Carlos Watson about primarying Blue Dogs and conservative Democrats. Her response was that "you can't make empty threats... But many of these Blue Dogs," she continued, "represent districts that have strong pockets of poverty and minorities and they're not representing them with this approach that they're taking. I don't know whether or not there will be people running against them. Certainly we're [the House Progressive Caucus] not organized to run anybody against anybody. That's not normally what's done. But 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." This morning The Hill reported that she warned Blue Dogs to beware 2010.
I doubt many of them are frightened (although the Blue Dogs bolded in the chart below could be made to be frightened). Of the 51 Blue Dogs, only 19 represent districts that Obama won in 2008. Most of those 19 are not among the really outright reactionary neo-Confederates and Republican-oriented, anti-family Blue Dogs making all the trouble, your Mike Rosses, Baron Hills and Heath Shulers. Most but not all. Below is a list of all the Blue Dogs, starting with their 4 right-wing leaders, that shows which presidential candidate won each of their districts in 2008:
• Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD)- McCain 53%
• Rep. Baron Hill (IN)- McCain 50%
• Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA)- McCain 61%
• Rep. Heath Shuler (NC)- McCain 52%
• Rep. Jason Altmire (PA)- McCain 55%
• Rep. Mike Arcuri (NY)- Obama 51%
• Rep. Joe Baca (CA)- Obama 68%
• Rep. John Barrow (GA)- Obama 54%
• Rep. Marion Berry (AR)- McCain 59%
• Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA)- Obama 54%
• Rep. Dan Boren (OK)- McCain 66%
• Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA)- Obama 54%
• Rep. Allen Boyd (FL)- McCain 54%
• Rep. Bobby Bright (AL)- McCain 63%
• Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA)- Obama 59%
• Rep. Chris Carney (PA)- McCain 54%
• Rep. Ben Chandler (KY)- McCain 55%
• Rep. Travis Childers (MS)- McCain 62%
• Rep. Jim Cooper (TN)- Obama 56%
• Rep. Jim Costa (CA)- Obama 60%
• Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX)- Obama 56%
• Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN)- McCain 64%
• Rep. Joe Donnelly (IN)- Obama 54%
• Rep. Brad Ellsworth (IN)- McCain 51%
• Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)- McCain 52%
• Rep. Bart Gordon (TN)- McCain 62%
• Rep. Parker Griffith (AL)- McCain 61%
• Rep. Jane Harman (CA)- Obama 64%
• Rep. Tim Holden (PA)- McCain 51%
• Rep. Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD)- McCain 58%
• Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC)- McCain 52%
• Rep. Jim Marshall (GA)- McCain 56%
• Rep. Jim Matheson (UT)- McCain 57%
• Rep. Mike Michaud (ME)- Obama 55%
• Rep. Walt Minnick (ID)- McCain 62%
• Rep. Harry Mitchell (AZ)- McCain 52%
• Rep. Dennis Moore (KS)- Obama 51%
• Rep. Patrick Murphy (PA)- Obama 54%
• Rep. Glenn Nye (VA)- Obama 51%
• Rep. Collin Peterson (MN)- McCain 50%
• Rep. Earl Pomeroy (ND)- McCain 53%
• Rep. Mike Ross (AR)- McCain 58%
• Rep. John Salazar (CO)- McCain 50%
• Rep. Loretta Sanchez (CA)- Obama 60%
• Rep. Adam Schiff (CA)- Obama 68%
• Rep. David Scott (GA)- Obama 71%
• Rep. Zack Space (OH)- McCain 52%
• Rep. John Tanner (TN)- McCain 56%
• Rep. Gene Taylor (MS)- McCain 68%
• Rep. Mike Thompson (CA)- Obama 66%
• Rep. Charles Wilson (OH)- McCain 50%
Last year, two of the really bad Blue Dogs, Nick Lampson (TX) and Don Cazayoux (LA), were defeated but they were defeated by very far right Republicans. Lampson had disillusioned enough local progressives so that they just didn't vote for him-- he got a mere 45% of the vote, a crushing defeat for an incumbent-- and one who had basically spent two years voting like a Republican. Cazayoux was similar story. He had been elected in a special election by promising to be a representative for working families, including inner city working families in Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge inner city precincts put him over the top and no one could possibly say otherwise. But as soon as he got to Congress, he started ignoring his own constituents, cultivating Big Business lobbyists and his district's Republicans (i.e.- the Blue Dog model). It was his (well-deserved) misfortune that a Democratic Baton Rouge state senator, Michael Jackson, jumped into the race as a third party, candidate and sealed Cazayoux's fate.
Now, let's look at 2010 and what The Hill claims to be Maxine's threats. Most of the worst Blue Dogs-- the most consistent aisle crossers-- are in hopelessly red districts with huge Republican majorities. Most of the ones making the most trouble over health care reform are in backward, reactionary districts where Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson are the primary sources of conventional wisdom. These are the voters who believe Obama was born in Mecca or Kenya or Mexico and that the health care bill would mean euthanasia for granny. The most that could be hoped for by pouring resources into races against Gene Taylor, Dan Boren, Chris Carney, Bobby Bright, Jim Marshall and Travis Childers-- the worst of the worst-- would be replacing them with even worse Republicans (which is what happened in Louisiana and Texas), not such terrible outcomes, since at least their excisions would prevent a further deterioration of the damaged and confusing Democratic brand and a further drift inside the Democratic Party away from representing the interests of working families and progressive values. But it is hardly a goal many Democrats-- other than some Blue America donors-- will embrace. (I fully embrace the idea myself, in case you're new to the site.)
On the other hand, many of the housebroken Blue Dogs are from heavily Democratic districts and have modified their reactionary orientations to better reflect their constituents demands. When the Blue Dog leaders brag that they have 51 votes to cross the aisle and kill the public option, they're not telling the truth. Mike Michaud, Patrick Murphy, Adam Schiff, Sanford Bishop, Mike Thompson-- to name a few-- are not going to vote with the Republicans against the public option.
That leaves us with a few vulnerable Blue Dogs who are bad players and who can be taken out in primaries: John Barrow (who, ironically, Obama saved from political oblivion last year), Insurance Industry shill/anti-reform fanatic Jim Cooper (whose Nashville district sounds exactly like what Maxine was talking about), Henry Cuellar, Leonard Boswell, Joe Donnelly (the worst cross-over artist among Democrats in the House), and Jane Harman, who has a very serious challenge from local progressive heroine Marcy Winograd.
Let's keep in mind that last month, a NY Times/CBS poll reported that the GOP’s favorability ratings have sunk to an astounding record-breaking low-- 28%, down from a high of 59% in November 1994. Republican Party voter registration numbers are in the toilet. If voters view GOP obstructionism as adding to the country's problems-- the way they did after Roosevelt was elected to fix the economy that runaway Republican policies under Harding, Coolidge and Hoover had wrecked-- there is no reason why we won't see double digit GOP losses in the House and at least 5 or 6 Senate seat changes from red to blue. However, more bad Democrats is not going to solve anyone's problems.
It wouldn't bother me one bit if state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (KKK-MS) takes out one of the most reactionary of the Blue Dogs, Travis Childers but it's incumbent on progressive activists to get involved now-- the way Blue Dogs do-- to recruit and support progressive Democrats. One of the best examples is in the Florida district that Adam Putnam is abandoning where Blue Dogs are strongly supporting-- with cash-- an anti-health care conservative, Lori Edwards, while progressives are rallying around progressive navy vet Doug Tudor. If you'd like to donate to Doug's campaign, you can do it here through Act Blue.
It's important to get in early on races like Doug's because if we don't, we'll be presented with a fait accompli by either the Blue Dogs or the DCCC (or, as is often the case, the two groups working in concert). And speaking of Doug, there's another Doug I want to call your attention to, Doug Pike, the progressive candidate running for the open seat in the Philly 'burbs being abandoned by Jim Gerlach. His potential opponent is a sleazy reactionary state senator, Andy Dinniman, who brags that his values dictate that he vote with the Republicans more than with the Democrats (60/40 by his own estimate). Just what we need-- and, of course, a perfect Blue Dog candidate. I suspect Dinniman's values wouldn't allow him to send out an e-mail like the one I got today from Doug Pike:
Right now, in compliance with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law (DADT), the United States military is firing good soldiers-- simply for being gay, lesbian or bisexual. This policy is wrong, and it makes our nation less safe.
I reject the argument that the U.S. military can't function effectively with gay men and women serving openly. Many of our allies allow gay men and women to serve openly in their militaries, and no
one would ever accuse these militaries-- the Israel Defense Forces or the British Army-- of lacking toughness or suffering from morale problems.
I also don’t accept the argument that the men and women in the U.S. armed forces lack the professionalism to work alongside servicemembers who are gay. We have the greatest military in the world, and they are ready to do their jobs without this outdated policy causing them to lose capable comrades-in-arms for no good reason. We’re fighting two wars, and we need all hands on deck.
What’s more, over 100 retired generals and admirals agree. They recently signed a letter urging Congress to repeal DADT.
I endorse the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283), which would replace DADT with a policy of non-discrimination, allowing gay individuals to serve openly in the U.S. Armed Forces.
...It is past time to repeal this policy. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll showed that 75% of all Americans-- and 59% of Republicans-- believe gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the military.
Moreover, the DADT law is a huge waste of our nation's time and resources at a moment when we are facing a financial crisis. According to a 2005 GAO study, American taxpayers paid at least $250 million and possibly much more to replace servicemembers under DADT.
That sense of fairness and resolve is what we should expect to hear from Democratic candidates, not mealy mouthed conservatism seeking to preserve the status quo. Real leaders-- like Doug Tudor and Doug Pike-- lead. Only 15 Democrats opposed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill-- and every single one of them was a Blue Dog cur. They're not Democrats; they're conservatives, using the Democratic Party for their own career advancement.
Labels: Blue Dogs, Doug Pike, Maxine Waters, reactionary Democrats
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 2:00 PM
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9 Comments:
Howie, you bring up a point I dared to mention on another blog, Howie, where the resident Do-Or-Die-Democrats heckled me down: that it's sometimes better to boycott a Blue Dog in the hopes of a Repub opponent getting elected. That's because:
1) You can then try to influence the next Democratic choice for the office, and
2) You can make it clear that many voters aren't as interested in party lines as they are in issues, intelligence, imagination, aggressiveness in office, and the right attitude towards their constituency.
Those Blue Dog traitors who were elected to take moderate-to-progressive positions are cases in point. If they can't be stopped before running again, they should be treated as the pariahs they are. And while we're at it, we really do need to see some kind of recall for high state and federal offices in all 50 states. I think Sanford would take things a lot more seriously if he felt those who elected him could petition him out of office. And oh, how I would love to see this happen to Lieberman.
You have a 50+ seat historic majority built on the backs of winning Conservative districts. Like Heath Shuler taking down a Republican seat. Like Bobby Bright switching a Republican seat.
The left is so clueless. You'd cut your nose off to spite your face. Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the historic majority that was built by Rahm Emanuel recruiting conservative dems knocking off out of touch Republicans.
Its real easy for Maxine Waters to spout off when she faces no serious reelection threat.
It's amazing how clueless the left is. News Flash folks: Liberals don't win in rural Alabama! In order for them to have a chance to win reelection that have to look anti-pelosi - anti-washington. All signature issues in health care. The bill will get passed just simmer down.
As our rights are infringed upon by our own government, Americans and those here legally will never benefit from a decent health care plan, owing to the abomination called ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. By an Act in United States Congress passed in 1986, Hospital and ambulance services must provide care to anyone needing emergency treatment in spite of citizenship, legal status or capacity to pay. The predicament being that 20 million plus illegal immigrant families are using this law, for even minor ailments such as the common cold. Why should foreign nationals sign up for health care or anything, when they can get Taxpayers to pay for it all..?
But this is not just an American dilemma, as it has been forcibly imposed on subjects of the European Union. This is causing a major derailment in the EU, because both legal and illegal entrants are stealing away the single payer medical care providers, to the citizens who have paid into the system from the time they first started work.
A decent controlled governmental health care benefit, can—NEVER--be established, when a startling report disclosed the details of a cloaked meeting between nationwide businesses and open-borders groups working under the radical cover of the IMMIGRATIONWORKSUSA a lobbying group. The secret Capitol Hill National Summit" took place last month and revealed the sinister intention behind the lobbying entities efforts.
Tamar Jacoby, who runs ImmigrationWorksUSA, kicked off the conference by stating the true aspiration of the coalition. The basic target is to promote THE FREE FLOW OF LABOR INTO THE USA, with—AS ALWAYS-- the taxpayer being the beneficiary for corporate welfare. They want expedited cheap labor, where no American worker—NEED APPLY!
WE MUST ACT NOW, OR IT WILL BE TOO LATE! These special interest lobbyists are well furnished with money from corporate America. We must empower mandated E-Verify as part of the Save Act, where everybody is screened in the workplace. Call your lawmaker TODAY! at 202-224-3121 I Want a health care system--even government run. BUT IT"S SURE TO FAIL, IF TAXES ARE BEING EXTORTED TO PAY FOR FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?
Millions of phone calls from angry Americans are jamming the Washington Switchboards. It is making these pandering politicians to corporate welfare, very anxious. Support for the bi-partisan E-VERIFY PART OF THE SAVE Act, which will expand E-Verify and protect American Workers! We must focus on the monolithic problem in terminating illegal immigrants-and the jobs that attract illegal aliens. WE WILL ALWAYS BE PAYING FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS, UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING NOW? Many GOP members are against a Path to citizenship for lawbreakers, so we mostly need the phones ringing in the ears of Democrats, who see the millions of illegal aliens as a positive voting block. WE MUST STOP IT NOW OF SUFFER FROM IRREVERSIBLE POPULATION GROWTH.
DEMAND NO AMNESTY! NO FAMILY UNIFICATION KNOWN AS CHAIN MIGRATION! BUILD THE ORIGINAL FENCE! NO MORE HEALTH CARE OR ANY OTHER KIND OF BENEFITS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. CLOSE THE BORDER AND STATION THE NATIONAL GUARD. $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS, JUST IN RETIREMENT BENEFITS? Learn uncorrupted facts at NUMBERSUSA.
Brittanicus, I was reading what you wrote and then it got very loud and hysterical WITH ALL CAPS EVERYWHERE AND PANTING AND SWEATING AND SCREECHING...and then?
Here, your tinfoil hat fell off.
While we're building The Great Wall, let's also aim Star Wars missile defense technology at outer space, to protect us Murcans against evil Martian aliens out to steal our women. Because Martians will probably also try to use our ambulances and emergency rooms too.
PS Chain migration/family reunification is perfectly legal, you racist a-hole. Or are you Native American?
One day a poor pregnant woman came to A conservative republican.
“Oh, wise one” cried the woman. “My husband was killed in an auto accident. I am an illegal alien. I cannot support this child in my belly. I want to have an abortion. ”
The Conservative gazed upon the poor woman and replied “No. Woman. God loves every child..even the unborn. All human beings are created equal and are endowed at creation with certain fundamental rights among which is the right to life. Go and have your baby and forget about an abortion”
So the woman had her baby.
The baby was born gravely sick.
It needed a doctor and expensive medical care.
So the woman returned to the Conservative Republican
“Oh wise one. My baby is sick. But I am an illegal alien. My child needs expensive medical care. Can you help me.”
The Conservative lectured the woman sternly:
“You chose to come her illegally. If your child is sick and you cannot afford a doctor you have no one to blame but yourself. Your baby is not our responsibility. We want nothing to do with it. We only care for our own. Take that wretched child back to where ever you came from”
The newborn child died after much suffering
Some excellent points here - primarily that the final solution here may not be perfect, but that if it includes a government-option for working people, even if that option is so-called "cooperative", it can and will be expanded over time once all these maniacs notice that it's not really killing old people and is run better and cheaper than private insurers, just like the V.A. and Medicare. We'll get what we want in the end if we open the door this much, and the entire country will benefit from lower priced healthcare across the board due to govt. competition. Secondly, after this battle, the crucial next step is clearly to restore the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE and to attack lobbyists, ethics, and campaign finance. It should be clear to everyone that the real problem here is not the politicians, it's the lack of a truly free press that gets the truth out to the American public, and the outrageous abuse of the media to undermine good public policy. The hysteria is so outlandish that Balakirev suggests that we are better off electing Republicans than conservative Democrats! You are completely and tragically misguided if that is what you believe. Incumbents are extremely hard to displace, and these conservative Democrats are far, far better than any Republican, not to mention the prospect of Republican control of either House, which is critical in determining which legislation even gets a chance to be voted on. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater just because we don't get exactly what we want right away. Fiscally conservative Democrats like Congressman Altmire are philosophically in favor of middle class policies like healthcare, but they must balance their beliefs against fiscal and political realities. For example, we have a Bush-Cheney type Republican named Jane Orie who is just dying to run against Congressman Altmire, a woman who will say and do anything to help big corporations and take from the poor to feed the rich. And like the Tom DeLay's and Mitch McConnell's of the world, she will attack the middle class with a vengeance while talking non-stop about how the Democrats will take your guns, kill babies, and let homosexuals have their own house of Congress. Jane Orie will protect corporations' right to send every high-paying, non-executive job to China and India while claiming that the whole problem is that these are jobs "American's won't do". Jane Orie is a woman who has repeatedly given herself credit for trying to reduce the cost of government while not once getting a meaningful cost-cutting measure to the floor of the State House, despite her position in leadership while her party has a majority. Believe me, if you think electing Republicans like Jane Orie (and they are ALL like Jane Orie), is better than a fiscally, conservative Democrat, America is in big trouble. Please, be patient, stay the course, and stay rational - if we get some significant change to healthcare now, the economy will rebound in the Fall and Spring, jobs will improve, and Democrats can hopefully focus on passing a lot of less divisive, political winning legislation that gets us past the 2010 elections with a majority, and then expand this healthcare bill into something closer to what we really need.
I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to the Blue Dogs, I started to do a bigger search to see if I could find more information. This site popped up, and I think it is pretty interesting to see that you listed all those names. But again, to be honest, I don’t really know what BEING a Blue Dog is... But the news site I always go to has an interesting video that talks about Blue Dogs and what each media outlet is saying in response to new developments. You should check this video out.
http://www.newsy.com/videos/a_bad_case_of_the_blue_dogs
Mike, you are sooo funny.
Mike McNally said...
... the entire country will benefit from lower priced healthcare across the board due to govt. competition.
And just who will the govt. compete with?
Secondly, after this battle, the crucial next step is clearly to restore the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE and to attack lobbyists, ethics, and campaign finance. It should be clear to everyone that the real problem here is not the politicians, it's the lack of a truly free press that gets the truth out to the American public, and the outrageous abuse of the media to undermine good public policy.
Like a good socialist, you don't want free speech, just your speech and your public policy.
Jan,
No offense, but...
The government option should be the no-frills, basic option for insurance. And just like the U.S. Postal Service competes with more high-end outfits like FedEx and UPS, you get what you pay for. Healthcare reform is about making U.S. companies more competitive with every other nation that gives its companies an unfair advantage by giving them free healthcare, and also getting all working people to pay their fair share of the costs and making sure they're covered when they get sick and don't leave the rest of us to foot the bill when they get really ill.
As for the Fairness Doctrine, we agree to disagree. In today's mass media world, you only get as much speech as you can pay for - it's anything but free. Which is fine, except that the truth needs it's fair chance to get out too, whether it be conservative or liberal, and believe me, I have many conservative principles.
Finally, easy with the name-calling. Find a Republican politician who openly opposes Medicare and Social Security, two extremely socialist programs, before you go calling people socialists for advocating equal time on mass media.
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