The Creigh Deeds Strategy Embraced By 24 Blue Dogs!
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Creigh Deeds, strategist for 2010 Blue Dog caucus
Yesterday we talked about how disgraceful Democratic coward Larry Kissell had decided to follow the Creigh Deeds strategy of alienating Democratic voters and keeping them from going to the polls. Maybe Kissell misses being a civics teacher. But last night Kissell wasn't the only Democrat to vote against the most important policy agenda put forward by Democrats. In the end, 39 Democrats were on the wrong side of the aisle and the wrong side of History.
Early yesterday, just as the debate was beginning, the PCCC released a poll of Virginia Democrats and Independents who voted for Obama in 2008 but didn't turn out for Creigh Deeds in 2009. Here's what they found:
• A huge majority of these voters thought Deeds "wasn't progressive enough."
• Many of these voters will decide whether to vote in 2010 based on whether or not Democrats pass a public option
• Many said they were less excited to vote for Deeds after he said he would "opt out" Virginia from the public option.
Stephanie Taylor fleshed out some of the specific findings of the poll over at Daily Kos:
Creigh Deeds seen as "not progressive enough" by huge margin. 64% of Democratic Obama voters and 58% of Independent Obama voters said Deeds was "not progressive enough" compared with only 8% of Democrats and 16% of Independent Obama voters who said he was "too far to the left." (Overall, 5 to 1.)
Obama's voters want the public option. 88% of Democratic Obama voters and 80% of Independent Obama voters favor a public health insurance option to compete with private insurance plans. 93% of those polled said health care is "very" or "somewhat" important when they vote.
Creigh Deeds hurt by opposition to public option. When asked, "Before the election for Governor, Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds said he would side with conservatives and push for Virginia to 'opt out' of the public insurance plan. Did this make you more excited or less excited to vote in this year's election, or did it have no impact?" 41% of those polled said it made them less excited, only 6% said it made them more excited (7 to 1).
Without a public option, Obama voters will continue to drop off in 2010. 43% of Democratic and Independent Obama voters said they are less likely to vote at all in the 2010 general election if Congress does not pass a public option as part of health care reform, compared to only 8% who are more likely to vote. If they do vote, by 46% to 6%, they will be less likely to vote for a Democratic candidate if Democrats do not pass a public option.
Last night's big disgrace was the first substantive vote when 64 Democrats joined all the Republicans to support the horrifying Stupak anti-choice amendment. It passed 240-194-1, that "1" reflecting a "present" by wily John Shadegg, who seems to have finally put that poor child down so he could vote. (What were her parents thinking!) Not one "pro-choice Republican" voted against it. What cowards! The 64 Democrats who crossed the aisle:
Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA)
Joe Baca (Blue Dog-CA)
John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
Marion Berry (Blue Dog-AR)
Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA)
John Boccieri (D-OH)
Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)
Dennis Cardoza (Blue Dog-CA)
Chris Carney (Blue Dog-PA)
Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY)
Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN)
Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
Kathy Dahlkemper (Blue Dog-PA)
Artur Davis (D-AL)
Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN)
Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Brad Ellsworth (Blue Dog-IN)
Mike Etheridge (D-NC)
Bart Gordon (Blue Dog-TN)
Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL)
Baron Hill (Blue Dog-IN)
Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA)
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Jim Langevin (D-RI)
Dan Lipinski (D-IL/TN)
Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA)
Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)
Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA)
Mike Michaud (Blue Dog-ME)
Jack Murtha (D-PA)
Richard Neal (D-MA)
Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
David Obey (D-WI)
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX)
Tom Perriello (D-VA)
Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Earl Pomeroy (Blue Dog-ND)
Nick Rahill (D-WV)
Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)
Tim Ryan (D-OH)
John Salazar (Blue Dog-CO)
Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
Ike Skelton (D--MO)
Vic Snyder (D-AR)
Zach Space (Blue Dog-OH)
John Spratt (D-SC)
Bart Stupak (D-MI)
John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)
Harry Teague (D-NM)
Charlie Wilson (Blue Dog-OH)
If you believed the bullshit about the Blue Dogs just being "fiscal conservatives," you saw the truth last night as almost the entire caucus crossed the aisle to vote with the Republicans against women's health. Please consider a contribution to the Blue America Bad Dog page. We'll bring down as many of them as we can next year.
The next vote was Boehner's halfhearted, lame attempt to try to pass his substitute sham. It failed 258-176, with only one Republican, Timothy Johnson (R-IL), voting against the travesty. Not even a single mangy Blue Dog deserted for this one. That was followed by Cantor's last-minute attempt on behalf of unreconstructed conservatives to use a motion to recommit in order to slip in an anti-consumer amendment under the guise of "Tort Reform." It failed 187-247. Three Republicans voted with the Democrats (Ron Paul, Tim Johnson and John Duncan), and 12 Blue Dogs (plus one ConservaDem, Scott Murphy) voted with the Republicans: Dan Boren, Bobby Bright, Dennis Cardoza, Travis Childers, Jim Costa, Henry Cuellar, Brad Ellsworth, Bart Gordon, Parker Griffith, Jim Matheson, Walt Minnick, Scott Murphy and Earl Pomeroy.
Then came the bill itself, H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. It passed 220-215, with one Republican, Anh Cao, joining the Democrats and making it a bipartisan bill. 39 shameful Democrats voted with the Republicans against health care:
John Adler (Insurance Industry shill-NJ)
Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA)
Brian Baird (WA)
John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)John Boccieri (OH)
Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)
Allen Boyd (Blue Dog-FL)
Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)
Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY)
Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
Artur Davis (AL)
Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN)
Chet Edwards (TX)
Bart Gordon (Blue Dog-TN)
Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (Blue Dog-SD)
Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA)
Larry Kissell (NC)
Suzanne Kosmas (Insurance Industry shill-FL)
Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD)
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Betsy Markey (CO)
Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA)
Eric Massa (D-NY)
Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)
Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
Mike McMahon (NY)
Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA)
Walt Minnick (Blue Dog-ID)
Scott Murphy (Insurance Industry shill-NY)
Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA)
Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)
Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
Ike Skelton (MO)
John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)
Harry Teague (NM)
Again, Blue America will be putting as much attention as we can towards helping opponents to the Blue Dogs who voted against health care reform today. You can help at our BadDogs page.
UPDATE: Cao v Lieberman
Eric Cantor never let up on Cao for a second. He badgered him mercilessly right up until he gave the Democrats the right to call their victory "bipartisan." Cao claims he traded his vote for a promise from Obama to accelerate aid to medical facilities in hurricane-battered New Orleans. Teabaggers and hysterical anti-American fascists have a new enemy to excoriate. Meanwhile Lieberman is assuring his patrons on K Street and the Insurance Industry executive suites not to worry and that he will kill the bill when it gets to the Senate. On Fox this morning, Lieberman whined that "If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote because I believe debt can break America and send us into a recession."
Labels: Bart Stupak, Blue Dogs, health care reform, reactionary Democrats
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 6:00 AM
6 comments
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6 Comments:
Just as I predicted before NY 20's special election, our blue dog congressman Scott Murphy walks like a republican, talks like a republican and votes like a republican
Yes, Drew, you were right. Blue America didn't endorse him and we're glad we didn't. Since joining Congress, he's been the second worst voter in the Democratic caucus-- beaten out only by Alabama reactionary Parker Griffith (the one who promised to vote against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker next year). Murphy has taken more in bribes from the shady special interests in the shortest amount of time than anyone else in Congress. His vote last night was completely predictable. I sure hope someone is going to challenge him in a primary. The district voted for Obama last year and the people there were looking for Hope and Change. Scott Murphy is anti-Hope and anti-Change.
Very typical. According to your blog, first we should vote out Kathy Dahlkemper because she was FOR an amendment that wasn't pro-choice. Then we should vote out Jason Altmire for voting AGAINST the bill that included the pro-choice amendment. With your logic, I suppose we should vote out Obama if he signs this bill in the unlikely event we are lucky enough to see it become law. This is what's wrong with Democrats, and why the Republicans can win so many elections despite screwing 80% of the population. They never think like this - they know that the fundamental objective of their party is ONE THING - to benefit the rich. They know that everything else is just window dressing, and they will deal with any group, no matter how outrageous and transparently corrupt, to advance the agenda of maintaining power and wealth with the few. Democrats should similarly recognize that our fundamental priority is also ONE THING - the middle class. Not the poor, not the working class, not equal rights, and not healthcare for those who don't have it. Those are all worthy and true objectives, but they are all put at risk when the Democratic party loses control and when the middle class is eroded. And unfortunately, the middle class has not gotten mobilized in favor of this healthcare reform bill. And that is our fault, not Altmire or Dahlkemper, or any of the others that you'd like to blame.
I don't fault any Dem who voted for the Stupak amendment but then came back and voted for the entire bill. Let's not be as dumb as the teabaggers and force them out of office to be replaced by a Repub who would have defeated HCR. Such doctrinal purity is for those who love to go down in defeat, relishing the ringing of hands in self righteous purity.
I imagine the missing piece of the equation when it comes to Blue Dog Democrats is that there are plenty of Democrats who realize that government cannot provide benefits without cost. The Looting Wing of the Democrat Party thinks that government can be paid for by shaking down "the other guy".
Blue Dog Democrats realize that there is no other guy.
I had heard this general analysis on Deeds, but hadn't seen the poll yet. Thanks. It reminds me of the days when Republicans (and many pundits) were trumpeting that Congress' approval ratings were lower than Bush's, conveniently ignoring polls that showed Congress was unpopular for not opposing Bush more vigorously.
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