Blue Dogs Want Blood... Fresh

Like vampires, Blue Dogs need fresh blood to survive. Yesterday several of the worst of the pack crossed the aisle into Republicanville, voting against federal aid to states seeking to keep teachers teaching, firefighters fighting fires and policemen policing. One of them, Bobby Bright, also joined Boehner and the Republicans in insisting on a paid two-month vacation in the expectation that the new Congress will be more conservative and less likely to want to do anything to help working families than the current one. (Fellow Blue Dogs Mike McIntyre, Charlie Melancon, Walk Minnick and Glen Nye, as well as corporate shill Michael McMahon, joined Bright on that one.) It's stunts like that though, which may please some Republicans in their districts, that absolutely drive core Democratic voters insane. And therein lies the problem for the reactionary Blue Dog caucus.

A few days ago we looked at how Henry Waxman was predicting how Congress would be better if without some of these Blue Dogs even if it meant a smaller Democratic majority. And then Monday Alex Isenstadt, writing at Politico, delved a little more deeply into the Blue Dog dilemma. The caucus, filled with odd men out, is hemorrhaging members, either because they eventually realize that no matter what their racist papa was, in 2010 they are Republicans, or because the voters make that realization first and they lose re-election bids, as is likely to happen to many of the worst of them in November.

Until now I only knew of one new recruit, a lackluster Florida reactionary named Lori Edwards who is likely to lose her August 24th primary battle to progressive Democrat Doug Tudor. Lately I've talked with several Democrats who the Blue Dogs may have thought they could recruit but who have made it clear that they're not interested. Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet was actually leaning towards the Blue Dogs-- he likes their purported and much ballyhooed "fiscal discipline"-- but then saw their devious role in the battle over health care reform and pulled away. And last week we met Georgia Democrat Russell Edwards who told us he didn't feel the Blue Dog caucus was a good fit either. "I am a progressive Democrat and have no plans to join the Blue Dog Caucus should I be elected. They have done absolutely nothing to help me, and I’m not courting them with talk about more tax cuts for the wealthy. I’m speaking candidly about how my District should fight to create jobs and support our schools. Issues that are important to build a strong middle class and ensure every one has a chance to live a life of dignity and respect." Others, however, primarily Southern racists, are eager to run with the pack.

Blue Dogs are throwing their support to a group of like-minded conservative Democrats that includes Steve Raby in Alabama’s 5th District, Chad Causey in Arkansas’ 1st District, Roy Herron in Tennessee’s 8th District, Trent Van Haaften in Indiana’s 8th District and Stephene Moore in Kansas’ 3rd District.

If elected, these hopefuls would join a thinned Blue Dog group in the upcoming 112th Congress. Reps. John Tanner and Bart Gordon of Tennessee, Marion Berry of Arkansas and Dennis Moore of Kansas are all retiring, while Reps. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana and Charlie Melancon of Louisiana are waging Senate campaigns. Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman who started the cycle as a Blue Dog, switched to the Republican Party in 2009 before losing his seat in a primary.

The list of outgoing Blue Dogs outpaces the 110th Congress, in which the only Blue Dog who retired was Alabama Rep. Bud Cramer. Meanwhile Reps. Nick Lampson of Texas, Tim Mahoney of Florida and Don Cazayoux of Louisiana-- all freshmen-- lost their campaigns for reelection.

Causey, a former Berry chief of staff who is running for his one-time boss’s Jonesboro-area seat, said the turnover allowed for an infusion of new leadership into the influential coalition, whose focus on fiscal conservatism has put it at odds with the national party on issues including the health care overhaul and the economic stimulus package.

“People come and people go. Sometimes it provides some fresh air into the House. It gets a little musty in there sometimes, and it lets you gets some fresh ideas onto the table,” he said.

Causey, Herron, Van Haaften and Moore, who is the wife of Dennis Moore, are looking to fill seats of departing Blue Dogs. Raby, a former chief of staff for Alabama Sen. Howell Heflin, is running for the conservative-leaning 5th District seat that had been held by Griffith and, prior to him, Cramer.

Raby and Van Haaften secured their endorsements last week after meeting with groups of local Blue Dogs, according to their campaigns. Raby huddled with Reps. Travis Childers of Mississippi, Bobby Bright of Alabama, Allen Boyd of Florida and Tanner, while Van Haaften met with Indiana Reps. Joe Donnelly, Baron Hill, and Ellsworth, whose seat he is seeking.

The Blue Dog endorsement typically provides candidates with an opportunity to distinguish themselves from party leaders.

As you can see in this ad, one of the worst and most despicable of the current batch, Joe Donnelly, was so eager to distinguish himself from "party leaders" that his ad makes it clear that Pelosi and Obama are no friends of his.



Donnelly, of course, on the DCCC's must-save-the-asshole list and they'll be spending close to a million dollars on his campaign in the hope that he will return to Congress and continue voting an anti-Choice, anti-gay, anti-healthcare line, while denigrating Obama and Pelosi. That's Debbie Wasserman Schultz's brilliant strategy. Meanwhile, the DCCC won't left a finger to support any of the progressive challengers, not even official party candidates like Justin Coussoule, Bill Hedrick, Billy Kennedy, and Beth Krom running against some of the most monstrous Republicans walking the face of earth, respectively, John Boehner, Ken Calvert, Virginia Foxx and John Campbell. Blue America supports the good guys; you can too: no consultants and no Blue Dogs.