Will Their Opposition To Obamacare Help Defeat Any Of The Last Wretched Blue Dogs In Congress?

Georgia Blue Dog John Barrow has one of the most reactionary voting records of any Democrat in Congress-- to the point where he defines the term "DINO," Democrat in Name Only. For 2013-14, ProgressivePunch has scored him a dismal 27.73, just fractionally worse from Utah Blue Dog, Jim Matheson who decided to retire rather than face certain defeat in November. Three principled conservative Republicans have more progressive scores than Barrow: Justin Amash (MI-29.09), Chris Gibson (NY-40.00) and Walter Jones (NC-41.23). His overall voting record, for a Democrat is putrid.

That hasn't stopped the DCCC from dedicating a significant amount of money to try to reelect him in November. In the first round of TV time reservations, Barrow's fellow Blue Dog, DCCC chair Steve Israel, has reserved $490,000 on Augusta broadcast and cable from Sept. 2 to Oct. 6, and $670,000 on Savannah broadcast from Sept. 9 to Oct. 6, a total of $1,160,000 one of the biggest commitments to anyone running for Congress in 2014.

The slick graphic up top is community outreach to African-Americans in Augusta. It's a Health Fair! Of course, if it were up to Barrow, his constituents could die in the streets for all he cared-- but before election day, he suddenly takes a big interest his Augusta African-American constituents. He votes against their interests for 20 months and 4 months before election day he feigns concern. Barrow was one of only 4 Democrats who voted against the Affordable Care Act who hasn't be kicked out of Congress.

On March 21, 2010, Barrow voted with all 178 Republicans and 34 wretched Blue Dogs and New Dems to deny health care to poor people. The bill passed 219-212, a close call. Most of the right-wing Democrats lost their seats 8 months later because their Democratic bases refused to come to the polls to reelect them; it was the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse. These were the NO votes:

• John Adler (Blue Dog-NJ)- defeated, then killed by God
• Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA)- defeated in a primary
• Mike Arcuri (Blue Dog-NY)- defeated
• John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)- hanging on by a thread
• Marion Berry (Blue Dog-AR)- retired rather than face certain defeat
• Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)- retired rather than face certain defeat
• Rick Boucher (VA)- defeated
• Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)- defeated
• Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY)- defeated
• Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)- defeated
• Artur Davis (New Dem-AL)- defeated in gubernatorial primary/switched parties
• Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN)- defeated (by GOP medical rapist Scott Desjarlais)
• Chet Edwards (TX)- defeated (in a landslide)
• Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (Blue Dog-SD)- defeated
• Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA)- defeated in a primary
• Larry Kissell (Blue Dog-NC)- defeated
• Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD)- defeated
• Dan Lipinski (Blue Dog-IL)- still waiting to be primaried
• Stephen Lynch (MA)- defeated by a progressive in a Senate primary
• Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA)- defeated
• Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)- retiring this year rather than face certain defeat
• Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)- retiring this year rather than face certain defeat
• Mike McMahon (Blue Dog-NY)- defeated by mafioso Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm
• Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA)- lost Senate race
• Walt Minnick (Blue Dog-ID)- defeated
• Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA)- defeated
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)- hanging on/DCCC triage
• Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)- retired rather than face certain defeat
• Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)- retired rather than face certain defeat
• Ike Skelton (MO)- defeated
• Zach Space (Blue Dog-OH)- defeated
• John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN)- retired rather than face certain defeat
• Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)- defeated (twice)
• Harry Teague (Blue Dog-NM)- defeated

An intern or some other novice at Politico, Jennifer Haberkorn, tried covering this yesterday from the perspective of Beltway conventional wisdom that all these conservative Democrats lost their seats despite voting against the Affordable Care Act instead of because they voted against it. That's what Politico is all about: Beltway conventional wisdom, more often than not, wrong conventional wisdom. "Even those who opposed the law had trouble surviving the highly partisan atmosphere it helped to create," she marveled, not bothering to check the inordinately large drop off rates among voters in deep blue precincts. These people didn't switch to the GOP; they just didn't come out to vote for fake Democrats, many of whom had been recruited by Rahm Emanuel in 2006 and had amassed horrifying conservative records.
And while she was wrong on the overall gist of the story, she also made a hash out of the specifics. Mayabe she was only 10 or 11 in 2010 but Stephen Lynch did not vote against the Affordable Care Act "from the left." Democratic primary voters knew that in 2013 when the handed Ed Markey a stunning 57-43% victory of the conservative Lynch.

This is the garbage Steve Israel will spend at least $2 million on this year, money he tricks donors to contribute to the DCCC thinking they are supporting Democrats with their values: