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Blue Dog Democrats

FluffyNinja

FluffyNinja

All Warm and Fuzzy
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Just a simple question. Do you believe that the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress among Democrats will ever witness a re-emergence? Presently there are only 14 active members as I believe 23 were defeated in the 2010 elections.

While my lean is conservative........I was (and still am) a strong supporter of my former congressman Gene Taylor (D) from MS. He served his constituency faithfully for 20 years and has a fairly rigid fiscally conservative voting record........voting bipartisan on most issues, siding with the Repubs when he felt it was the best interest of his constituents.

The demise of the Blue Dog Coalition in 2010 was obviously the result of rigid partisanship and it seems that there's almost no place in Congress for a Rep who isn't either establishment GOP, or establishment Dem.

With a skyrocketing annual public debt, flat job and housing markets, trade deficits, a US dollar that is being consistently devalued, corporate bailouts, a deficit that is unmanageable under current revenues, and ongoing operations in the Mid-East...... would a re-emergence of the Blue Dogs philosophy even help our current fiscal situation?

I never thought I'd wish for Bill Clinton back in office, but compared to the approach of our present administration.....Clinton's approach was as fiscally conservative as we've had in some time. :shrug:
 
A lot of the strong Blue Dogs went to the GOP or left office in the latter half of the 90's. Since then, they have not as a group been a strong presence in the democratic party to speak of.
 
Fisher said:
A lot of the strong Blue Dogs went to the GOP or left office in the latter half of the 90's. Since then, they have not as a group been a strong presence in the democratic party to speak of.
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True. I'm just wondering if our "present state of affairs" would warrant a re-emergence of the coalition? It seems to me that with Obama's reign coming to an end....it would be an excellent opportunity to bring the Democratic Party back closer to center....to where it was under Clinton's administration?

Or,...... could that even happen with the likes of Pelosi, Reid, or Howard Dean steering the party?
 
FluffyNinja said:
True. I'm just wondering if our "present state of affairs" would warrant a re-emergence of the coalition? It seems to me that with Obama's reign coming to an end....it would be an excellent opportunity to bring the Democratic Party back closer to center....to where it was under Clinton's administration?

Or,...... could that even happen with the likes of Pelosi, Reid, or Howard Dean steering the party?
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I sure do hope so. this way the Dumb****ocrat party will never see the inside of the WH for a very long time.
 
No because they would have already run as the GOP with the hope of getting a leg up in the perks of being in the majority. Those who are still Blue Dogs would be gone if it were up to Pelosi.
 
FluffyNinja said:
Just a simple question. Do you believe that the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress among Democrats will ever witness a re-emergence? Presently there are only 14 active members as I believe 23 were defeated in the 2010 elections.

While my lean is conservative........I was (and still am) a strong supporter of my former congressman Gene Taylor (D) from MS. He served his constituency faithfully for 20 years and has a fairly rigid fiscally conservative voting record........voting bipartisan on most issues, siding with the Repubs when he felt it was the best interest of his constituents.

The demise of the Blue Dog Coalition in 2010 was obviously the result of rigid partisanship and it seems that there's almost no place in Congress for a Rep who isn't either establishment GOP, or establishment Dem.

With a skyrocketing annual public debt, flat job and housing markets, trade deficits, a US dollar that is being consistently devalued, corporate bailouts, a deficit that is unmanageable under current revenues, and ongoing operations in the Mid-East...... would a re-emergence of the Blue Dogs philosophy even help our current fiscal situation?

I never thought I'd wish for Bill Clinton back in office, but compared to the approach of our present administration.....Clinton's approach was as fiscally conservative as we've had in some time. :shrug:
Click to expand...

Because of gerrymandering of congressional districts by the two parties in state legislatures, I seriously doubt that Blue Dog Democrats or moderate Republicans will ever make a resurgence.

The district lines are draw to keep the House seats so safe for the two party system that Representatives are no longer afraid of the election but are more concerned from being attacked in a primary.

Which means that Representative candidates will have to cater to the most fundamental of their political party. Which is why it's nigh impossible for moderates to get elected into the House anymore.
 
samsmart said:
Because of gerrymandering of congressional districts by the two parties in state legislatures, I seriously doubt that Blue Dog Democrats or moderate Republicans will ever make a resurgence.

The district lines are draw to keep the House seats so safe for the two party system that Representatives are no longer afraid of the election but are more concerned from being attacked in a primary.

Which means that Representative candidates will have to cater to the most fundamental of their political party. Which is why it's nigh impossible for moderates to get elected into the House anymore.
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Sadly, I agree.....the "fix" is definitely in to maintain a rigid, two-party system. :(
 
Evan Bayh is still out there and Clinton was going to pick him as her VP. If he ran there could be slight emergence. Plus Steny Hoyer is still around.
 
Bassman said:
I sure do hope so. this way the Dumb****ocrat party will never see the inside of the WH for a very long time.
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Except right now. There's one right now. I don't have to wait a long time because there's one there now. Am I being clear?
 
For many it was the problem of being stuck between two parties that wanted a very strict line to follow, abandoning common electoral sense. The Democrats trashed such Democrats for not automatically following the line, but when they compromised with the administration, the GOP pushed them out of office.
 
Wiseone said:
Except right now. There's one right now. I don't have to wait a long time because there's one there now. Am I being clear?
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No, you are not being clear if you think there is a Blue Dog Democrat in the WH Right Now. Such could not be farther from the truth.
 
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