What are "blue dog democrats."

[leftyladyfrommo]

Am seeing that phrase a lot here lately.

[msongs]

1. republicans nt

[helderheid]

13. LOL!!

Thanks!

[atommom]

2. Dems who sometimes lean conservative, usually on business issues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Democrats
http://www.house.gov/ross/BlueDogs/bluedogs.shtml

[Greeby]

4. I don't get this equation of conservative = pro Iraq war

Surely if they were truly conservative, they'd be yelling even louder than Kucinich that the war must end

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. Huh!

Raw Story is reporting that they may split on the Iraq stuff.

[Warpy]

10. Sometimes?

They've been a reliable rubber stamp for some of the worst neocon/theocon ideas that have been proposed in both houses of Congress.

They're worse than the Eisenhower Repuglicans in the DLC.

[atommom]

11. You're right, saying "sometimes" is being too kind.

My Blue Dog congressman voted for torture, for the bankruptcy bill, and for a lot of other things I fervently hate.

[AllegroRondo]

3. My understanding of it

someone who leans right on certain issues, particularly business ones.

[Ian_rd]

5. In short: A democrat who leans to the right in policy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Democrats

[Rose Siding]

7. They're a dem caucus that votes with repubs more regularly than DLCers

[Zodiak]

8. From what I understand

They are economic moderates and social conservatives. There are very few members of the blue dogs that fit this bill perfectly, but it is the historic definition.

Blue dogs and DLC are opposites, as well.

DLC= economic conservative, social liberal
Blue dog = Economic liberal, social conservative

At least that is how I understand it.

[TahitiNut]

9. It's what Ralph Hall (TX) called himself before he became a Republican.

Socially conservative 'Democrats' ... the inheritors of the Dixiecrat legacy who haven't yet called themselves Republicans.

[Norquist Nemesis]

12. The Bean Counters (D) of the House. n/t

[Penndems]

14. "Blue Dog" = Conservative Democrats

n/t

[Selatius]

15. They tend to be socially conservative, and lean center-right on economic issues.

That's the short version of it.

If you want economic populism or leftist economic policies to help the working class, are in favor of allowing gays to marry or have civil unions or whatever your preference, believe a woman has a right to an abortion, and object to "free trade" in favor of fair trade proposals, these are NOT your guys.

They will not be the ones leading the charge in those arenas.

[NI4NI]

16. originally an old southern saying, I think!

I'd vote for a "blue dog" before ever voting for a republican".

[sutz12]

17. Aren't these basically the old "Reagan Democrats"?

The 'dog' quote is about Yellow Dog Dems, who would vote for a yellow dog before a Repub.

[in_cog_ni_to]

18. CONSERVATIVE Democrats...here's the LIST. Keep an eye on their voting records and you'll see the

the difference.:( Roy Blunt was on C-SPAN one morning and said he had lunch with a group of Blue Dog Dems and they would be joining forces in the future. Nice, eh? Here they are:


List of Blue Dog Coalition members
Joe Baca (California)
John Barrow (Georgia)
Melissa Bean (Illinois)
Marion Berry (Arkansas)
Sanford Bishop (Georgia)
Dan Boren (Oklahoma)
Leonard Boswell (Iowa)
Allen Boyd (Florida)
Dennis Cardoza (California), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications
Ed Case (Hawaii)
Ben Chandler (Kentucky)
Jim Cooper (Tennessee), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy
Jim Costa (California)
Bud Cramer (Alabama)
Lincoln Davis (Tennessee)
Jane Harman (California)
Stephanie Herseth (South Dakota)
Tim Holden (Pennsylvania)
Steve Israel (New York)
Jim Marshall (Georgia)
Jim Matheson (Utah), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration
Mike McIntyre (North Carolina)
Charlie Melancon (Louisiana)
Mike Michaud (Maine)
Dennis Moore (Kansas)
Collin Peterson (Minnesota)
Earl Pomeroy (North Dakota)
Mike Ross (Arkansas), Blue Dog Whip
John Salazar (Colorado)
Loretta Sanchez (California)
Adam Schiff (California)
David Scott (Georgia)
John Tanner (Tennessee)
Ellen Tauscher (California)
Gene Taylor (Mississippi)
Mike Thompson (California)<3>
Elected In 2006:

Baron Hill (Indiana)
Heath Shuler (North Carolina)
Tim Mahoney (Florida)
Brad Ellsworth (Indiana)
Kirsten Gillibrand (New York)
Joe Donnelly (Indiana)
Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania)
Mike Arcuri (New York)
Charlie Wilson (Ohio)
Former members of Congress who were prominent Blue-Dog Coalition members include Brad Carson (OK), Gary Condit (CA), David Minge (MN), Harold Ford Jr. (TN), Max Sandlin (TX), Charlie Stenholm (TX), Ralph Hall (TX) (who switched to the GOP and is still a member of the House), and Jim Turner (TX)


Blue Dog Democrats are conservative to moderate Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives<1>. Blue Dogs are an actual coalition of like-minded Democrats organized as the Blue Dog Coalition, rather than just an expression such as "Yellow dog Democrat." Many members hail from conservative-leaning districts, where liberal Democrats and liberal values in general are a decided minority. Therefore, the Democratic Party (United States) has become more supportive of Blue Dog candidates in recent times. This was especially true in the 2006 election, where Blue Dog candidates such as Heath Shuler and Brad Ellsworth were elected in conservative-leaning districts, upending years of Republican Party (United States) dominance in these districts.

The term is a reference to the "Blue Dog" paintings of Cajun artist George Rodrigue of Lafayette, Louisiana; the original members of the coalition would regularly meet in the offices of Louisiana representatives Billy Tauzin and Jimmy Hayes, both of whom had Rodrigue's paintings on their walls (and both of whom later switched to the Republican Party).

The Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1994 during the 104th Congress as a way for more conservative members from the Democratic party to have a unified voice. It currently has 42 members.<2> It considers itself a continuation of the socially conservative wing of the Democratic party made prominent during the presidencies of Lyndon Johnson and Harry S Truman, whom many in the Blue-Dog movement consider to be the first two Blue Dog presidents.

The coalition was notably successful in a special election of February 2004 in Kentucky to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives. They were also successful in the November 2004 elections, when three of the five races in which a Democrat won a formerly Republican House seat were won by Blue Dog Democrats. Freshman Blue Dogs in the House are sometimes known as Blue Pups.

Often, the group will be instrumental in striking a balance between liberal and conservative ideas. Despite Blue Dogs' differing degrees of economic and social conservatism, they share a strong orientation toward fiscal responsibility, and as a rule work to promote positions within the House of Representatives which bridge the gap between the two extremes. Blue Dogs are an important swing vote on spending bills and, as a result, have gained an influence in Congress out of proportion to their small numbers. They are frequently sought after to broker compromises between the Democratic and Republican leadership.<snip>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Democrats

[madfloridian]

19. Can you say "we love the bankruptcy bill"?

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/699

Enough said.