BLUE DOG Coalition CRUSHED By GOP Wave Election

[Segami]

Goodbye!!


" WASHINGTON -- Tuesday was a tough night for Democrats, as they watched Republicans win enough seats to take back the House in the next Congress and began to ponder life under a likely House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). But one group hit especially hard was the Blue Dog Coalition, with half of its members losing their seats.


" According to an analysis by The Huffington Post, 23 of the 46 Blue Dogs up for re-election went down on Tuesday. Notable losses included Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-S.D.), the coalition's co-chair for administration, and Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), the co-chair for policy. Two members were running for higher office (both lost), three were retiring and three races were still too close to call.


The Blue Dogs, a coalition of moderate to conservative Democrats in the House, have consistently frustrated their more progressive colleagues and activists within the party, especially during the health care debate. Blue Dog members pushed to limit the scope and the cost of the legislation and resisted some of the mandates of the bill. Last summer, seven of the eight Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Committee even threatened to block health care reform unless it met their cost requirements.


Other areas where Blue Dogs have helped put the brakes on ambitious progressive priorities are global warming measures and legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize.


"Since they can vote with the Republicans in order to get their way around here, that doesn't sit well with progressives -- who don't want to vote with Republicans ever," Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Cali.), co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus, told the Wall Street Journal in July 2009.


In fact, some progressives blamed the Blue Dogs for losses on Tuesday across the ideological spectrum within the Democratic Party.


"From our perspective, our members did all that they could do and really left everything on the field," said Levana Layendecker, communications director of the progressive grassroots organization Democracy for America. "Of course we are disappointed with the results tonight, but not surprised. Unfortunately, progressive champions became collateral damage tonight in a toxic environment created by Blue Dogs who refused to stand up for real change."



cont'

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/blue-dog-coalition-gop-wave-elections_n_778087.html>

[madmax]

1. I love animals and dogs have my heart.

However, I say EUTHANIZE the Blue Dogs!

[Segami]

4. I'll hold them down while you administer the dose.

[madmax]

14. With pleasure. nt

[Xipe Totec]

Before you put down fido, remember there's a lame duck session coming up

and these blue dogs have nothing to lose by voting with the present majority and sticking their paw in Boner's eye on their way out.

So be kind to the pooches.

[madmax]

Ok, when would you like to set up the appointment

:evilgrin:

[Xipe Totec]

18. January 4th, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111th_United_States_Congress

[madmax]

19. You've got it.

First appointment 7:00 a.m. Thanks :rofl:

[Segami]

34. I hear you well BUT THEY also are looking out for their own self-serving interests when they leave

office. Their voting positions could be very revealing.

[Xipe Totec]

51. If they have a future. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. There's our silver lining. Good riddance.

[bullimiami]

6. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[de novo]

3. You cant out conservative the rethugs.

[Ganja Ninja]

5. Well that's one way to get rid of them. n/t

[RKP5637]

7. Gone = Good. n/t

[gypsylud]

8. Nothing like a good ol’ republican enema.

[tsuki]

9. Blue Dog Allen Boyd - FL-2 lost to teabagger Steve Southerland. nt

[Arkana]

10. There's some solace for us.

The new Democratic caucus will be much more close-knit.

[doc03]

11. That's just ridiculous, you wouldn't ever get a progressive

elected in their districts in the first place. You can never get a majority in congress electing just liberals from the east and west coasts. That is exactly the mirror image of the Teabaggers mindset, they will have to move to center to win in 2012 too. The thing is the Republicans will do or say anything to win, they would have no problem running to the center than doing a full 180 after they take office.

[trotsky]

13. You speak the sad and unfortunate truth. n/t

[GoCubsGo]

24. Thank you. Exactly right. And, now...

...we get to look at THIS for the next two years:



I think I'd rather have the Blue Dogs. At least some things got done when we had them. Now, it will be nothing but gridlock.

[fizzgig]

52. my rep was one of those to go down

she was the first dem to hold the seat in 30 years and i was shocked that she won in the first place. heavily rural districts do not elect progressives.

[SidDithers]

12. You'd rather have republicans than democrats?...nt

Sid

[Horse with no Name]

16. I don't think ANYONE said that

but...it is a spoonful of sugar in an otherwise bitter dose of medicine.

[Le Taz Hot]

15. Costa's gone.

(CA-20) Not a surprise. The Republicans ran a stronger, local candidate this time with name recognition. Luckily (or unluckily as the case may be) I'm in CA-19 and got to vote for a person that did NO, and I mean literally, NO campaigning. For all I know I voted for a noodley appendage. :shrug:

[sabrina 1]

17. Rahm, strikes again. Remember when Move On and other liberal

orgs wanted to run ads attacking the Blue Dogs in the primaries? And Rahm called them and screamed at them uttering the now infamous insult that attacking Blue Dogs was a 'retarded fucking idea'.

And people call this guy 'smart'.

I bet what happened was not so much a Republican sweep, but more likely that Democrats could no longer bring themselves to vote for Blue Dogs. I know if I had lived in Blanche Lincoln's Dist, I could not have lifted a finger to support her.

These were Rahm's people. He did not want them defeated in the primaries by progressives. I wonder how much money the party put into these races. I know they didn't put much into the progressive races.

IF a few of them had been defeaated in the primaries, and a real Progressive had been running, I think Democrats would have been energized by that. As it was, who could get energized if your choice was a real Republican and a Republican pretending to be Democrat? I think that the 'hold your nose and vote' idea finally just didn't work anymore.

I"m feeling better. Getting rid of them is not a bad thing at all. Maybe we owe a thank you to Republicans for doing the job Democrats should have done themselves.

Primarying them is not looking like such a retarded idea after all, is it Rahm?

[Segami]

20. As a case in point, we might have stood a better chance of holding on to AR if we elected

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter in the primaries instead of Blanche Lincoln.

[sinkingfeeling]

27. In your dreams.

[Segami]

31. Well, my lucid state is saying ' Thank God she's gone '!

[sinkingfeeling]

35. I live in Arkansas and I'm not celebrating the election of an idiot GOPer.

[Segami]

37. You have missed the point entirely and are mixing apples with grits.

[sinkingfeeling]

41. How so? You're celebrating that Blanche Lincoln was defeated by a GOP-Tea Party-leaning

do-nothing.

[Segami]

45. Blanche Lincoln did nothing but take care of Blanche Lincoln.

[sinkingfeeling]

46. Any proof of that? Here's her voting record, which was solidly Democratic in areas

like abortion rights, campaign reform, financial reform, education, affirmative action, civil rights, etc.

http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=26723

[WinkyDink]

21. So even the quislings got canned. HA!

[Octafish]

22. See ya! Wouldn't want to beya!

Perhaps they'll realize they should actually have done something to end the illegal, immoral and unnecessary wars, let alone improve the economy, when they apply for unemployment. Those with five years service, IIRC, are glad ex-members of Congress get health insurance for life. The rest wish they'd voted for single-payer now.

[sinkingfeeling]

23. Wow, here are people on DU celebrating the loss of 23 Congressional seats to the GOP!

[w4rma]

25. Good riddance to them. (nt)

[sinkingfeeling]

26. Not from my point of view. I'd rather have somebody representing me that I agreed with75% of the

time than a person who will never vote for anything I want.

[w4rma]

29. These DINOs are traitors like Bayh. They will all con you out of $10 million in contributions & run.

And then they'll needle you about it in op-eds. And blame the victim, you, for their theft.

Elect someone better next time.

[Segami]

30. That cycle needs to be broken giving back row voices a front seat.

[loudsue]

32. That's not the cause of the celebration. But you already knew that.

Getting rid of republicans who, with the help of HUGE amounts of corporate cash, had infiltrated the democratic party, to sabotage it from within, is what the celebration is about.

Sometimes you have to lance a boil to let all the puss out before it can start to heal.

[sinkingfeeling]

39. So you think the Democrats can hold majorities without any southern states?

The 'Blue Dogs' in this state, Arkansas, were Democrats. Moderate Democrats to whom I donated time and money. I really don't appreciate those in the party that want only far-left representation. Blanche Lincoln did a fine job of representing a very small and poor state. She voted with the Democratic leadership 78% of the entire time she was in office as a Rep. or Senator. Now Democrats are faced with a Senator Boozman who voted with Bush 98% of the time during his 8 years in the Congress.

I can almost guarantee you will never see another Democratic Senator out of Arkansas in your lifetime, as they will take out Mark Pryor next.

[jeff47]

47. I didn't realize North Carolina wasn't a southern state (nt)

[sinkingfeeling]

49. And I didn't realize Sen. Burr was a Democrat. Or Renee Ellmers.

[jeff47]

50. I didn't realize NC did not have a house delegation (nt)

[fascisthunter]

36. you know what.... why the f not

I'm soooo sick of hearing the whining from the center when all they have done was capitulate this corporate take over. We are better off.

[Segami]

40. I agree. In the long run, this party will become leaner, focused, unison and much more in sync in my

opinion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. When you act like a republican

...

This is all but surprising, but the message will be missed by ty the DC crowd.

[XOKCowboy]

53. People have shown that they'll vote for a true Repug than a Dem who acts like a Repug

Same with the businesses and power interests that the Blue Dogs coveted and cowered down to so much. A damn lot of good it did them.

[Poboy]

28. Off to cushy million dollar lobbying jobs now. What a joke.

[Segami]

33. More than likely within the HealthCare, Insurance or Energy/Oil sector. The Corps do take care

of their own loyal minions.

[krispos42]

42. Sow, meet reap.

If you want to be a Republican, be a Republican.

[otohara]

43. Did Dems Just Not Vote For BD's?

surely they didn't vote GOP

bye bye Betsy Markey and John Salazar.

[CanonRay]

44. Now the DNC will move further right

in response to this loss. When the Rethugs lose, they move right. When we win, we move right to try to hold on, but lose, and then move further right in response. It's nuts.

[HughMoran]

48. Sadly, we will need some of these conservative seats back to regain control of Congress

I'm glad these conservatives are gone - sadly they helped take the gavel out of Pelosi's hand, so it's an empty victory celebrating their defeat.