Will fiscally responsible "Blue Dog" Dems be an albatross for Obama/Pelosi/Reid?

[Talismen]

This guy is a "Blue Dog", and will be running for re-election in 2010 as a Republican.
Ouch.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30896.html
(snip)

Exclusive: Rep. Parker Griffith switches to GOP

By JOSH KRAUSHAAR | 12/22/09 10:57 AM EST


POLITICO has learned that Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Alabama, will announce today that he’s switching parties to become a Republican.

According to two senior GOP aides familiar with the decision, the announcement will take place this afternoon in Griffith's district in northern Alabama.

Griffith’s party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010.

The switch represents a coup for the House Republican leadership, which had been courting Griffith since he publicly criticized the Democratic leadership in the wake of raucous town halls during the summer.

Read the rest at the link....

[Covertness]

this part bears quoting as well:

In August — one month after Republicans picked up his former state legislative seat in a special election — Griffith told a local newspaper that he wouldn't vote for Nancy Pelosi to remain as House Speaker because she's too divisive. He joked that if she didn’t like it, he’d provide her with a gift certificate to a mental health center.


(and then bash her face in)

[Talismen]

ho ho fucking ho!
I love that line..."I'm mo' bash yo' face in!!!"

[Woodmonkey]

Is there such a thing as a blue dog who stands on principal.  Or ... do they all cave in to a goody box?

[Talismen]

Seems like this year, there are more and more 'Blue Dogs' who are willing to stand in principal.
They feel backed-up by the "Tea Party" movement and townhall meetings where constituents from all political 'flavors' showed up and gave 'em hell.

[Woodmonkey]

They allowed themselves to get bought for their vote for the health bill.  Look at that senator from Nebraska and the goodies hr got, and he's not the only one.  Is there any Democrat in the Senate, blue dog or not who didn't for for it?

[Talismen]

I don't believe there are any "Blue Dogs" in the senate, and if there are, they are few and far between. But, the house as a good number of them.

[Woodmonkey]

I think it's Ben Nelson in the Senate and think there are a few more.  Anyway, he was the holdout vote and got free medicare for his state forever, among other goodies.  If he'd voted no, the Senate would not have a bill.

I wonder how many of the blue dogs in the Congress caved in to the goodies?

[Talismen]

http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2010/01/10/blue-dog-boren-america-benefits-when-democrats-lose/
(snip)

Blue Dog Boren: America Benefits When Democrats Lose

Boren Also Thinks Democrats May Lose their Majority
Posted by Brian Faughnan
Sunday, January 10th at 1:25PM EST

Dan Boren is not making any friends within the House Democrat caucus:

U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, Oklahoma’s only Democrat in Congress, predicts his party will lose seats in elections later this year.

While such a statement falls in the category of conventional wisdom that historically has the party in power losing congressional seats in mid-term elections, Boren parts company with others within his own party by suggesting such a setback would be a “good thing for Oklahoma and for me.”

“If we have a tight majority one way or another, that puts me in the driver’s seat,” the three-term lawmaker said.

“In the 112th (Congress), I probably will have the most influence I have ever had, no matter who has the majority.”

Describing a Republican takeover of the House as a “tall order” for the GOP, Boren said his party, even if it retains the majority in a new Congress that convenes in 2011, will be forced back toward the center politically.

He pointed to new figures on job losses and described his party’s legislative agenda last year as one of missed opportunities on the economic front.

“I think the House Democratic leadership along with the administration made a very large mistake by focusing on a lot of different pieces of legislation that would not do a lot to help the economy,” Boren said.

Read the rest and access embedded source links at the link above....

[The Gate Keeper]

Are the dems defecting, quiting retiring, and changing their their views becuse they see the writing on the walls or because they think they can get different , more outwardly centrest democrats in their places during the next election cycle...root out the what is seen as hard core leftest and put in ones that they have control over that seem less menacing to the public?

AS you might be able to tell I don't trust the dems as far as I can throw them....

[Talismen]

It would be interesting if they are trying to weed out the most leftist of the lot.
Interesting concept.

But yeah...I don't trust them either.

[Talismen]

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/01/21/change-three-blue-dogs-now-support-gop-measure-to-block-epa-from-regulating-carbon-dioxide/
(snip)

Change: Three Blue Dogs now support GOP measure to block EPA from regulating carbon dioxide
posted at 8:39 pm on January 21, 2010 by Allahpundit

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is leading the charge to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gasses, and today she got some support from across the aisle: Three Democratic senators signed onto Murkowski resolution to bar such regulation.

The Democrats, the Associated Press reports, are Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. Murkowski’s resolution says a rule submitted by the EPA to regulate greenhouse gasses “shall have no force or effect.” Thirty-five Republicans co-sponsored the measure.

(Read the whole thing and access embedded source links, at the link above....)

[Talismen]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/80311-blue-dogs-push-to-go-further-than-obama-spending-freeze
(snip)

Blue Dogs push to go further than Obama spending freeze
By Walter Alarkon - 02/08/10 09:31 PM ET
Blue Dog Democrats want Congress to go further than President Barack Obama’s proposal to freeze spending in next year’s budget.

The group of House centrists will soon introduce a bill capping discretionary spending at specific levels. The move would challenge their leadership and the president, who are balancing concerns with the nearly $1.6 trillion deficit in 2010 with those who say government spending on job creation is the way out of the recession.

The spending levels sought by the Blue Dogs may result in spending cuts, which would go beyond Obama’s proposal to save $250 billion over the next decade by freezing non-security discretionary spending for three years, said Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), a senior Blue Dog.

“Two hundred and fifty billion is a lot of savings with a freeze on discretionary spending, but I think we can do better,” Hill said in a brief interview.

The group has yet to hash out the details on the spending caps bill, but it has near-unanimous support among its members, a Blue Dog aide said.

The Blue Dog Coalition, 54 members strong, has enough votes to block any budget resolution, a fact House leaders are well-aware of.

Read the rest at the link....

[Covertness]

Spending freeze my ass.  The man jacks up spending to record levels then announces he's going to freeze them and we're suppossed to be thankful or something?  It's like saying that I used to spend $100 a month on widget Y but now I'm going to spend $150 a month on widget Y.  As this 50% increase on an annual basis might lead me to bankruptcy I'll freeze it.  The anticipated 50% increases in the future won't happen so I'll be saving money.

Horseshit!

[Talismen]

It's like a sale at Target...jack up the prices 20%, and then have a 10% off sale.

[diane]

Spending freezes are a joke.  We need spending cuts.  Get rid of the damn pork.  Maybe they ought to start getting some budget advice from citizens who's pockets they are reaching into.  I'm sure some ordinary mom of a family of four who is running her household on a reduced budget could show them how to stretch a dollar.  If they are going to ask us to make sacrifices, they need to lead by example

[Talismen]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/04/dems-wary-obamas-final-health-push/
(snip)

Updated March 04, 2010
Blue Dog Pack Threatens to Bail on Health Care Over Abortion Language

FOXNews.com

Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak said Thursday he's counted 11 lawmakers willing to kill President Obama's health care overhaul over abortion language, Reuters reported


Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak says he's counted 11 lawmakers plus himself willing to kill President Obama's health care overhaul over abortion language.

Stupak, of Michigan, sponsored a provision in the House of Representative's health care bill that passed last fall that clearly prohibits the use of federal money to pay for abortions. That language did not make it into the Senate bill, the model Obama is using to craft the plan he is expected to send to Congress shortly.

Obama has urged the Senate to use the "reconciliation" procedure to pass the bill, which would allow Democrats to avoid a 60-vote majority needed to strike down a filibuster but would demand that lawmakers vote only on matters that impact the budget. Before that happens, however, House Democrats can prevent the legislation from reaching the Senate.

House legislation passed by a narrow 220-215 margin in November. Since then several Democrats have defected or departed, and all 254 who remain are eyeing November midterm elections and a restive electorate demanding Congress focus on jobs.

Thirty-nine Democrats voted "no" on the House bill, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will probably need some of those to switch their votes.

Read the rest at the link....