Blue Dog Democrats Find More Political Muscle
This year's coalition is bigger and more powerful than ever
Thomas E. Mann, an authority on Congress at the Brookings Institution, says while the coalition has been successful in getting Pelosi to pay heed to their agenda, "the reality is with the 60-vote hurdle [to pass most measures] in the Senate, and George W. Bush in the White House wielding the veto, achieving their highest priority, which is taking pay-go seriously, is remote."
The coalition is rare for its rules. There is a cap on the number of voting members (currently at 20 percent of the House Democratic Caucus, but that's expected to be eased in November), and potential members are interviewed and must submit a paper on fiscal responsibility. Lawmakers who make the cut must attend at least 60 percent of the group's Tuesday 5 p.m. policy meetings. It's then that they vote on whether to take a stand on an issue, and members say topics such as guns, gay marriage, and abortion simply aren't on the agenda. Two thirds of members must agree before the group takes a stance. At 8 a.m. the next day, they pay for a breakfast at a Hill eatery to listen to officials from industries such as defense, energy, and telecom. "There's a long waiting list of people that want to come," Ross says.
The Blue Dog posters featuring the national debt, updated five days a week with Treasury Department numbers, soon will be disappearing from the corridors of the House office buildings. The signs are a casualty of a new policy banning hallway clutter so people can evacuate in an emergency, something which—in light of the looming crisis over how to pay for Medicare and Social Security—the Blue Dogs would argue is just around the corner.
Reader Comments
RE: Blue dog democrats
The people that we ellect and send to washington are either democrats or republicans.You are not suppose to split our democratic party in two by calling yourself blue dogs.If you are not for us you are agaist us. If any of you is in any of my districs I can guaranty three to four votes, from my household alone to vote agaist you.We the people of the USA are very sick and tired of the corupsion going on in high places of our goverment.
blue dogs
i think the blue dogs need to be banned from the democratic party ,they join the party under false pretense they just got in to invade ,and do the work for the republicans,and big business it is becoming more and more obvious . look at the people they work for.it in not for the people of the party i know?they talk about saving the people money while lining their own pockets they are worse thing that every happen to our party LET US TAKE ACTION NOW.
Stop The Blue Dog Democrats Not the Public Option
Health Care is not affordable nor available to millions of Americans. The present Health Care System is a death sentence to these people. The Blue Dog Democrats are issurance agents provocaturs who are in reality Republicans. The Blue Dog Democrats in Both Houses are the murderers of the American people who will not get the Public Option that will provide affordable Heath Care on a yearly basis.
The Public Option provides accessable and affordable non-profit immediate Health Care to those who have limited incomes. They (the poor and those out of work) will pay what they can as they go.
Globalism will affect middle class jobs that will put many out of work in the coming years. A pay-as-you go, non-profit public option will be there for YOU Health Insurance Holders when you are thrown out of work due to Globalism that is controlled by the big corporations and the International Bankers.
Therefore, STOP the Blue Dog Democrats Now! GET Them out of office before they order death sentences to millions of Americans who have no Health Care. We have had enough of these insurance prostitutes and murderers for hire of the American people.
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