blue dog democrats

James has an article up about the 5 Dems voting with the Republican party and how they are being played for dopes. Just in case you are interested in who they are, how they have voted, the committees they serve on, etc, go here. Since I couldn't copy and paste a map of NC showing the House Districts, you'll have to go here. (I hope that works.)

In the meantime, here's a little info on each that may be helpful:

For the last couple of years, I've been operating under the assumption that Paul Krugman was correct when he said, "Now we’re living in an age of one-letter politics, in which a politician’s partisan affiliation is almost always far more important than his or her personal beliefs."

by Chris Kromm, cross-posted from FacingSouth

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) used to support a public option for a health care. But now he's become an advocate of the alternative put forward by health interests and his fellow Blue Dogs: non-profit health care cooperatives.

And to make the case, Rep. Cooper says we should look to the model of our country's rural electric co-operatives. As he told MSNBC yesterday:

"A co-op is really used over three-quarters of the land area of America so we buy our electricity that way," said Cooper. "It's a creature of the New Deal. It's worked really pretty well over all the country for 70 or 80 years. It's owned by the customers; it is not owned by the government. It works. It works real well."

But Rep. Cooper hasn't always been so enthusiastic about the rural electric co-op model.

Barak Obama is well organized, has done voter registration to the tune of 4000 new voters since the primary. Down ballot candidates come aboard.

Now and then I get a real wedgie over how my Congressman, Mike McIntyre, votes on issues I think are important. I decided to look into his voting record and try to compare his stance on issues as opposed to, for example, Watt, Price and Miller....who generally vote the way I think.

Long story short, it's not that simple. If one googles "Congressional Voting Records," up comes an interesting array of organizations all anxious to tell how individuals voted on their issues. Public Citizen, American Association of University Women, various unions, retired citizens...and just about every group one can think of tracks and measures votes on issues these organizations feel are critical to their interests.   More below the fold...

WASHINGTON - The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, known for its fiscal conservatism, today named U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, the "Blue Dog of the Week."

Shuler said he's proud to be a member of the Blue Dog caucus."The American people are tired of Congress spending wastefully, borrowing recklessly, and needlessly risking the security of future generations," Shuler said.

Formed in 1995 to represent the center of the House of Representatives, the Blue Dog Coalition currently has 44 members.

Now, I live in Shuler's district, and am really proud of the big lug for beating Charles Taylor(R-Pondscum) but unless my math is fuzzy, there are only 44 members of the coalition. So somebody is going to win this award at least twice this year. I wonder if he gets just this official pronouncement, or if there is a $10 discount coupon to the Red Lobster or some other form of bling.

Today in Raw Story (tips to Steven D. at Booman), we find out that the Blue Dog Democrats have decided, en masse it appears, NOT to challenge the Bush/McCain escalation strategy. Instead, they will support further military action and focus their attention on fiscal responsibility. Heath Shuler is listed as a member of the Blue Dog Democrats, elected in 2006 with our money and our support.

First, Heath Shuler votes against stem cell research based on his "pro-life" agenda, and through that act, he votes against science. Now, the rumor mill suggests he will follow the Blue Dog caucus in acquiescing to the Bush/McCain escalation, which will lead to more unnecessary deaths of real live people, not cells on their way to the incinerator.

While most of us have been lenient, having wanted the majority more badly than we wanted a “pure” Democratic caucus, the time has come to ask the tough questions, to clear up this rumor.
“Where do you stand on the Bush plan for escalation Rep. Shuler?”

"Will you vote to block funding for the escalation, or will you vote to allow it?"