Scott Johnson of Powerline scares me. He doesn’t believe in the reality of Blue Dog Democrats. He says they’re usually just liberals from conservative districts.
He writes:
I’ve never much believed in the concept of a “blue dog Democrat.” As far as I can tell, the only thing that determines whether a “conservative” or “moderate” Democrat votes with his party’s leadership is whether the party needs his vote. If it does, it’s bye-bye blue dog. On this interpretation, being a conservative Democrat is just a pose that is adopted to the minimum amount necessary to gain re-election in a swing district.
I fear that he’s right but I hope he’s wrong mainly because this healthcare overhaul really scares the heck out of me for so many reasons we’ve discussed before.
But the main reason it scares me is that it’s become clear that the power may be in our hands on this issue. And we need to scare the heck out of the Democrats into not doing this. We do this by ensuring that Republicans all vote no on this disastrous idea of destroying our country’s healthcare. Not most. Not many. All. Democrats wants this to be a bipartisan vote, not for the sake of bipartisanship but just to have someone to share the blame with when things go south.
You know that guy in the office who cc’s everyone on every email and he never says “I” am responsible. He says “We” an awful lot. He’s not a team player. That’s all about apportioning future blame. CYA. Well, just about every politician is like that guy. If things go bad with healthcare the Democrats want to be able to say it was bipartisan.
But if they have to do it alone they will. Obama’s legacy is all about health care reform now. The White House and the Democrat Party will threaten them with financial support for their reelection if they fail to come to Obama’s aid on this one. And that’s scary for a politician.
We need to be scarier. With our phone calls. With our letters. With our blogs. Word of mouth. We need to ensure that this doesn’t go through.
If there aren’t Blue Dog Democrats as Scott Johnson fears, we need to create ’em.
July 28, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Blue Dog Democrats are as real as blue dogs.
July 28, 2009 at 6:10 pm
lol
July 28, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Blue Dogs exist for one reason: Republican Business leaders who are sick and tired of Republicans doing nothing with their money but spend it hoping to please Democrats. And these Senators know that if they lost that trust their war chests would be empty in a second. So yes, Virginia, there are Blue Dogs.
July 28, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Blue Dog Democrats do exist. I know because I used to be one, before the Democratic Party's increasing acceptance of abortion and their adulation of the One made me decide the party wasn't a good enough fit for me, even with the existence of other Blue Dogs. But yes, they do exist, and they are sincere.
July 28, 2009 at 10:47 pm
I think Scott Johnson is overly skeptical here in this analysis. For example somebody like Sen. Zell Miller could not be said to just be a liberal from a conservative district. Though a Zell Miller is rather rare.
The problem though with real blue dog Democrats is that too often they don't remain one. They are punished by the Democratic leadership and are blocked in many ways. They have no chance of advancement in the party unless they give in and you know how power corrupts. Plus I can understand skepticism when it comes to pro-lifers willing to associate themselves with the Party of Death in the first place – sure change from within – but not much likelihood of that.
July 29, 2009 at 12:13 am
Blue Dog Democrats and Red Cat Republicans are only ONE thing: sellouts to their party. There is no purpose to discuss politics if you're not going to be partisan. I LOVE partisan politics. I get enraged when I see someone in the other party make a mistake and I milk it as long as I can. On the other hand, when a politician from my own party makes a similar mistake, I overlook it or I defend him. Partisan politics are fun and it's the only way to make a positive difference in our lives.
July 29, 2009 at 2:01 am
Remind me again why Catholics ought to oppose this if it doesn't cover abortion? What is the putative "conservative" alternative, besides simply saying, "Democrats are bad," and "Obama was born in Kenya?"
~cmpt
July 29, 2009 at 3:46 am
do you really believe that the democrats aren't going to try to cover abortion with this?
July 29, 2009 at 3:56 am
It's a serious problem with being pro-Democrat, mainly, if they are very Catholic and very intelligent with their decisions outside of abortion, is it still right to vote for them? Honestly? I'd vote for a pro-abortion guy unless I was sure that they'd ACTUALLY make pro-abortion law… but otherwise it isn't my main political point. I'd much rather have a mature political environment than a knee-jerk pro-lifer… though I do believe a knee-jerk pro-lifer to be a better Politician than most.
Am I making a point here? I'm honestly not sure.
July 29, 2009 at 4:22 am
Thank you! Finally. There are some voices out there (that I presume are orthodox Catholics) who see through both political parties and the little conspiracy groups that bring no intelligence into political discourse whatsoever. Anyone who thinks the Republican party is our only option is blind just as anyone who thinks the Democratic party is our only option. In the past, I have voted mostly Republican; however, that is coming to an end now. Mostly because I'm fed up with the partisan talking points and lack of solutions being brought to the table. Abortion is evil and the Republican party has done much harm to the pro-life cause by only paying lip service to the issue to keep single-issue voters. Meanwhile the Democrats are making more progress on their pro-abortion agenda by being honest with the voters and doing what they said they're going to do. When is there going to be a pro-life party that does what it says it's going to do? Oh yeah, they gave us Souter and jump started Sotomayor's career as a judge. Do they care? I guess they're too busy trying to prove that Obama is not a U.S. citizen. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!
July 29, 2009 at 10:22 am
I'll believe that they are going to try to cover abortion when they actually put such a provision in the bill. Until then, I want Republicans to put up or shut up. If you think the bill is bad, write your own and get it passed; don't spend countless hours on TV telling us how much you really don't like the bill currently under consideration.
~cmpt