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We had a blue-dog until this year, who voted against every single one of the big government bills like healthcare, the stimulus and cap & trade. When someone in a debate asked him why he was a Democrat instead of a Republican and why he wouldn't switch parties, I think he gave a pretty good answer, which as a Republican should sting a little.
"It is easier to be a fiscally conservative Democrat than a socially moderate Republican" He then went on to give the government out of the bed room talk. I didn't support him, but did like that statement.
We had a blue-dog until this year, who voted against every single one of the big government bills like healthcare, the stimulus and cap & trade. When someone in a debate asked him why he was a Democrat instead of a Republican and why he wouldn't switch parties, I think he gave a pretty good answer, which as a Republican should sting a little.
"It is easier to be a fiscally conservative Democrat than a socially moderate Republican" He then went on to give the government out of the bed room talk. I didn't support him, but did like that statement.
He lost, if the poster is referring to the congressmen from his/her listed location (Boise). Out of the 2 incumbent congressmen from Idaho, only 1 was a Democrat and he was a blue dog.
The left for the most part accept the centrist views of the blue dogs but on the right the blue dogs would be run out of town and not stand a chance. On the right you have to be far, far right and nothing else.
You are joking, right? Left wing Democrats have constantly used the blue dogs as a punching bag, blaming them for moderation of everything from healthcare, to spending caps, and the stimulus bill. Left wingers have referred to blue dogs as the scourge of the party since the early Clinton years.
Blue dogs will never switch parties, because many of them come from districts in the Deep South where it is still political suicide to run as a Republican. Plus, the Blue dogs have nothing to gain for now from a switch, they are most important during periods where Democrats have control of the House, since often times their positions compel them to vote with Conservative Republicans.
We had a blue-dog until this year, who voted against every single one of the big government bills like healthcare, the stimulus and cap & trade. When someone in a debate asked him why he was a Democrat instead of a Republican and why he wouldn't switch parties, I think he gave a pretty good answer, which as a Republican should sting a little.
"It is easier to be a fiscally conservative Democrat than a socially moderate Republican" He then went on to give the government out of the bed room talk. I didn't support him, but did like that statement.
Who is the big tent party?
If the Dems were the big tent party the blue dogs would be thriving. Instead they are now mostly extinct after the past election.
Have to confess that I don't know the process for switching parties for people holding office. Do you just decide to switch and that's it? Do you have to ask the party you want to go to if they will have you? Do you have to get a mentor from the receiving party to sponsor your conversion? Do you have to check with the voters in your district? Do you have to wait to be wooed?
Just read an interesting article about Heath Shuler, western North Carolina congressman and blue dog, who decided to unsuccessfully oppose Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader.
"Shuler survived his election in 2010, but he has a problem — redistricting. North Carolina is unlikely to gain an additional congressional seat, and Shuler’s district will be getting about 50,000 more constituents in 2011. The 2010 elections put Republicans completely in charge of who gets added to his district, meaning that his already conservative district is going to get even more Republican. Unlike a lot of districts, because North Carolina’s 11th district is largely defined by the border between North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, the gerrymandering is unlikely to be obvious, but the effect will be the same. Fifty thousand new constituents, who Shuler has to try to explain why they should vote for someone who isn’t voting for the same candidate for President as they are."
You already know the so-called blue dogs wimped out on all major legislation that came before them for a vote over the last 2 years and the 2010 elections had many conservative districts giving their blue dogs the heave-ho because of it. Shuler, because he opposed Pelosi, will likely be punished for it, by Pelosi, with lousy committee assignments. If he goes to the GOP, he'll have an opportunity to work on the country's financial problems, something he won't be able to do as the boy sent to his room in the Democrat Party.
I don't know that he will be the only pariah in the Democrat Party from the Blue Dogs that survived the 2010. I also don't know which Democrats will be going down from redistricting next year.
3 Questions:
1. Will the now more liberal Democrat minority put its blue dogs, like Heath Shuler, in the closet?
2. To increase their numbers, should the Republicans woo any of them to switch parties?
3. Is it more likely you'd be for the switch if the politician wasn't YOUR representative?
Moderates are endangered in BOTH parties. Both Moonbats and Wingnuts deride them for being mushy.
Simple fact: Extremists vote more, give more, do more.
The oddest people I saw during Obamacare were wealthy old people on Medicare complaining about government medicine. Hypocrites. People are against government funding only of other people.
Note: The Dem base is not any better.
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