Conservative Democrats Assert Power

[Freddie Stubbs]

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 7, 2007; 3:01 PM

WASHINGTON -- When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced scorn from fellow Democrats during a recent closed-door meeting for not moving more aggressively on Iraq, it was conservative Blue Dogs _ her ideological opposites _ who rose to defend her.

The unlikely support reflected an emerging dynamic in the House, where the 43 right-of-center fiscal hawks are increasingly asserting their power, working to moderate the policies and image of a party with a liberal base and leaders to match.

The coalition's name is a play on yellow dog Democrats, an epithet that came into being in the 1920s to describe party loyalists in the South who, it was said, would vote for a yellow dog if it ran on the Democratic ticket. Democrats who said their moderate to conservative views had been "choked blue" by the party's liberal flank started referring to themselves as blue dogs and formed their group after Republicans swept control of the House in 1994.

With Democrats in charge again, the Blue Dogs have played a key role in halting an emerging plan to place strict conditions on war funding. Their revolt helped beat back that proposal, by Pelosi ally John Murtha, D-Pa. Leaders are now considering a watered-down version.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/07/AR2007030701437.html

[aquart]

1. So the fiscal conservatives want to throw good money after bad?

Well, that makes sense.

[xchrom]

2. that is the new definition of any conservative.

in these modern times -- i don't even know what a fiscal conservative is any more.

[yurbud]

21. I'll believe fiscal conservatives exist when they start talking about the defense budget

and using war as way to give raw materials to cronies.

[cyclezealot]

3. Well, they are outnumbered like 2-1 in caucus.

They have a roll to play, but to say they will run the party is pretty far fetched. Thank god. They like to play footsie with John Boehner & George Bush , what's to be done. Polls now show on most issues, the American people are with the progressives.

[rinsd]

7. More like even. The New Democrat + Blue Dogs > Progressive Caucus

Everyone is going to have to work with everyone.

[cyclezealot]

14. 71 to 40.

That's more like 2-1. Of course the bulk belong to neither. When it comes to trade and health care, there is no working together. The Blue Dog's are Democratic sell outs to DLC pandering to Repuke interests.

[rinsd]

19. New Democrat + Blue Dog > or = Progressive Caucus

Even eliminating cross membership you are talking about 75 members combined.

[wyldwolf]

20. New Dems have 63 members. Progressive Caucus has 66 members

..add Blue Dogs to New Dems... strength in numbers.

[RogueBandit]

4. It's the Chamber and the Corporatists

I'm a city council member. Just today I got a call about taxes showing up on the water bill. I had to explain to the guy that it was the council members who reflect the will of the Chamber who voted for those taxes. I don't think it's Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal...it's the Chamber of Commerce and the corporations. I told him I'm more liberal than most but I'm clearly more fiscally conservative that the Chamber backed folks. He appreciated the talk, and I'm sure he left just disgusted with the Chamber and their council members.

The last city council voted in November to spend 1.5 million for 15 years to help corporate headquarters settle in downtown (they would have settled on city land no matter what but wanted extra money to settle in downtown), 1.5 million for 15 years for a sports park, and for the last who knows how many years subsidized developers to the tune of 1.5 million a year of general fund money (the cost of getting things through planning, engineering and building). That's 4.5 million a year from general funds we don't have. Our library will close in April, maybe not to open again for years, but there's money for a sports park and to subsidize corporate headquarters...

All of that from Chamber supported council members.

Disgusting.

[Blue_Tires]

18. thanks for the insights

welcome to the site!

[brentspeak]

5. Put their feet to the fire. Make sure they don't block legislation repealing NAFTA, etc.

[rinsd]

8. What legislation repealing NAFTA?

[brentspeak]

9. Any possible legislation

There's nothing in writing, at the moment, but the Democrats should get cracking on it.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. No one is blocking legislation which does not exist

As long there is no such legislation, no one can be blamed for blocking it.

[depakid]

6. Those 43 far right enablers also crossed over to the Republicans

The faster the leadership gets a clue and targets these right wing Dems- and disciplines them like their wannabe party the Republicans would do- and targets them with money in the primaries, the faster an actual progressive agenda can be place.

These folks are bound and determined to make losers of the party- the issues that they back are unpopular ones and they blur the contrast between the extremist repukes on the one side, and responsible Dems on the other.

[hogwyld]

10. Right on!

We need to get true progressives elected, and get rid of the rethug wannabees.

[cyclezealot]

16. Best site to fund progressives are

National Committee for an Effecive Congress, Move On.any others.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. Which Republicans in Congress were disciplined?

:shrug:

[depakid]

13. Count how man crossed over

Use Thomas.

and have a look for yourself:

http://thomas.loc.gov/

[IndianaGreen]

15. The war wing of the Democratic Party has innocent blood on their hands

I am reminded of the words of Jesus warning about serving two masters.

A political party cannot represent both the interests of the owners and the interests of the workers, the interests of capital and the interests of the proletariat, the interests of the investor class and the interests of the working class.

In both major political parties, the elites cannot get themselves elected, they need the workers to elect them. How do you get the workers to elect the elites, and to vote against their own economic interests? The GOP appeals to the religious intolerance and bigotry of their working class to get elected, the Democrats appeal to the compassionate and sense of justice of their working class to get elected. How else can one explain how a Democratic President pushed for trade legislation that fill the coffers of the elites at the expense of the jobs of the working class?

[Greeby]

17. Conservative my ass!

If they were really conservative, they'd be on the floor of the House demanding this war be ended.