Introducing the Rove Dogs

[babylonsister]

Introducing the Rove Dogs
by: Chris Bowers
Fri Nov 09, 2007 at 14:08:49 PM EST

In 1992, Latinos and Asians made up only 3% of the national electorate. That year, Bill Clinton won the combined Latinos and Asian vote by a margin of 51%-35%, with the rest choosing Ross Perot. By 2006, Latinos and Asians combined to make up 10% of the national electorate, and Democrats won that vote by the much larger margin of 68%-31%. That shift, in and of itself, moved the entire national electorate more than 3% in favor of Democrats nationwide in just 14 years. Few things can cause such a rapid, nearly permanent structural shift in the electorate in favor of one party, but Republican demonization of a rapidly growing sector of the electorate has certainly done the trick.

So, what Democrats would be willing to throw away these gains, and put unfounded, short-term fears of an electoral backlash against immigration ahead of them? Not the Bush Dogs, who are Democrats that support Bush's agenda, since Bush actually isn't as hard-right on immigration as the rest of his party (perhaps the only instance where he isn't as hard-right). Under long-term advisement from Karl Rove on the subject, Bush knows that alienating a rapidly growing segment of the electorate is a bad idea for the Republican Party. So, instead of calling them Bush Dogs, I think the more appropriate term would be Rove Dogs. The term "Rove Dog" should apply to any Democrat who votes and act in ways that are harmful to the long-term political standing of the Democratic Party, just as Karl Rove would like them to do.

And viola, here we have a major piece of legislation where Rove Dogs are revealing themselves:

North Carolina Democrat Heath Shuler 's new immigration-enforcement bill, cheered by immigration hard-liners and jeered by Hispanic lawmakers, now faces a major roadblock: Rep. Loretta Sanchez , who chairs the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism.

Sanchez says Shuler, a former pro football player, made a rookie mistake by not consulting with her before he introduced the bill, which is deepening an existing rift between politically vulnerable centrist Democrats and Hispanic members. Homeland Security is one of eight committees to which the bill was referred, but the panel has the lead in dealing with it.

"I would say Heath better come talk to me about it," Sanchez, a California Democrat, told CQ Politics.

A good way to know that this bill will anger Latinos and other groups with large immigrant populations is when Loretta Sanchez, who is actually a Blue Dog herself, objects to it. Here is a list of the Democratic co-sponsors of the bill, and thus also the initial list of Rove Dogs (Bush Dogs in bold, freshman in italics-go to OpenLeft link at bottom):

(Ala.) Rep. Cramer, (Ala.) Rep. Davis, (Ark.) Rep. Berry, (Ark.) Rep. Ross, (Calif.) Rep. McNerny, (Colo.) Rep. Perlmutter, (Colo.) Rep. Udall, (Fla.) - Rep. Boyd, (Ga.) Rep. Barrow, (Ga.) Rep. Bishop, (Ga.) Rep. Marshall, (Ill.) Rep. Bean, (Ind.) Rep. Donnelly, (Ind.) Rep. Ellsworth, (Ind.) Rep. Hill, (Iowa) Rep. Boswell, (Kan.) Rep. Boyda, (La.) Rep. Melancon, (Mich.) - Rep. Stupak, (Miss.) - Rep. Taylor, (N.H.) - Rep. Hodes, (N.Y.) - Rep. Arcuri, (N.Y.) - Rep. Gillibrand, (N.Y.) - Rep. Higgins, (N.C.) - Rep. McIntyre, (N.C.) - Rep. Shuler *, (Ohio) - Rep. Ryan, (Ohio) - Rep. Space, (Okla.) - Rep. Boren, (Pa.) - Rep. Altmire, (Pa.) - Rep. Carney, (Pa.) - Rep. Holden, (Pa.) - Rep. Kanjorski, (Pa.) - Rep. Murphy, (Pa.) - Rep. Murtha, (Tenn.) - Rep. Cooper, (Tenn.) - Rep. Davis, (Tenn.) - Rep. Gordon, (Tenn.) - Rep. Tanner, (Texas) - Rep. Lampson, (Texas) - Rep. Rodriguez, (Va.) - Rep. Boucher, (Wash.) - Rep. Baird, (honorary Bush Dog), (Wis.) Rep. Kagen

Twenty-three of the forty-four Rove Dogs are also Bush Dogs, while seventeen are freshman (more than half of our freshman who took over Republican held seats). They also include key members of the leadership, such as both Murtha and Rahm Emanuel, who isn't on this list but who is pushing for the bill behind the scenes. In the Senate, at least Barbara Mikulski is also in favor of this bill, and is urging members to vote for it..

more...

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2298

[robinlynne]

1. interesting, but I disagree with several points:

as for Bush being "more to the left" on immigration; this shows that the writer is unaware of many facets of the issue. Bush is much farther to the right: not about fences, about "guest workers". The guest worker program was financed by walmart, hotel industry, and the restaurant industry. The have or had a PAC, which helped put Bush into office. Their premise is that there is a lack of skilled and unskilled labor in the US. They cannot find people to fill all the job spaces available (really). The guest worker program is pushed by Bush because he got big bucks to push it, for large corporations. It's only purpose is to lower wages across the country, and help get rid of unions. Anyone who studies the immigration issue MUST KNOW that the only reason it is an issue is for the guest worker program to be sneaked in.

CAlling Loretta Sanchez a blue dog, i also think is way off the mark. I don't know her entire voting history. but I have seen her stand up beside Conyers. Remember the basement hearings? Loretta Sanchez. pro-impeachment, Loretta Sanchez. She also successfully put some republicans in jail in her district for trying to fraudulently influence elections.

So I question the writer's knowledge on both subjects.