Blue Dog Coalition

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The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition is a group of United States Congressional Representatives from the Democratic Party identifying themselves as moderate-to-conservative Democrats committed to financial and national security and favoring compromise and bipartisanship over ideology and party discipline.[1]

It was formed in 1995[2][3] during the 104th Congress to give more conservative members from the Democratic party a unified voice after the Democrats' loss of Congress in the U.S. Congressional election of 1994.[4] In 2010 the coalition included fifty-four members.

The term "Blue Dog Democrat" is credited to Texas Democratic Rep. Pete Geren, who opined that the members had been "choked blue" by "extreme" Democrats from the left.[5] It is related to the political term "Yellow Dog Democrat," a reference to southern Democrats said to be so loyal they would even vote for a yellow dog if it were labeled Democrat. The term is also a reference to the "Blue Dog" paintings of Cajun artist George Rodrigue of Lafayette, Louisiana, as the original members of the coalition would regularly meet in the offices of Louisiana representatives Billy Tauzin and Jimmy Hayes, both of whom later joined the Republican Party; both had Rodrigue's paintings on their walls.[6][7] An additional explanation for the term cited by members is "when dogs are not let into the house, they stay outside in the cold and turn blue," a reference to the Blue Dogs' belief they had been left out of a Party that they believed had shifted to the political left.[8]

Contents

[edit] History

Barack Obama meets with Blue Dog Democrats on February 10, 2009

Although its membership is clearly not exclusively Southern, some[9][10] view the Blue Dogs as the political successors to a now defunct-in-name Southern Democratic group known as the Boll Weevils, who played a critical role in the early 1980s by supporting President Ronald Reagan's tax cut plan. The Boll Weevils, in turn, may be considered the descendants of the Dixiecrats and the "states' rights" Democrats of the 1940s through the 1960s.[11]

The coalition was notably successful in a special election of February 2004 in Kentucky to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives.[citation needed] They were also successful in the November 2004 elections, when three of the five races in which a Democrat won a formerly Republican House seat were won by Blue Dogs. Freshman Blue Dogs in the House are sometimes nicknamed "Blue Pups".[6]

In 2005, the members of the Blue Dog Coalition voted 32 to 4 in favor of the bill to limit access to bankruptcy protection (S 256).

In the summer of 2009, The Economist magazine said "[t]he debate over health care... may be the pinnacle of the group’s power so far" and quoted Charlie Stenholm, a founding Blue Dog, as saying that "this is the first year for the new kennel in which their votes are really going to make a difference."[12]

[edit] 2006

In 2006, Blue Dog candidates such as Jason Altmire, Heath Shuler, and Brad Ellsworth were elected in conservative-leaning districts, ending years of Republican dominance in these areas. The group is the rough equivalent of the Republican Main Street Partnership.

[edit] 2007 DCCC boycott

In 2007, 15 Blue Dog Coalition Members in safe seats refused to contribute party dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. An additional 16 Blue Dogs have not paid any money to the DCCC but were exempt from party-mandated contributions because they were top GOP targets for defeat in 2008. One reason for the party-dues boycott is contained in remarks made by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) encouraging leaders of anti-war groups to field primary challenges to any Democrat who does not vote to end the war in Iraq. Woolsey later stated that she was misunderstood, but the Blue Dogs have continued with the boycott. Donations to party Congressional Committees are an important source of funding for the party committees, permitting millions of dollars to be funneled back into close races.[13]

[edit] Ideology

The Blue Dogs argue that Americans have become increasingly conservative and that Democrats should respond to this by presenting an agenda which protects the interests of the vulnerable while also respecting traditional cultural values and keeping taxes low.

The Blue Dog Coalition is often involved in finding a compromise between liberal and conservative positions. The Blue Dogs are viewed by some as a continuation of the socially conservative wing of the Democratic party prominent during the presidency of Harry S. Truman.[citation needed] However, the only stated policy position of the Blue Dogs is fiscal conservatism.

Despite the Blue Dogs' differing degrees of economic and social conservatism, they generally work to promote positions within the House of Representatives that bridge the gap between right-wing and left-wing politics. Blue Dogs are an important swing vote on spending bills and as a result have gained influence in Congress out of proportion to their numbers. They are frequently sought after to broker compromises between the Democratic and Republican leadership, generally lending a more centrist character to US politics.

[edit] Differences with the New Democrat Coalition

Members of the New Democrat Coalition, an affiliate of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), take moderate or liberal positions on social issues[citation needed] and moderate positions on economic issues and trade. The DLC aims to revitalize and strengthen the Democratic party, while the Blue Dogs emphasize bipartisanship.[citation needed]

Democrats who identify with the Blue Dogs tend to be conservatives, but have more divergent positions on social issues than "New Democrats." Reflecting the group's Southern roots, many Blue Dogs are strong supporters of gun rights and receive high ratings from the National Rifle Association, some have pro-life voting records, and some get high ratings from immigration reduction groups. As a caucus, however, the group has never agreed on or taken a position on these issues, and many members favor more socially liberal positions.

On economic issues, Blue Dogs tend to be pro-business and favor limiting public welfare spending. They have supported welfare reduction as well as the Republican-backed Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005. They have differing positions on trade issues, and include both supporters and strong critics of labor unions, protectionism, and other populist measures. New Democrats tend to favor free trade.

Some moderate or conservative Democrats, such as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, are members of both the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democratic Coalition.

[edit] Differences with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party

Some in the Democratic Party's liberal wing promote primary challenges against Blue Dog Coalition members in an effort to unseat Democratic Party members they view as unreliable or too conservative.[citation needed] The editors of the left-wing weblog OpenLeft refer to Blue Dog Democrats who voted for war funding in May 2007[14] and voted to grant the Executive branch warrantless wiretapping powers[15] as "Bush Dogs".[16][17] Others in the party view these individuals as "Republicans in Democrats Clothing".

Some progressive activists view the Blue Dogs as an important part of a Democratic Party big tent coalition. Prominent Blue Dogs have received strong support from liberal activists within the party, most notably Brad Carson of Oklahoma in his unsuccessful 2004 run for the U.S. Senate, John Tanner of Tennessee, Jim Matheson of Utah, and Loretta Sanchez of California in her successful bid to unseat former Congressman Bob Dornan. Online fundraising efforts by liberal weblogs in 2004 named Carson's campaign a top national priority.[citation needed]

[edit] Funding

The biggest single source of finance for the Blue Dog Political Action Committee is the health care industry. They donated $1.2 million dollars in the 2009-10 election cycle.[18] In July 2009, Blue Dog members who were committee members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee successfully delayed the House vote on the Health Insurance Reform Bill (HR3200)) until after the Summer Recess.[19]

[edit] Criticism

Many prominent conservatives like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and Sean Hannity have questioned the sincerity of the Blue Dogs' commitment to conservative principles. These conservative critics have noted the Blue Dogs' acceptance of liberal Congressmen like Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)[citation needed]. In 2009, Sanchez and Schiff had 0% approval ratings from the American Conservative Union.[20] The rise of The Tea Party has spurred interest in the possibility that the GOP now has its own comparable Blue Dog Coalition.[21] The traditional progressive form of politics of the right is now being challenged by a far more conservative ideology.

[edit] Members

Map showing districts represented by members of the Blue Dog Coalition.

[edit] Former members

Prominent Blue Dog Coalition members who have left the House or the coalition include:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Blue Dog Coalition". House.gov. 2009-04-27. http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  2. ^ "Blue Dog Coalition". House.gov. 2009-04-27. http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/index.html. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  3. ^ Blue Dog Coalition
  4. ^ Naftali Bendavid (2009 July 28) 'Blue Dog' Democrats Hold Health-Care Overhaul at Bay The Wall Street Journal
  5. ^ WordCraft, November 11, 2004
  6. ^ a b Suddath, Claire (July 28, 2009). "A Brief History of Blue Dog Democrats". Time. http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1913057,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-07. 
  7. ^ Safire, William (April 23, 1995). "On Language; Blue Dog Demo". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/23/magazine/on-language-blue-dog-demo.html. Retrieved 2009-09-07. 
  8. ^ "Blue Dog Democrats". Bluedogs.us. 2008-11-04. http://www.bluedogs.us/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  9. ^ Parties, Rules, and the Evolution of Congressional Budgeting, Lance T. LeLoup, 2005, pp. 185
  10. ^ Encyclopedia of American Parties, Campaigns, and Elections, William C. Binning et al, 1999, pp. 307
  11. ^ Thomson, Alex (2007). A Glossary of U.S. Politics and Government. Stanford University Press. p. 14. ISBN 0804757305. 
  12. ^ "The Democratic Party's centrists: Blue Dog days". The Economist. 2009-07-30. http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14140214. 
  13. ^ Bresnahan, John (2007-10-24). "Blue Dogs refuse to pony up for DCCC". The Politico. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=CF01E1BF-3048-5C12-00AB01E6FB9129B8. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  14. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll425.xml
  15. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll836.xml
  16. ^ Stoller, Matt (2007-08-30). "What is a Bush Dog Democrat? A FAQ...". OpenLeft. http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1075. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  17. ^ Stoller, Matt (2007-08-30). "Why Profile a Bush Dog?". OpenLeft. http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1073. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  18. ^ Hiltzik, Michael (2009-08-03). "What's so great about private health insurance? - Los Angeles Times". Latimes.com. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik3-2009aug03,0,6650122.column. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  19. ^ "Are the Blue Dogs Really Working For You? « Silver Buzz Cafe". Silverbuzzcafe.com. 2009-08-20. http://silverbuzzcafe.com/?p=2649. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  20. ^ American Conservative Union - 2009 U.S. House Votes
  21. ^ With the Tea Party, The GOP Finally Gets Its Own “Blue Dogs”

[edit] External links

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