Keeping Obama in check; Democrats got their 60 in the Senate, but will Blue Dogs Keep Dogging Obama?

Keeping Obama in check; Democrats got their 60 in the Senate, but will Blue Dogs Keep Dogging Obama?
By Marc Chamot

Who’s really minding the store while Republicans are out of power?

Everybody’s talking about this former clown, loony and goofball, Al Franklin’s victory win for the U.S. senate. We’re hearing very loud cheers from liberals that they’ve got a filibuster-proof senate among Democrats, and that President Barack Obama’s agendas will be pushed ahead without any hindrances from Republicans.

But I really hate to burst their bubble of joy, first of all, there are two Democrats that are still missing, MIA from the U.S. senate, the ever old, one foot in the grave, geezer, and former KKK Robert Byrd, and the ailing Edward Kennedy, and these are two votes shy of the sixty that they really need.

And then there are these “Blue Dogs” Democrats that I keep writing about on my blogs.

I don’t think that the media has quite caught on to the Blue Dogs yet, they are being ignored by most, but some are mentioning them by name. Before, when the media used to mention conservatives, they would only use Republican, but now when they mention conservatives, they include these Blue Dogs Democrats without the Republican.

As the years go by, with President Obama and his policies, we’ll be hearing a whole lot more about these Blue Dog Democrats.

These are the guys that will make or break Obama’s policies until he leaves office and, or until the Republicans can get back on track in Washington.

Actually a better name for the ‘Blue Dog” Democrats would have been better named as “Red Dog” Democrats, this is because these Blue Dogs Democrats are more conservative of all Democrats, and they predominately come from traditional Republican red states. They are fiscally conservative, and most of them come from the Bible belt areas, and most have stringent Southern religious upbringings.

Blue Dogs were created by a splinter group of Democrats around 1995 who were fed up with the liberal left leanings of the Nancy Pelosi’s, but weren’t interested in the far right wing of the Republican Party.

From their website:
“The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Currently there are 51 members of the Blue Dog Coalition.”

There are around 15 to 20 of them in the senate alone, and they do not tow leftwing liberal ideals or agendas. They are way more conservative than most Democrats, and some have to be, to keep their jobs in predominantly Republican conservative districts."

Democrats' Senate Supermajority Not as Strong as Advertised
“And then there are the moderate-to-conservative lawmakers who populate the Senate Democratic Caucus: Sens. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.; Mark Pryor, D-Ark.; Ben Nelson D-Neb.; Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; and Arlen Specter, D-Pa.

This crowd is known to oppose the Democratic leadership on critical issues and often requires special courting. With them, the big Democratic majority could work against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., since it gives these moderates the perceived opening to bolt the party on key votes and freelance -- or act as holdouts that Democratic leaders must woo.”

These Blue Dog Democrats made big inroads into politics during these past two election cycles of 2006 and 2008, where they grew in numbers as Republicans lost theirs.

They are caught between a rock and a hard place, not only that they owe allegiances for the Democratic Party, they also owe their allegiances’ to their conservative bases within their districts. And if they fail their constituents, their political lives will be short lived.

These are the guys who are keeping our gun rights around, they are also the guys that keep preventing President Obama’s amnesties for illegal aliens to run amuck and they also keep Obama from providing illegal alien’s with driver’s licenses as he promised during his campaign.

They are also putting roadblocks on Obama that is keeping him from changing or revising the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the homosexuals in the military policies, and repealing the federal statutes which does not recognize gay marriages.

And it now seems that these Blue Dog Democrats will not support Barack Obama on his cost prohibitive health plans either.

Blue Dogs are also impossible to replace with another more liberal leaning Democrat. If they anger their party hierarchy, the party can’t just come into their conservative district and say we will not support you, we will support this more liberal guy! Blue Dogs are also more independent than traditional Democrats.

But these Blue Dogs are also Democrats, and they will do what Democrats do, they will support Obama in other things, such as the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court Justice, and for less costly social issues that this country needs, which Republicans don’t normally support.

All the Republicans have to do is stand united against some of Obama’s zany policy proposals, and watch these Blue Dogs lock-in step with them.

Liberal Democrats can’t stand these Blue Dogs, but when it comes to a choice between Republicans and these Blue Dogs, it will be Blue Dogs all the way with these liberals, the lesser of two evils sort of way.

What President Obama needs to do, is to stop pandering to minority groups and their special interests, like same sex equality issues and amnesty for illegal aliens.

Instead he needs to figure out on how he’s going to get over 15 million unemployed Americans back to work. And bring back these lost industry jobs and reform NAFTA like he promised to do. And maybe both, the Blue Dogs and the Republicans will lock-in step with him on those issues. If not the Republicans, then the Blue Dogs certainly will.

Filibuster-proof? My foot! Maybe this country isn’t going to hell in a hand basket after all.

Blue Dog Leadership Team
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Blue Dog Co-Chair for AdministrationRep. Baron Hill (IN-09), Blue Dog Co-Chair for PolicyRep. Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Blue Dog Co-Chair for CommunicationsRep. Heath Shuler (NC-11), Blue Dog Whip
Blue Dog Members
Altmire, Jason (PA-04) Arcuri, Mike (NY-24)Baca, Joe (CA-43)Barrow, John (GA-12)Berry, Marion (AR-01)Bishop, Sanford (GA-02)Boren, Dan (OK-02)Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) Boyd, Allen (FL-02)Bright, Bobby (AL-02)Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18)Carney, Christopher (PA-10)Chandler, Ben (KY-06)Childers, Travis (MS-01)Cooper, Jim (TN-05)Costa, Jim (CA-20)Cuellar, Henry (TX-28)Dahlkemper, Kathy (PA-03)Davis, Lincoln (TN-04)Donnelly, Joe (IN-02)Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08)Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08)Gordon, Bart (TN-06)Griffith, Parker (AL-05) Harman, Jane (CA-36)Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD)Hill, Baron (IN-09)Holden, Tim (PA-17)Kratovil, Jr., Frank (MD-01)McIntyre, Mike (NC-07)Marshall, Jim (GA-03)Matheson, Jim (UT-02)Melancon, Charlie (LA-03)Michaud, Mike (ME-02)Minnick, Walt (ID-01)Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05)Moore, Dennis (KS-03)Murphy, Patrick (PA-08)Nye, Glenn (VA-02) Peterson, Collin (MN-07)Pomeroy, Earl (ND)Ross, Mike (AR-04)Salazar, John (CO-03)Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47)Schiff, Adam (CA-29)Scott, David (GA-13)Shuler, Heath (NC-11)Space, Zack (OH-18)Tanner, John (TN-08)Taylor, Gene (MS-04)Thompson, Mike (CA-01)Wilson, Charles (OH-06)