Some Democrats Vote With Boehner Touting Independence

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-29/some-democrats-vote-with-boehner-touting-independence.html

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner rarely casts floor votes, following his office’s tradition. When the Ohio Republican has voted this year, Arizona Democrat Ron Barber sided with him more often than not, while Republican Walter Jones of North Carolina usually didn’t.

Barber, whose district President Barack Obama lost in the 2012 election, is among a small number of House Democrats who at times have aligned with Republicans as they project political independence ahead of potentially difficult re-election campaigns next year.

Jones and a handful of Republican colleagues, meanwhile, exemplify party members with libertarian views who have complicated Boehner’s management of the House by pushing him to take a harder line against Obama on fiscal policy and showing a willingness to break with the speaker.

Barber, who’s serving his first full term, sided with Boehner on 10 of the 16 votes by the speaker. That’s the most among the House’s 200 Democratic members, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Twelve other Democrats, including Representatives Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Jim Matheson of Utah, voted the same as Boehner at least half of those times.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. Doesn't appear that Ron Barber is a Democrat at all.

He's the bluest BlueDog Democrat! I wonder if Gabby Giffords was as Bluedoggish before he took over.

Anyway, it's a good thing he's in the minority. I hope, sincerely hope, that the Democratic Party doesn't try to primary him because of it. We need to win back the House in 2014 and make Nancy Pelosi Speaker again, and we need to have a majority of Democrats in the House to make that happen so we can move this country forward.

I can live with a few BlueDogDems, just as long as the majority are at least centrist to center-left.

[Raine1967]

5. Giffords was a Blue Dog Dem.

Here is a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Coalition

I think she was an effective member of Congress. I met her in 2009 outside the capitol the day congress voted to pass the ACA.

[BlueCaliDem]

9. But was she as blue as Barber?

I don't think she was. But I could be wrong.

[Raine1967]

10. I'm not sure, to be honest.

She always came across to me as a negotiator -- never as a real conservadem. I could be wrong here -- she was never a progressive.

Giffords was a moderate legislator. If the area of Tuscon that she represents is anything like some parts of Virginia (where I live now) or like many parts of Georgia (where I resided for a few years) -- a Blue dog is better than the alternative. I know that isn't a real popular thing to say sometimes, but I think it's reality.


Howard Deans 50- state strategy gave us a majority, but it also got conservative democrats elected in generally conservative districts. It was -- imo -- a double edged sword. She represented her district well.

I hope that Barber will do the same and realize that Boehner represents no one well.

[Mass]

2. Of course, we do not have the list of these votes. Probably because it would allow us to judge on

substance and not stupidly.


I am more interested to know how many times they voted with the GOP on the other votes.

[Revanchist]

7. Here's where you can find out

I'm only including Barber because that's who the story is about (voted with the Democratic Party 73% of the time) but you can look up anyone you want to.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/B001279

[Mass]

8. Thanks. This is a lot more instructive than these 16 votes, many of them

were voted by most democrats.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. But, but, but I am told I need to vote for the D regardless

Mine happens to be in the list.

[L0oniX]

4. OMG a Dino! Whodathunkit?

[gulliver]

6. Voted against Obamacare repeal and Paul Ryan "budget blueprint"

Exactly why is his voting pattern difficult to understand?