Progressive Caucus, NOT the "Blue Dog" or "New Democratic" Coalition, the largest Dem. sub-group

[dpbrown]

Progressives Increase Their Numbers as Largest Group Within the House Democratic Caucus
November 10, 2006, Washington, DC

PDA National Board Members Rep Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), anticipate adding at least seven new CPC Members in the 110th Congress. This would increase the size of the CPC to at least 71 Members, making it by far the largest and most diverse sub-group among all Democrats in the new 110th Congress to take office in January and an increase of 14 new House Members in just the past 18 months.

“ Some inside-the-Beltway commentators, columnists, and conservatives want the American people to believe that last Tuesday’s election results have especially empowered moderate-to-conservative elements within the House Democratic Caucus in the 110th Congress, but that is an incomplete picture of the new political landscape on Capitol Hill,” Congresswoman Lee noted, pointing out that the newly-expanded Congressional Progressive Caucus will be decidedly larger than either the ‘Blue Dog’ or ‘New Democratic” Coalitions.”

http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/news/2006-11-10-08-07-52-news.php

[Selatius]

1. Why anybody still thinks the DLC is relevant anymore is beyond me.

It's a dead horse. To be sure, there is still a presence of corporate cash within the party even without the DLC, but the Progressive Caucus, I would think, would naturally serve as the de facto bulwark within the Dems in Congress for warding off that kind of horrible, corrupting influence.

[dpbrown]

2. Why the MSM is saying that this is a non-progressive Congess is beyond me

The non-progressives should be figuring out a way to play nicely with the progressives, not the other way around.

But if you believe the mainstream media, this Congress is just as pro-right-wing as the last one.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. 44 Blue Dogs and 62 New Democrats in the next Congress

Do the math.

[dpbrown]

5. Leaving 358 unaffiliated

Do the math.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Yet combined there are more Blue Dogs and New Democrats

[dpbrown]

6. Yet combined there are more that belong to none of the three

Why would one assume that the 358 members who are unaffiliated with any of the three would not be ideologically closer to the Progressive Caucus than either of the other two?

Why also would one assume that the Blue Dogs and the New Democrats are interchangeable?

If they are interchangeable why aren't they one caucus?

The Progressive Caucus is the largest group. That's a fact.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Much of the so-called "conservatism" of the new Congresscritters

is on behavioral issues, not economic issues.

I'd take that any day over the corporate tools who allow big business to exploit ordinary people but think they're oh-so-liberal because they are tolerant on behavioral issues.