Politico: Blue Dogs Fill Campaign-Cash Bowls

[flpoljunkie]

Blue Dogs fill campaign-cash bowls

By: Josh Israel & Aaron Mehta - Center for Public Integrity
July 23, 2009

Whether the subject is health care reform, climate change or pay-as-you-go budgeting rules, almost everyone, it seems, suddenly wants to talk with the Blue Dogs.

And they’re willing to pay handsomely for the opportunity.

So far this year, the political action committee attached to the fiscally conservative House Democratic voting bloc is on track to shatter all its fundraising records, raising more in the first six months of 2009 — more than $1.1 million — than it did in the entire 2003-04 fundraising cycle.

Nearly 54 percent of the Blue Dog PAC’s haul this year comes from the energy, financial services and health care industries, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to analysis of CQ MoneyLine data by the Center for Public Integrity.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/1572/

These contributions poured in as President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress have been making a major push to reform health care, develop a new energy policy and restructure oversight of the banking sector.

Clearly, these Dogs are having their day.

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25289.html