Will Madame Speaker Pelosi be able to keep the Blue Dog Democrats united

[in_cog_ni_to]

with the more Liberal Democratic members of Congress?

I had the unfortunate experience of seeing Roy Blunt on CSPAN's Washington Journal this morning.:puke: Of course the SOB said the ONLY reason the Democrats won this election is because we recruited more conservative people to run (anti-choice and anti-gay marriage). The country, as a whole, has moved toward conservatism. The only reason the Democrats won is because the repukes lost. (COMPLETE BULLSHIT IMCPO)

Blunt went on to say how he had just had lunch with some Democrats yesterday and ONE of those Democrats was a Blue Dog Dem. That Blue Dog Dem told Blunt that the Blue Dogs don't agree with the more Liberal Congress critters on many issues and they will probably be butting heads. Blunt continued saying he INTENDS to whip those Blue Dogs to vote with the repukes on many of their issues. This may be Blunt spewing his usual crap, but it does concern me a bit.

How will Madame Speaker Pelosi keep these Blue Dogs in line with the rest of the more Liberal members on important votes? Or can she? How will she handle this?

[David Dunham]

1. Not if she makes Hastings chair of the intelligence committee

[in_cog_ni_to]

2. HUH? What's that got to do with the Blue Dog Democrats?

:shrug:

You lost me on that one.

[goddess40]

3. I just over heard some Republican's saying they didn't know who she was

until the elections. My mom just had her hip replacement repaired and I heard someone that I know is a republican talking to someone about not knowing who Pelosi was and griping that now they are reporting too much about her. They sounded worried that the Dems will ruin the country - I had to stifle a laugh.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Damn Democrats.

They care more about the little people than the corporations and wealthy. Bad, bad Democrats!:spank::spank:

People are so strange.

[dmallind]

5. As a BD myself that's a bit biased

In that it assumes the moderates have to move to be in step rather than the ultra-progressives moving, but a minor quibble nonetheless.

Frankly I wouldn't worry about it. Most of Pelosi's stated agenda is actually quite centrist. Balanced budgets (PAYG spending, cutting Medicare costs by negotiating prices etc, moderate high-income tax increases) are a core Blue Dog priority for a start, and there's no move towards anything that would be economically unpalatable to the center-left such as massive increases in spending or ridiculous tax increases that would be detrimental to economic growth. On the social side Blue Dogs are much more likely to go with progressives than conservatives anyway. There ARE a minority of very socially conservative Dems in the new Congress such as Shuler but they will have little influence and are not enough to tip the balance to the right on social issues even if they, very surprsingly, voted in lockstep with the Reps. There's not likely to be much of a problem unless the Dem leadership economic policy moves too far toward things which would hurt the economy.


As to how - there is much to be said for the promise or threat of committee assignments, consideration of bills supported by recalcitrant members and, sadly but honestly, decisions on district-specific spending.