Why Aren't the Repubbies Cursed With a 'Red Dog Coalition'?

[tekisui]

Why doesn't the right have to contend with Liberals acting as conservatives within their party? If the Blue Dogs were a truly a moderate or centrist ideology that sufficiently required representation, it would reason that the right would be burdened with a similar phenomena. The Blue Dogs falsely legitimize the 'center as right' myth. Placating them within the Democratic Party prevents a Liberal platform from existing in this country.

I think the Blue Dog Coalition does more harm than good to the advancement of Liberal policies. They are conservatives. Having them in the same party that is the sole place Liberals dilutes the Liberal positions. The debate in this country should be more clearly defined as Liberal vs. Conservative. As it is now, our big tent muddies the waters and weakens our party. If we de-legitimized the conservative Democrats, our argument would be stronger, and more accurately represent where this country is and where its people want it to go.

[hedgehog]

1. Having them in the Party feeds into the attitude "meet the new boss,

same as the old boss". Why vote if it makes no difference?

[spanone]

2. i suggested yesterday that they get their own party

when they 'as a group' oppose the democrats policies, they are no better than republicans...

[LeftishBrit]

3. They used to have some, but since the extremists took over...

most moderates seem to have switched parties/ been purged in the primaries/ lost to Dems as their moderate constituents became put off by the whole party/ etc.

I suppose Souter and Stevens on the Supreme Court might come into the category; they were appointed by Republicans.

In the UK, we have both 'wet' (moderate) Tories and RW Labourites, but the latter got far more prominent and powerful due to Blair. A

[tekisui]

5. I wonder if there would be any change in legislative product if

we had a Liberal Party, a Conservative Left, a Liberal Right and a Conservative Party. The two in the middle representing the centrist ideologies, leaning left and right, respectively. I wonder where the power axis would be in that system.

We are cursed with two parties.

[BlueIdaho]

4. The republicans would never tolerate this behavior in thier party.

But they sure do appreciate our Blue Dogs! They are now crowing to reporters that they are sure they have enough votes to destroy any health care reform legislation. Now, if your party is in an extreme minority just how do you do that? You have good fiends in the opposition party. You have Blue Dogs that are more interested in advancing the republican agenda than any democratic ideals.

These blue dogs are a cancer in our party and they need to be removed.

[bridgit]

6. Start calling 'conservative Democrats' on just who & what their antics ultimately support...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giS0382sFjw

[sea four]

7. I think it has to do with money

There are not too many leftist billionaires to fund a 'red dog coalition'. But there's plenty of right wing billionaires who are willing to fund the blue dogs.

Also, the Republican Party is run like a totalitarian cult. Their base doesn't tolerate any dissent from the party line.

[elocs]

8. Simple: any too liberal Republicans lose in the primary or are defeated in the general election.

That's why there is not a Red Dog equivalent to the Blue Dog Dems.

[tekisui]

9. Why are the Democrats the ones to allow a diluting candidate in our

primaries?

[elocs]

16. Dem voters will vote for the candidate with a "D" by their name even if conservative

while Republican voters will not vote or sit on their hands if the Republican candidate is perceived to be too liberal. Perhaps it is also because Democratic voters would prefer a candidate who will vote with the Dems most of the time as opposed to none of the time.

[ThoughtCriminal]

10. It's one of the reasons they became a Minority

Purges bring unity at a price.

[tekisui]

11. The next question is, 'Is the cost of dilution worth it?'

[TomCADem]

12. Because Fox News and Rush Limbaugh Would Erase Them

And its because of the power of Rupert Murdoch's vast media empire that we have blue dogs. Until we have a huge liberal corporate media conglomorate, there will not be any red dogs.

[timeforpeace]

13. They've got Ron Paul, a one-man Red Dog Coalition who splits their base.

[TheMightyFavog]

14. What about Olympia Snowe?

And other Moderate Republicans from New Hamphire, Maine, and Vermont?

[spanone]

17. there are only a few and they are not organized to oppose their own party

blue dogs

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)

[timeforpeace]

15. And Susan Collins. Lincoln Chafee in the old days.

[cleveramerican]

18. the gang of 14

or something like that

[Tim01]

19. They are called RINOs, and they are hated same as DINOs. You don't know this?

And the repubs have RINOs for the same reasons dems have DINOs.

Some areas are so liberal there would be no repubs without RINOs.

[customerserviceguy]

20. They have them, they just don't have a colorful name for them

As has been mentioned, the Senators from Maine are definitely to the left of the average GOPer in just about every way. There are also Rethug Senators who are pro-amnesty on illegal immigration, much to the consternation of mainline Pubbies, such as John McCain and Lindsey Graham. And there are Senators from blue or purple states like Sens. Lugar, Hagel, Demenici, Voinovich, and Warner, who sometimes give them fits.

I'm not particularly familiar with too many names in the House, but I do remember living in Western Washington State, and the local GOP had managed to gerrymander the greater Seattle area in such a way that Jim McDermott had the central core of Seattle (and would win by large margins) so that the country-club Republicans could have a fair shot at winning in the suburbs. It worked every once in awhile, and I know those GOPers were a source of frustration for the wingnuts.

I would imagine that pattern has worked its way in other states that have a Democratic-leaning big city but are in a Repuke-controlled state that can figure out exactly where to put the boundaries of a district.