Blue Dog concerns need to be "assuaged": "America is Centrist. Values are God...and guns...."

[CocoaBeachCoco]

When I think that these are the people we are coddling I could just cry.

WASHINGTON -- In many ways, President Barack Obama's address to Congress on Wednesday was aimed at lawmakers like Georgia Reps. Jim Marshall and Sanford Bishop -- fiscally conservative Democrats who represent rural enclaves and small towns in ideologically moderate to conservative Southern districts.

"In my opinion, the demographics of the Blue Dog Coalition reflect more accurately the demographics of the entire United States of America ," Bishop said. "Most Americans are centrists. Where I come from the values are God, country, family, work and guns, and not necessarily in that order."

During his speech Wednesday night, the president sought to assuage the concerns of the Blue Dogs -- a group of 52 moderate to conservative House Democrats from largely rural or small-town districts -- by highlighting the administration's goals of reigning in spending by eliminating Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Obama also reached out to centrists by scaling back proposed costs to $900 billion over 10 years -- some House estimates had put the plan at $1.2 trillion.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/3310750

[Zoeisright]

1. Apparently their god is the Old Testament god.

You know, the one who did all the smiting and killed babies and animals along with grownups.

And that is NOT a value.

[provis99]

2. Bishop represents Southern rednecks and thinks they are centrist?

Interesting to see how even some "Democrats" are seriously deluded.

[TheKentuckian]

3. It isn't exactly coddeling. They have significant bargaing power

especially in the Senate where they always have 40 "No!" votes backing them up. With that in mind, a small minority in our party has the ability to obstruct anything. Blue dogs don't really need us unless they actually want or are under pressure from home to actually DO something. Their default position is nothing other than crap the Republicans also want like tax cuts, business subsidies, and deregulation.

[mr blur]

4. A gun is a "value"?

Your country is doomed.

[KG]

5. +infinity

[pipoman]

7. No

gun rights, as in second amendment, is important to many. Contrary to the claims of gun control advocates, many, many rural and blue collar Dems value this right. In fact the 1994 election cycle demonstrated the strength of this issue. Obama has been very wise to avoid this issue like the plague that it is.

[DaveinJapan]

6. Lemme get this straight...

"God" and "gun" are values, but nothing about brotherhood, compassion or charity?

Go find that guy the nearest GOP recruiting booth, he needs to sign up there and stop calling himself a fucking Democrat.