"Blue Dogs Ask Pelosi For No 'Delay' Or Changes To 'Essential' Tax Deal"

[Clio the Leo]

Blue Dogs Ask Pelosi For No 'Delay' Or Changes To 'Essential' Tax Deal
First Posted: 12-14-10 09:19 PM | Updated: 12-14-10 09:19 PM

WASHINGTON -- A major swath of the conservative Democratic Blue Dog caucus has written a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for neither "delay" nor changes to the "essential" deal struck by President Obama and congressional Republicans on extending the Bush tax cuts.

The letter was passed to The Huffington Post by a somewhat distressed aide, who noted that somewhere between 27 and 31 members have signed on already.

<snip>

That only half (or slightly more) of the 54 members of the Blue Dog caucus signed the letter is, in a way, a reflection of how the debate over the tax deal struck by Obama has splintered all facets of the Democratic House. And yet, for proponents of the deal, it's more than promising. Should Republicans congressmembers support the bill en masse it would only need 39 Democratic votes for passage.

On Tuesday, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) -- one of the deal's chief critics -- summarize the sentiment beginning to prevail throughout the caucus when he told The Hill: "It is academic, OK. The bottom line is that it is a fast moving train and that has become clear and Washington is doing what it is finding easy to do."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/blue-dogs-ask-pelosi-for-_n_796843.html

[Exilednight]

1. The blue dogs like Obama are starting to sound more and more like

Bush. "Let's keep spending while giving tax cuts to the rich."

[sciencewins]

2. As Expected. This Bill is just too Sweet! Congratz to the Super-Rich!

Massive bailout to the rich and a clear set up to destroy social security is in place...2012 is going to be a heck of an interesting time
:popcorn:

[DCKit]

3. Nancy needs to abandon the Blue Dogs in favor of a political career. nt

[Hawkeye-X]

4. The Blue Dogs can bark in a corner

They've suffered massive losses, so they should sit in the corner and STFU.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. Your Logic Is Impeccable

They were replaced by Republicans who will pass a more onerous bill when they are in the majority in less than three weeks...

[Hawkeye-X]

13. Please refer to Harry Truman's famous quote.

I would rather vote for a progressive than vote for someone who's too far to the right

[TheKentuckian]

16. So what? Veto it.

[LiberalFighter]

5. Which of the 27-31 Blue Dogs signed the letter?

The ones that won re-election or lost?

[Supersedeas]

11. that's worthy of much more analysis for sure

[totodeinhere]

6. It will probably need more than need 39 Democratic votes for passage.

Several GOP House members have said that they will vote against it.

Wouldn't it be ironic if a coalition of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans got together to kill this bill?

That also would be bipartisanship wouldn't it?

[harun]

8. Pelosi to Blue Dogs, "Go file for unemployment".

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. They Will Only Get Twenty Six Weeks To Find A Job If Some Have Their Way

But they are infinitely, infinitely, infinitely more fortunate than their fellow unemployed Americans because presumably most of them are rich and well connected unlike their fellow unemployed Americans.

[harun]

10. And being Blue Dog's they will have posh lobbying jobs waiting for them.

[polichick]

19. LOL

[robcon]

12. The Blue dogs are right.

n/t

[Hawkeye-X]

14. No, they're not.

They are irrelevant at this point. 75% of the membership of the Blue Dog Caucus was defeated.

I refer to you the famous Harry S. quote

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. If You Prefer A Small Homogeneous Party To A Larger Heterogeneous One

That's your right but don't complain when the Republican House doesn't pass one piece of progressive legislation.

[Hawkeye-X]

17. Instead of TPTB on the national level dictating who we should run - we, the people, pick

fairly on our selection and deemed progressive, what's wrong with that?

[Ganja Ninja]

18. I prefer a united traditionally liberal Democratic party.

Let the blue dogs run as the Republicans they are. They're the reason the last 2 years have been an utter failure for the Democrats. I would rather lose and let the Republicans own their failures than share the blame because a small minority of DINO's turned their back on on the rest of us and sided with the GOP. The big tent isn't working. Why can't you see how obvious that is?

This country is neither right or left. It politically swings back and forth depending on the performance of the party in charge. In 2008 the country took a big swing back to the left. The blue dogs have squandered that opportunity in just 2 years. As long as the Democratic party carries a republican contingent in it's own ranks they can never truly offer an alternative to the GOP.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. Look At LBJ's And FDR's Majorities

How many of them were unreconstructed bigots and segregationists?

And look at all the progressive legislation they passed...

[Ganja Ninja]

21. Does everything have to be a history lesson?

Can't you just look at the problem and see what's wrong?

The Republicans are voting in lock step. That's their strategy. They'll keep doing that until they're beaten. The only way to do that is for the Democrats to vote in lock step too until they break them. If they had stuck together during the first year of Obama's term they would probably have done that. When a party suffers defeat after defeat they begin to question their leadership and some will revolt and go their own way. Instead of breaking the Republican party the blue dogs have broken the Democratic party and now we're questioning our leadership.

[w4rma]

22. Didn't half of them just get purged? I guess they didn't learn their lesson. (nt)