I don't make predications, but the midterm elections aren't going to be pretty for a lot of moderate Democrats. The loss of these centrist Democrats - known as the Blue Dogs - may also mean lost control of the House of Representatives.
Anyone who has been following my blog on the Huffington Post knows that I believe that what is bad for the Blue Dogs is also bad for the progressives. Why you may ask? It's very simple; retaining Blue Dogs in swing congressional districts are the key to keeping control of Congress and all the benefits that come with being in the majority.
While there are some Blue Dogs in key positions of power in the House, many of the most powerful positions are held by prominent progressives. These include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the chairmen of several very influential congressional committees, including: Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Judiciary, Financial Services and Appropriations. Being chairman allows the majority -- currently, Democrats -- to call hearings, launch investigations and even issue subpoenas for witnesses and relevant information that companies or government agencies won't give up nicely. Today, the Republicans on those committees cannot do any of those things. Having been in Congress, trust me, having that power means a lot.
Something else to consider, on the House side, only the majority can bring legislation to the House Floor for an up or down vote. This means that many bills important to progressives simply won't ever have a chance of becoming law because the Republican Speaker of the House simply won't allow it.
What else does Republican control of the House of Representatives mean? It means investigations of the Obama administration, some of which will be nothing more than political witch hunts. So rather than the President and his team working to pass their legislative agenda, they will be fighting off political attacks from Capitol Hill (remember the impeachment of President Clinton?). It also means that powerful committee chairman will hold hearing and advance legislation that will seek to undue or weaken many important Democratic priorities like Healthcare Reform or efforts to fight to improve the environment. In other words, control of Congress is no small potatoes.
Reading the comments posted on some of my previous columns, I kept seeing people say that Blue Dogs are bad for Democrats and that not having them around would be better for the party. Well, if we lose the House of Representatives, it will be precisely because many of those Blue Dogs have been replaced by extremely conservative Tea Party supported candidates. This won't be good news for progressives, and frankly, it won't be good news for our country either.
The basic fact of the matter is that if Conservative Democrats (both in the congress and in the Obama administration) hadn't crippled the stimulus, the economy would be in better shape and unemployment would be lower. With a better economy the Democratic party wouldn't be facing a loss of their majority.
Above all else it is the economy which matters. Would Blue Dogs have supported a second stimulus? Would Blue dogs have supported massive aid to the states? Would Blue Dogs have supported an out and out jobs program, with Big Government acting as an employer of last resort? We all know the answers to those questions are all NO, and that is why the Blue Dogs need to be driven out of the Democratic party.
As we are seeing in the Tea Party, even a wild left wing progressive could have been elected in those Blue Dog districts when the voters were tired of the GOP. Instead of change, those poor voters got GOP lite which was no difference except to career politicians.
The Blue Dog Democrats are little more than a poison pill who block real reform, they will not be missed. The Democratic Party needs higher standards than simply being the lessor of two evils.
I feel like I have been mugged by Corporate America and held for ransom, just to get some votes. To he&& with that.
If this country needs more pain in order to understand what reality really is, then so be it.
Besides, if we just do our duty as citizens and go vote, we will lose nothing. These polls have people spinning, and it really is a massive game. Scare you into thinking all is lost if you don't go vote, because they know low Democratic turnout will be a disaster.
Have some faith in the people that understand the difference between reality and fantasy, we certainly did yesterday.
We don't need a "big tent" party just for the sake of maintaining control of Congress. Instead, what this country needs are parties that stand for distinct views on the issues, so that a voter knows what he/she is likely to get when a particular party is voted into office.
At the moment, we have two main parties that are similar in their support for policies that benefit big business and the rich at the expense of small businesses and wage earners. Assuming the Republican Party will continue to be on the side of big business and the rich, we need a Democratic Party (or another party if the Democrats aren't willing to assume the role) that will consistently support policies and programs designed to have a beneficial impact, particularly in the long term, on small businesses and wage earners.
They are in effect a third party which has a similar but separate agenda from the mainstream of the party.
They are responsible for the failure of several important Democratic goals and initiatives, and for the watering down to ineffectiveness of some entire bills.
They ought to have been called on the carpet by Obama during the health care struggle and jawboned into compliance as Kennedy or Johnson would have done.
They are a self seeking self serving group that often act as enemies of the Democratic party's platform and ideals.
In short, we need to send all the Blue Dogs to the Pound
It is possible to be a conservative Democrat isn't it? The next few months will tell whether the Blue Dogs are worth their salt. Their opposition to Nancy Pelosi has been an eye opener. None of them can do the hardest job in Washington (besides the Presidents) and one wonders if they don't want a woman in that position of if they are really DINO's.