More...
 

Blue Dog Democrats

Pelosi Nixes Health Care Deal With Blue Dogs, Prepares For Floor Vote

The Hill | Mike Soraghan | Posted 11.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Pelosi Public Option, Pelosi Healthcare, Public Option, Blue Dog Democrats Healthcare, Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi Medicare, Healthcare Reform, Blue Dog Democrats, Health Care, Healthcare, Politics News

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is nixing a deal she cut with centrists to advance health reform, said a source familiar with negotiations. Pelosi's decision to...

Read Whole Story

Why Olympia Snowe Should Vote Against the Baucus Plan

Robert Reich | Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Olympia Snowe Health Care, Robert Reich, Olympia Snowe, Health Care Reform, Max Baucus, Obama Health Care, Health Care, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Robert Reich

Here's what's likely to happen if Snowe signs on to the Baucus bill, and if she doesn't. The next few weeks are crucial.

Read Post

With a Health Care Plan This Insane, Who Needs Wingnuts?

Bob Cesca | Posted 11.16.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Option, Centrist Democrats, Kent Conrad, Health Care Reform, Max Baucus, Moderate Democrats, Joe Lieberman, Health Insurance, Conservadems, Health Care, Obama Health Care, Healthcare, Larry David, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Bob Cesca

Baucus' entire goal was to construct a bipartisan plan. Mission accomplished. Insofar as both parties hate it. He tailored his plan to appeal to the Republicans who, as it turns out, don't support the plan anyway.

Read Post

Democrats Divided Over Waxman's Plan To Grill Insurance Executives

The Hill | Jared Allen | Posted 11.16.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Option, President Obama, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance Industry, Henry Waxman, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Blue Dog Democrats, Waxman Insurance Hearings, Health Insurance Hearings, Transparency, Politics News

Democrats are split over Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Calif.) plan to hold high-profile hearings to pressure the insurance industry. Some are convinced tha...

Read Whole Story

Baucus Co-Op Plan "Authored" By Ex-Insurance Industry VP

Campaign Silo | Jane Hamsher | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: White House, Mike Ross, Public Option, Rahm Emanuel, Lobbyists, Healthcare Cooperatives, Kent Conrad, PhRMA Lobby, Max Baucus, American Medical Association, Healthcare Reform, Blue Dog Democrats, Wellpoint, Politics News

When Max Baucus circulated his draft plan earlier this week, the PDF documentation page (image) indicates that the "author" was ex-Wellpoint VP Liz Fo...

Read Whole Story

How to Lobby a Blue Dog

Jim Jaffe | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Option, Blue Dogs, Health Care Reform, Obama Administration, Medicare, Health Insurance, Barack Obama, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Jim Jaffe

Near as I can tell, not a single Blue Dog democrat has seen the light and decided to vote for the public option. So allow me to suggest something different. The outcome can't be any worse.

Read Post

Public Option Likely Popular In Most Blue Dog Districts: Nate Silver

FiveThirtyEight | Nate Silver | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Mike Ross, Jim Cooper, Public Option, Healthcare Reform, President Obama, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News

Yesterday, Arkansas' Mike Ross, an influential Blue Dog Democrat, stated that he was opposed to a public option in the Democrats' health care reform p...

Read Whole Story

Why Obama Won August: Ambinder

The Atlantic | Marc Ambinder | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: White House, Senate Finance Committee, Public Option, President Obama, PhRMA Lobby, Max Baucus, Democrats, Healthcare, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News

At the beginning of the month, I predicted that August might turn out be a bloodbath for Democrats. At the time, the Democratic self-containment on he...

Read Whole Story

Crunch Time for the Democrats

Hoyt Hilsman | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: White House, 2010 Elections, Liberals, Progressives, President Obama, Congress, Right Wing, Democratic Party, Democrats, Barack Obama, Talk Radio, Protest, Health Care Reform, Republicans, Republican Party, Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Tea Party, Right-Wing Extremism, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Hoyt Hilsman

Leaders of the liberal wing of the party -- not necessarily the elected leadership of the House -- must use their powers of persuasion and their skills in compromise to sway the debate in favor of change, most critically with progressive voters.

Read Post

Top Adviser Calls On President Obama To Be More Bold

Politico | Ben Smith | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Michelle Obama, Gay Rights, Steve Hildebrand, Tom Daschle, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Democratic Leadership, Health Care Legislation, Obama Campaign, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News

One of President Barack Obama's former top campaign advisers is "losing patience" with the White House, he told POLITICO Tuesday morning, as frustrati...

Read Whole Story

Blue Dog Democrat Comes Out Against Public Option

AP | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Mike Ross Public Option, Blue Dogs Public Option, Mike Ross, Blue Dog, Blue Dog Democrats, Blue Dog Democrat, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A leader of a pivotal group of moderate House Democrats says he can no longer support a new public insurance plan in a health overh...

Read Whole Story

Wall Street Journal: "Glenn Beck Counts For More At the Obama White House" Than the Progressive Movement

David Sirota | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Glenn Beck, Wall Street Journal, 2012 Elections, Van Jones, Afghanistan, Green Jobs, David Sirota, Blue Dog Democrats, Barack Obama, Karl Rove, Editorials, Mitt Romney, Cnn, Fox News, Fox, Health Care, Politics News
David Sirota

The White House answers more to Glenn Beck than it does to the progressive base of the Democratic Party that got them into the White House in the first place.

Read Post

The Prince and the Wise Man

Michael Gene Sullivan | Posted 10.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Compromise, Glenn Beck, Obama, Bipartisanship, Rush Limbaugh, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Michael Gene Sullivan

That President Obama always seems surprised the right wing will do anything to destroy him reminds me of an old story.

Read Post

Health Care - Like Education - a Public Good

Sandy Maisel | Posted 10.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Phil Gingrey, Education, Charles Grassley, Blue Dog Democrats, Olympia Snowe, Politics News
Sandy Maisel

How can we be proud as a nation that we have universal, free public education, but not health care? Can that possibly make sense?

Read Post

Let's put a Saddam Mustache on Climate Change

Mike Sandler | Posted 10.19.2009 | Green

Read More: Climate Change, 350.Org, American Clean Energy and Security Act, Blue Dog Democrats, Green News
Mike Sandler

I find it surprising how different the political discourse was around invading Iraq in 2003 from today's political discourse around climate change.

Read Post

New York Times Challenging Itself to Get Worse at Being a Newspaper

John Knefel | Posted 10.18.2009 | Media

Read More: Media Criticism, New York Times, Senate Finance Committee, Blue Dog Democrats, John Knefel, Media News
John Knefel

The problem with the public's perception of a public option is that many are completely misinformed by the media, who when it isn't actively distorting the debate, is playing the role of lazy stenographer.

Read Post

Spineless Dems or a Dem-Trifecta Driven Filibuster-Proof Congress and a Media Carrot

Rob Kall | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Filibuster-Proof Majority, Democratic-Spinelessness, Max Baucus, Harry Reid, Mary Landrieu, Single Payer, Barack Obama, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Rob Kall

If Obama and Harry Reid don't "spine up," they will deserve to lose their next elections.

Read Post

Why Jim Marshall Won't Read H.R. 3200?

Terry Humphrey | Posted 09.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Legislation, Marshall Health Care, H.R. 3200, Politics, Blue Dogs, Jim Marshall, Health Care Reform, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Terry Humphrey

I thought it was important to find out how Jim Marshall could justify voting against H.R. 3200 without reading it.

Read Post

Dem Rep. Marshall: I Haven't Read the Health Care Bill And I Won't Vote For It

HuffPost's Eyes & Ears | Terry Humphrey | Posted 09.27.2009 | Politics

Read More: Blue Dogs, Health Care Reform, Jim Marshall, Marshall Town Hall, Marshall Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News

Terry Humphrey reported from Warner Robbins, Georgia, as part of HuffPost's Eyes & Ears Town Hall Watch. Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) held his second t...

Read Whole Story

Dem Rep. Marshall: I Haven't Read the Health Care Bill, But I Won't Vote For It.

Terry Humphrey | Posted 09.27.2009 | Politics

Read More: Jim Marshall, Town Hall Meetings, Blue Dogs, Health Care Reform, Marshall Town Hall, Marshall Health Care, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Terry Humphrey

Marshall said that he hadn't read H.R. 3200 because he knew it didn't meet his criteria for health care reform and therefore he wasn't going waste his time.

Read Post

So You Want Health Care Reform? Boycotting Whole Foods Won't Help

Dave Murphy | Posted 09.27.2009 | Home

Read More: John Mackey, Whole Foods, Organic Food, Health Care Reform, Food, Facebook, Health Food, Health Care, Blue Dog Democrats, Home News
Dave Murphy

A boycott of Whole Foods won't make a difference on health care, and it might actually hurt something progressives care about -- organic and natural farmers.

Read Post

Rep. Griffith Panders to Reform Detractors at Town Hall

Matt Osborne | Posted 09.27.2009 | Politics

Read More: Griffith Health Care, Parker Griffith, Griffith Town Hall, Blue Dogs, Griffith Alabama, Griffith Public Option, Town Hall Meetings, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Matt Osborne

The first-term congressman later spoke of closing off the Mexican border. Over the course of the town hall, he made a series of such spurious statements, each time winning the audience's agreement.

Read Post

Rise of the Republicants

Bruce Tenenbaum | Posted 09.24.2009 | Politics

Read More: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Joseph Lieberman, Health, Health Care Reform, The Future, Glenn Beck, Health Care, Blue Dog Democrats, Republicans, Republicants, Politics News
Bruce Tenenbaum

We, the people of the future, need your urgent assistance. We are writing to you from the rubble of our once promising republic, the United States of America, destroyed by Republicants.

Read Post

10 Reasons We Need a Public Option

Ben Cohen | Posted 09.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Public Option, Health Care, Barack Obama, Progressives, Blue Dog Democrats, Politics News
Ben Cohen

Real health care reform cannot happen without a public option, and we need a constant reminder of exactly what we are fighting for. Here are the top 10 reasons why there must be a public insurance option.

Read Post

Turn Up the Heat on the Insurance Industry

Peter Dreier | Posted 09.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Evan Bayh, Boards of Directors, Lobbying, President Barack Obama, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance Industry, Wellpoint, Max Baucus, America's Health Care Plans, Susan Bayh, Blue Dog Democrats, Campaign Contributions, Angela Braly, Politics News
Peter Dreier

A few hundred people serve on the boards of the nation's largest health insurance companies. They, the industry they serve, and the politicians who do their bidding, need to be held accountable.

Read Post