The Blue Dog Coalition is made up of 36 conservative Dems, all of whom are the type of Dems party activists find terribly frustrating for not being nearly liberal enough. They’re also the same Dems Republicans will reach out to when there’s a close vote, because they know the Blue Dogs are prone to break party ranks.
But as subscription-only Roll Call noted today, when it comes to the Republicans’ budget bill, and it’s offensive war on the poor, Blue Dogs know better than to follow the GOP lead.
A band of conservative House Democrats on Tuesday flatly rejected Republican attempts to pressure it into voting for the budget reconciliation measure, saying it will not fall for what it calls a political stunt brought by a party that has heretofore neglected its input on balancing the federal budget.
The 36-member Blue Dog Coalition said it will stand with the rest of the Democratic Caucus in opposing the GOP reconciliation bill that is scheduled to hit the floor Thursday. The announcement came as Chief Deputy Whip Majority Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and four other Republicans were urging the group to support the budget bill and “match action with rhetoric.” […]
[I]n this case, the Blue Dog group accused Cantor and others of engaging in a “last minute attempt” to win support for “an unpopular and irresponsible budget package.”
Rep. John Tanner (Tenn.), a founder of the Blue Dogs, took offense to Republican maneuvers to try to get his group’s support for the reconciliation bill, charging that the GOP has continually failed to practice what it preaches about fiscal discipline. Tanner said the reconciliation measure, which seeks to cut $50 billion from the budget, actually leads to an increase in the deficit because it also allows for $70 billion in additional tax cuts.
“It’s absurd on the face of it,” he said. “We have told them that when they want to get serious and sit down and talk about accountability” we will talk to them. “With a stunt like this,” he added, “it’s hard to take it seriously.”
In fact, the article is filled with angry responses from some pretty conservative House Dems, all of whom can barely contain their disgust for the Republicans’ priorities and budget gimmicks.
There’s always a concern, in the back of many Dems’ minds, that the Blue Dogs are the most likely to switch parties and leave the Dems behind. Fortunately, Republicans have gone so far off the deep end, they’re driving the Blue Dogs right back into the Dem fold.