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I’ve long said, “The South is gonna rise again,” meaning precisely that it’d be the Southern Conservative Democrats who’d one day take over and bring the Democratic Party back to relevancy. That “rise” certainly appears to be within sight now.
With the mid-term election of 2006, “Blue Dog” or Conservative Democrats, most from down South or out West, became a force within the Democratic party.
Since that election, nearly a quarter of the Congressional Democrats are now Blue Dog Democrats!
The May 3rd special election in Louisiana to fill the seat vacated by Republican Richard Baker, brought Don Cazayoux (pictured above), yet ANOTHER pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro-border enforcement “Blue Dog” Democrat into the mix!
In an upcoming battle (Tuesday May 13, 2008) in Mississippi’s First Congressional District, ANOTHER “Blue Dog” Democrat, Travis Childers may beat Republican challenger Greg Davis.
But the question the media asks is, “But how much influence can conservative Southerners such as Cazayoux really have on a House leadership headed by liberal Speaker Nancy Pelosi,” hoping the answer is “very little.”
But the facts indicate otherwise. As the size of the Conservative Democratic contingent grows, so does their influence within that Party!
As with the Republican Conservatives, we will have to take the good with the bad. Don Cazayoux crows about his supporting “the strongest anti-abortion Bill in the country,” and insists that the Blue Dogs are intent on overturning Roe v Wade, and not merely “tinkering around the edges, as the Republicans did.”
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the Democrats wind up responsible for overturning Roe?
Mind you, as I’ve said many times, I support abortion on demand UNTIL such time as that fetus/child can survive outside the womb, because a parent who does not want to be a parent, is by definition, an “unfit parent,” at least at that time.
Add to that, the fact that slightly over 40% of the abortions carried out in America are among the 12% of the population that is indigent and you can see that Roe has had a somewhat eugenic impact upon the country, as noted by Stephen Levitt (author of Freakonomics). Still, Roe is "bad law," just as was the fifty state ban on Capital Punishment that was overturned shortly after it passed. Issues like abortion and Capital Punishment should be decided at the State level.
Beyond that, these “Blue Dog” Democrats seem poised to make fiscal accountability a lynch pin of their agenda.
“The biggest effect is that this is going to strengthen the hand of the Blue Dogs as far as calling for fiscal responsibility. You are going to have more guys who have come from an environment where they’ve had to live within their means, and who made pledges back home that we’ve got to get back to living within our means.”
“We’ve already had a tremendous impact,” said another Blue Dog Democrat, Rep. Lincoln Davis of Tennessee. “The Democratic caucus for the first time established paygo (pay-as-you-go) policies. Those of us who agree with paygo will constantly be a thorn in the side of any leadership who wants to change that or ignore it.”
THIS, as they say, is going to be GOOD!
6 comments:
hey there my friend!..indeed ..sweet irony!..ty for dropping in at WHT!:)
One of the best things to come out of Rahm Emmanuel's and Chuck Schumer's "Big Tent" Democratic strategy is the astounding swelling of the ranks of Conservative Democrats!
I'm a CONSERVATIVE.
I've long wanted Conservatives to take a proactive stand and take back organizations like the Democratic Party and the ACLU, which rightfully belong to them.
Under Liberal control those organizations are responsible for much mischief, under Conservative control, they could do much good.
Sorry, JMK, but I don't have the same faith in the Blue Dogs as you do. From where I sit they've been as quiet as church mice and have done nothing to stop their party's headlong rush into anti-American, pro-defeat socialism.
And as for abortion, JMK why do you think that someone who's unfit to be a parent when the unborn baby can't survive outside the womb suddenly becomes a fit parent when the unborn baby can survive outside the womb? I don't get your reasoning on that. Sorry.
Great Article. I consider myself a Blue Dog and I'm happy the Caucus continues to grow. Please join me in asking the Blue Dog congressmen who haven't signed Health Shuler's SAVE Act discharge petition to sign it immediately. Send a fax for free at www.numbersusa.com
Two things Seane-Anna, while you're right that the Blue Dogs haven't actually been a ball of fire to date, that may well be because they're still only about a quarter of the Dems in Congress.
As Brad (below) notes, Heath Schuler's "SAVE Act" is without question an inspired way to go on the issue of ILLEGAL immigration. Tom Tancredo and numerous other Conservatives have signed on, though it is being stymied by the Liberal Democratic hierarchy to this point. The SAVE Act would mandate employer's use of E-Verify nationwide, a system that would verify a social security number in a matter of seconds, thereby drying up the magnet jobs that lure ILLEGAL migrant workers, who'd then self-deport.
The Blue Dogs have also supported renewing the FISA Bill WITH the immunities for the Telecom Companies that cooperate with the government. Again, the Liberal Dems have blocked that.
Seane-Anna, I'm a Conservative first and foremost and I distrust both Liberal Democrats and so-called "Moderate" (a/k/a Liberal) Republicans. God knows they've both let us down and done the country much harm.
I know the emergence of the Blue Dogs, at first blush, seems to split the Conservative base and dilute its strength but I firmly believe that America is such an overwhelmingly Conservative nation that the Blue Dogs could take back the Democratic Party with no ill effects anywhere else.
If nothing else, the Blue Dogs have the leverage to bolt the Democratic party should the Liberal hierarchy disabuse them there....the Democrats wouldn't have won back Congress in 2006 without the Blue Dogs and wouldn't have a majority today without them.
Moreover, the GOP hasn't exactly been Conservative-friendly the last few years. The GOP is largely led by Moderate (socially Liberal) "Country Club" Republicans who cull Conservative votes, while keeping the overall Conservative agenda in check.
As to abortion, I DO feel any parent who doesn't want a child is, at least at that point in time, an "unfit parent."
I make the arbitrary distinction over when I'd cease supporting abortion, based on my non-religious view that "all life is NOT sacred." My Catholic forebears wouldn't be happy about that, but...
The unwilling/unwanting parents DON'T become "fit parents" once the fetus/child reaches that stage, but I'd consider that being, that child to be a fully functioning and independent human being at that point and that child could be put up for adoption to willing and wanting parents upon birth.
I come to that view after considering that, from my perspective, there is no form of child abuse worse than being born into a non-loving, chaotic, &/or dysfunctional home.
That's just my own view on that...though I'm always open to change via new information.
AND never be "sorry" for challenging my views, Seane-Anna. I NEED that. It makes me think!
I THANK you for caring enough to discuss such things with me and for offering your own views, which I've always held in very high regard.
Thanks for the tip and for posting Brad.
I remain a registered Democrat and have always been Conservative (thus "Blue Dog"), and I like a LOT of what the "New Democrats" have done - the SAVE Act, supporting renewing FISA WITH the immunities from prosecution for Telecom Companies that cooperate with federal investigations. THAT cooperation should come with an "implied immunity," in my view.
I will definitely join in and send some faxes.
The ONE area, to date, where I may disagree with the Blue Dogs is over the "Paygo" Plan. I like the idea of covering every new spending increase with cuts, but I don't like the alternative, "or tax increases."
The Liberal Dems will NEVER accept other spending cuts, but will gladly support tax hikes and many Republicans will go along so they can blame the Dems for "hiking taxes" later on.
Even more problematic is the fact that tax rate hikes (especially across the baord income tax rate hikes) tend to REDUCE tax revenues. With the top 10% of income earners already paying over 70% of the income taxes, when tax rates rise, these people (with more disposable income) will merely defer more of their income in tax deferred vehicles, greatly reducing the tax revenues. And the increase in the taxes paid by lower income earners, who don't have much disposable income, won't make up for the drop in revenues among the group that already pays the bulk of the income taxes 9the higher income earers).
Aside from that, I very much LIKE the Blue Dog agenda, and even there, there may well be hope, so long as they keep an open mind on the issue of tax policy.
Thanks again for stopping by.
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