What is the difference between the DLC and the Blue Dogs?

[Writer]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15736316/ <-- Here's an article on the Blue Dog Democrats.

Are they really any different?

P.S. I really am looking for an answer, because I haven't found one. Enlighten me, a'right?

[John Q. Citizen]

1. Abortion.

[slackmaster]

2. The DLC won't bring you your newspaper

OTOH they won't chew up your loafers.

[Jim Sagle]

3. Torture. Most Blue Dogs are pro-torture.

Most DLCers (surprisingly to me) aren't.

[NorthernSpy]

4. the Blue Dogs and the DLC have both been called "conservative", but for different reasons...

DLC: neolibs, possibly with some neocon influence. They want endless "free trade" agreements, and are also sympathetic to the whole "spread democracy" meme. They tend to be more-or-less socially liberal market-worshippers. Rather tolerant of illegal immigrants. An attempt by urban corporate and academic elites to create a sort of GOP-lite. Anti-populists. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) are examples.

Blue Dogs: pro-gun rights, pro-balanced budget amendment; anti-gay marriage, sometimes anti-abortion. More socially or religiously traditionalist than the DLC-types. Scared of debt. Much more skeptical of free trade agreements, more skeptical of wars to "spread democracy", and more sympathetic to expressions of economic populism and nationalism that the DLC would like. May be more rural and further from business and academic elites than the DLCers. Mike Michaud (D-ME) is an example of a Blue Dog.


(and I'm now doomed forever to think of them as Blug Dogs, owing to the typo in OP's title... ;))

[Writer]

5. LOL... typo fixed.

My handle is, in fact, WRITER. ;)

Thanks for the descriptions.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. That's A Great Comparison...

The Blue Dog Democrats are your father's Democrats except for their stand on civil rights...

[Zhade]

7. The DLC pretends to be progressive.

The Blue Dogs admit their conservatism.

The first is deceptive about its place in the political spectrum; the second is not.

[Individualist]

8. You nailed it!

DLC tries to hide behind the labels of moderate or progressive, but hardly anyone is fooled by them. You can tell them by their "let's all get along with the neocons", "don't make waves", etc. talking points.

[goodhue]

9. different organizations, different members

Blue Dogs is caucus of members of Congress. The Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1994. They are largely from rural agricultural areas. They tend to be anti-abortion, and pro-NRA.

DLC is an organization founded in 1985 by Al From. DLC has a New Democrat Coalition caucus in Congress since 1997. It is moderate to conservative largely in economic policies, rather than social policies.