they worry about the economics of that veterans' bill. Yet they are not really concerned about going along with providing funds for continuing the war endlessly.
Blue Dogs Ought To Be Red-FacedNot so fast, because the part they are raising fiscal responsibility objectives about is…wait for it, because it’s really going to infuriate you…education benefits for veterans. Where was this sort of ethic from Blue Dogs when the Bush administration was asking for billions to be handed over to venal, wasteful, no-bid contract-winning war profiteers?
“Some of us oppose creating a new entitlement program in an emergency spending bill, whether it’s butchers, bakers or candlestick-makers,” said Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), a founding member of the Blue Dog Coalition who serves on the House leadership team as a deputy whip. The so-called GI Bill of Rights, authored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), would give veterans money for college and cost $720 million in its first two years. But critics say that could grow to billions in future years.”
Two comments: First, thank goodness for Webb. Second, I’m going to keep saying this until it starts to sink in: Since Reconstruction, the Blue Dog element within the Democratic Party has gone from dominant majority, to significant minority to what it is today -- a declining coalition of conflicted complainers. Among the blessings of building a non-southern Democratic majority is that there is greater intraparty ideological cohesion, thus marginalizing Blue Dogs and their hand-wringing interference with emerging liberal project.
Last night it was posted that the Blue Dogs were holding off endorsing in the presidential race. The ones in Florida especially annoy me a lot.
Blue Dog Democratic superdelegates holding out endorsing in Florida."Most of us represent districts that are in large part independent, moderate districts," said Rep. Allen Boyd, a Blue Dog co-chairman from Monticello, near Tallahassee, who remains uncommitted. Some of them have a real good, heavy Republican bent. A lot of them are districts that President Bush won. And in an election, there's no mandate to make a decision until the election comes about."
Not worried about appealing to Democrats, more concerned about the right wing votes. That's Florida for you.
Many are like Rep. Tim Mahoney, a freshman Blue Dog from Palm Beach Gardens whose district runs from the Atlantic Ocean through the conservative, rural interior to Port Charlotte on the Gulf Coast. Mahoney won with just 49.5 percent of the vote in 2006, even though his Republican predecessor, Rep. Mark Foley, resigned in disgrace just weeks before the election. Bush won the district by 10 percentage points in 2004, and Republicans have high hopes for retaking the seat this year. Clinton and Obama each have sought Mahoney's support, but he's not hitching his wagon to either.
"Hillary is very popular in places like Palm Beach, but when you get out to Okeechobee, it's a different story," Mahoney explained
Seems to me they have the mindset of no party loyalty, like they are in a no man's land in between the two. Loyalty goes to what they need to win.
They are willing to fund Bush's war forever with no accountability, but about 700 million for veterans' education....they will not go along with that. They draw the line there.
I heard Rachel Maddow ranting about this as I was getting this post ready. I feel the same way she does.
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