Saturday, November 06, 2010

Blue Dog Democrats Get Asses Kicked

The right wing did very well in the mid term elections. The Democrats in the House of Representatives have gotten more progressive and liberal. This is because so many of the Blue Dog Democrats lost their cushy jobs and were sent packing. Out of a prior 54, only 23 of them still have their jobs.

It makes sense. Among Democrats there has been general concern that President Obama's actions, as opposed to his rhetoric, were timid at very best. Universal Health Care became Cost Control. Ending the wars morphed into radically increasing troop levels and military funding. Financial industry re-regulation ended up being timorous at best. The Obama administration seemed intimidated and browbeaten by the big money of the bankers and Wall Street. His legislation to keep people in their homes, when their home is now worth half of what they owe on their mortgage, has been a complete failure. He has been an absolute disaster for the gays and the environmental community. His tenure so far has not supported the working man or Unions. Good talk, very little action - or in many cases even counterproductive action.

So the biggest concern among Democrats has been that Obama's behavior has been quite similar to what one might expect from a Republican President. The right wingers say he is too liberal and progressive, whereas the reality is he incorporated too many of their ideas into his legislation.

These Blue Dogs oppose much of what the Democrats traditionally have believed in. They almost seem like Republicans who are just pretending to be Democrats. It is good that many got sent away. I doubt that the 23 remaining are bright enough to learn the lesson: Support the policies that Democrats want. Decent livable wages, Universal Health Care, pro-Unions, pro-environment, anti war, and genuine support for the nation's workers rather than the greedy bankers and Wall Street.

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