Who Are the Blue Dog Democrats?

Leave it to Salon to turn against their own. The link leads to a new article on Salon.com about the Blue Dog Democrats. The Blue Dogs are sort of the democrat's version of the religious right- they're a group of 50 congressmen and women who don't vote the party line and stand up for conservative values like balancing the budget and border security. The Blue Dog coalition identifies candidates in close races and districts traditionally held by republicans who exemplify the Blue Dog's values and backs them financially so they can compete with their republican challengers. Not suprisingly, with the support of the Blue Dogs these candidates often win.

These guys don't look like your Hyde Park Obama set- their campaign ads feature things like hunting and trucks in an effort to appeal to their constituents as "one of them"- someone with conservative values and blue collar tastes. It's not surprising that voters are responding to candidates that make an effort not to be their all-knowing savior but to be one of their own, looking out for their best interests.

Democrats are outraged that 50 of their guys do the unthinkable- sometimes support the Bush administration. It's interesting to me that in a campaign year that seems to be based on crossing party lines and upsetting the status quo democrats would be expressing such outrage when some of their guys do just that- cross party lines and vote their conscience, not the party line. It might upset some Democrats paradigms to know that we're not kidding when we say America leans more right than it does left. Given a choice between a liberal democrat and a more conservative one, the majority of Americans- those working class folks Obama is having so much trouble with- would pick the conservative one.

I think what these guys are doing is brilliant. If I can't have a republican majority in congress I'll gladly take 50 congressmen and women who are democrat only in name, conservative in spirit.