Republicans are not alone in opposing the policies America needs. In virtually every key votes, there were a few DINOs, in thrall to their corporate masters, willing to goose step with the Republican Party against the American people. They helped obstruct. They helped delay. They helped prevent key elements of Democratic legislation, such as the public option and the reinstatement of Glass-Steagall. In so doing, they helped give the Republicans a majority in the House. Duplicitous DINOs and bought Bush Dogs take heed. Once the criminal corporations get their way, you are expendable.
In mid-2009, the 52 conservative House Democrats who made up the Blue Dog Coalition were at the height of their power. Money was rolling in – especially from the health care, energy, and financial services industries looking to curry favor with a key voting bloc in expectation of legislation proposed by the Obama White House.
Through the first six months of that year, the Blue Dog political action committee (Blue Dog PAC) was on pace to shatter its fundraising record, and political observers were anointing the Blue Dogs as congressional kingmakers.
But a new Center for Public Integrity analysis shows that many of these budding relationships were short-lived. The Blue Dog PAC raised more than $2.5 million over 2009 and 2010, almost entirely from about 300 other special-interest PACs. But ultimately 58 of these special interest PACs also decided to donate to individual opponents of Blue Dog Coalition members, mostly after May 2010 – following a series of votes on reform legislation affecting the three key sectors which had backed the Blue Dogs so enthusiastically.
Ten of those 58 committees, which had given not just to the Blue Dog PAC, but to individual Blue Dogs, ultimately stopped giving to the PAC entirely, and supported opponents of Blue Dogs. Another PAC donated to both an incumbent Blue Dog and his Republican challenger at about the same time. In these contests, special interests gave about 77 percent of their contributions over the first 17 months of the cycle to the incumbent Blue Dog and about 97 percent of their contributions from June 2010 onward to the GOP challenger. And 16 PACs that had made the maximum annual legal contribution of $5,000 to the Blue Dog PAC in 2007, 2008, and 2009 declined to donate anything to the Blue Dog PAC this year. Whether due to Blue Dog support for legislation these interests opposed – or perhaps due to the turning political tide – the Blue Dogs saw a significant drop in support over the course of 2010.
Less than two years after the Center for Public Integrity launched a series of stories looking at the massive fundraising and clout of the Blue Dog PAC, the coalition is about to find itself stuck in the minority, apparently with just 26 remaining members.
After this month’s Republican rout, the GOP will control at least 242 House seats, a commanding majority. And though the new majority may seek the support of centrist Democrats on some issues, the few remaining Blue Dogs seem likely to find themselves with significantly diminished clout – and PAC investment… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Common Dreams>
In the election, 24 Bush Dogs were defeated. By comparison, the Progressive Caucus lost only 4. I think the fifty state strategy went too far. There is room in the Democratic tent for true moderates, but not for Republicans claiming to be moderate.
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