In true full Broderism, the likes of Reps. Allen Boyd, Dennis Moore, and Mike Ross are trumpeting their moderating influences on the Democratic party in today's Roll Call [subscription]. Here's a choice bit from Boyd:
"Let's face it, we all know that both parties, in large part, are controlled by extremes that in some cases are different from what we might represent in the middle," Boyd said. "We don't think the Speaker's philosophy or her particular district's philosophy is important. What we think is important is the management style she uses. How she is inclusive with us, how she acts."
We all know that Nancy Pelosi is an extremist? Only Allen Boyd and his band of 44 Blue Dogs represent the middle? The remaining 190 Dems are a bunch of far-left whacked out extremists? Yes, Allen Boyd, because you have such a positive attitude toward your party and because you are so helpful to the Democratic cause, by all means, Speaker Pelosi should include you. Just think about what you did for us on Social Security. You were so absolutely helpful on that one, being the only Democrat to support Bush's Social Security privatization plan. What a triumph of moderation and bipartisanship that one was.
In all seriousness, the arrogance with which Allen and his merry band of Blue Dog Dems are approaching their role in the party is an obvious problem for leadership. Consider this:
On a recent weekday afternoon, leaders of the moderate group gathered in the office of Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), the coalition's communications chairman, to discuss their place in the new majority, as well as their aims for the 110th Congress. In addition to Ross and Moore, the group included Democratic Reps. Allen Boyd (Fla.), the group's administration chairman, Stephanie Herseth (S.D.), the group's whip, and John Tanner (Tenn.), a co-founder of the Blue Dogs and a current co-chairman of its political action committee.
"I think one of the things that's different now, I think there was a time when Blue Dogs were looked at by some Democrats as though perhaps they weren't really Democrats and I think that's no longer the case," Ross said.
"I think people are recognizing that not only do we represent the middle, which is where we believe the American people are and certainly where we are, I think people within our own Caucus now recognize that we have created the majority and that we have done some pretty heavy lifting as a group to ensure that Democrats did regain a majority...."
In addition, Boyd asserted that Democratic leadership has "been very inclusive when it comes to the committee assignments. They have been very inclusive when it comes to consulting us on legislation. We meet with them on a regular basis."
Did we become a parliamentary government while America wasn't looking? Do we now have a coalition government in which this splinter group of Democrats, a minority of the voting bloc, can work against the will of the majority to gum up the works?
But wait, it gets better:
"We think this is the group that represents where the greatest bloc of Americans are — toward that big middle. Not far left, not far right, but that big middle, that's going to be able to get things done," he added. "And it's going to have to be done on a bipartisan basis."
Did they learn nothing from the previous 12 years in the wilderness? This is not a Republican party interested in bipartisanship. The Bush administration is not interested in working with any Democrats. The Republican party and the Bush administration is interested in using the Blue Dogs as a wedge in the Democratic majority. They are using the Blue Dogs to further nothing but the Republican cause.
The Blue Dog Dems are kidding themselves if they think they are on the vanguard of the new Democratic party--the Democrats didn't so much win in many of these districts as the Republicans lost, and the Republicans lost in large part because of the absolutely disastrous Iraq war. A war which the American people expect a new Democratic Congress to do its utmost to get us out of. And how do they repay that trust the American people have given them? They work actively to derail the Murtha plan, a plan which, btw, a majority of the American public supports!
The Blue Dogs have led the way on some important fiscal issues, taking the lead on pay-as-you-go funding limitations being passed in the first 100 hours. They should stick with the fiscal issues, those core issues for them. And stay the hell out of the Iraq debate if they can do nothing more than splinter the caucus.
