Oust the Blue Dogs

There are two things I am fed up with in the Democratic Party. Both involve our elected officials. The first is that predominant Dems in power are wishy washy pansies. The second is that conservative Democrats, the Blue Dogs, do not vote party line when it matters. The argument against Democrats this year is that we hold the power. We could pass whatever we wanted. Those are two big arguments against us this election season. Unfortunately, we just don't have any solidarity like Republicans do. There is too much individuality within the Democratic Party. We need to get rid of some dead weight.

While I admit it is a good point to argue against rank and file conservatives by saying our tent covers people who may not agree and vote as a matter of principle over party line, times are dire right now. Things need to get done. Don't Ask Don't Tell is on the table and it may get botched up because of one vote, a Republican from Maine. The health care debate was screwed up by conservadems like Blanche Lincoln and Mary Landrieu. Dems can whine all they want about Republican obstructionists and they'd be right, but our own house needs to get cleaned out too. The notion of an inclusive tent is a ruse and only serves as eye candy so those on the Left can have a talking point. Blue Dogs do not represent us. They are not liberals. They are moderates with problematic conservative stances.

On the flip side, Democratic voters tend to vote their conscience in addition to being party line. For instance, it's usually nothing for a staunch Democrat to cast a protest vote. Democrats are likely going to struggle this fall, so the last thing Democratic elected officials will want to do is piss off voters who have no qualms over voting someone out for being a douchebag who can't get DADT and other key agenda items through Congress. Just like the Tea Party, if you don't vote for what we want, we will get rid of you. We should be doing this to all of the Blue Dogs. Oust them so we can get some work done. On both fiscal and social issues, they are seldom progressive at all. They might as well be Republicans.

Blue Dogs are naively considered the compromising souls between the Left and the Right. Unfortunately, our system does not work under the notion of compromise and legislation winds up getting watered down into ineffectual nothingness or becomes ushered into the wasteland that is a bill that goes nowhere at all. Conservadems are right in the middle of this mess, but in terms of ideas, they should not be considered moderate. Oddly enough, conservative groups run slanderous campaign ads touting most Blue Dogs as Leftists when they are nothing of the sort. Their records show us this much.

If the Tea Party can put the screws to the GOP, surely liberal voters can hang conservative Democrats out to dry. Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Tim Kaine, and yes, even Barack Obama can all start cracking some skulls. We cannot rely on moderate Republicans to vote in our favor. The Republican leadership has them on a short leash. On the Left, there is no leash. We need to crack the whip and then strap a choker chain on some of these Democrats. If they don't want to be chained, suggest to them that they should retire their political career so we may vote in someone new.

Blanche Lincoln: Twisted Political Meaning

Blanche Lincoln is a conservative Democrat running to keep her seat in Arkansas. Anyone who followed the health care debate is familiar with this woman. She was just one of many so called "Democrats" holding up the process. Her reputation at the time was that of a member of Congress whose seat was in trouble.

Now that elections are coming, all the ads and commentary surrounding Blanche Lincoln are being twisted to fit some sort of anti-incumbency/anti-Obama agenda. Let's bring the nuts back to reality for a moment.

Her job was already in peril. From what most pundits said during the HCR debate, she was screwed and her attempts at opposing HCR were merely for show to save her job. Her present uphill battle has nothing to do with being an incumbent or being a Democrat. It has everything to do with things she did during her term in Congress.

The sad thing is, the media hasn't framed her in this light since the HCR debate. Somehow, her predicted loss is being used as a political ploy to convince the rest of America that people are coming after Democrats in the 2010 elections. While many other Democrats are facing battles in their home states, Blanche Lincoln is not one of the primary targets, even if they are building her up into one. When she loses her job, we should not interpret the result as a reflection on President Obama. It is simply a reflection of her inability to represent her constituents effectively.

Come on now people. Get a clue. This is all election fluff.