Dog Day Afternoon

Well, the fat’s in the fire now — that Socialist weasel, Barack Obama, is hiring and firing over at GM. Or it’s that Communist/Socialist/Fascist Obama — for those who haven’t the wit to know that being all three at once ain’t how it works. This news has put the FOX’s on high alert and the Blue Dogs straining at their corporate chains to get a piece of the Prez. Even crusty old Doug Thompson of Capital Hill Blue is crying the end of America-as-we’ve-known-it, but he doesn’t have another answer — the Man with the Rant ends his op/ed with a shrug.

In this all-fall-down moment, the synthesis of events is fascinating — I read today that the insurance companies, with AIG as their flagship, are in deep doo-doo … and thought about the channeling in the 90s that prophesied their demise and a return of the nation to her own purposes.

No dust bowl and apple selling for us, this time around … but we still don’t know what all this will look like. I think the difference between the 20s and now is in the attitude of the population; when the market broke, back then, the headlines screamed the horror of Wall Street fat cats leaping from the roof tops — early in this meltdown, I received an e-mail with a picture of a guy holding a big sign on Wall Street that said, “Jump you fuckers!”

See! That’s what happens, to take a bit of wisdom from Oliver Twist, when you feed a few generations meat!

This post is part 1 of a larger topic — labor. Today we’ll look at the Blue Dogs … my Senator is one … and their sensibilities. It’s difficult to appreciate these folks from a progressive point of view. They’re DINOs, culturally at least; and cozy with business … representing the loudest and most powerful of their constituents — even though the GOP hard-liner Big Bone calls them ‘lap dogs.’ It’s pretty hard to earn Pub respect when they don’t, deep down, respect themselves.

McCaskill, for instance, has a more liberal nature than most, but I’m reminded of a story I’m told [again and again] from a local mover and shaker that when she lost her senate race awhile back, he told her that she needed to get out into the rural areas and press the flesh. She did … and won the next election. Small business got behind her … here in Missouri, that’s “bidness” … and she’s a strong influence here, keeping the Dem foundations in place at the moment.

But as she parks her butt in the Blue Dog camp, she will be obstructionist to the progressive agenda, along with Evan Bayh and others of his ilk. No agenda here, they say … just slowing up everything and perhaps killing off the ability to move forward in a time of crisis.

Jane Hamshire over at FireDogLake has been working for a couple of years to target the Dogs and replace them with actual liberals. This isn’t a new problem — it’s systemic of the nation moving so far Right it hasn’t found its actual middle. Most of the Senate Blues are listed below — if you want to know who the House Blue Dogs are, go here. These are the weak links in the Progressive camp; they’ve already watered down the proposed budget — and when your people go with the Pubs … who offer no solutions but, embarrassingly, more of the same … all eyes turn to them.

Arlen Specter, by the way, has been playing nicely with the Dems for awhile, breaking the lock-step of Pub loyalty. There was some talk of him joining the Left, as his re-election bid is shaky; he now says he may run Independent … especially since he broke with us to get the labor bill in place; Reid shut the Big Blue Umbrella with a snap.

We’ll look at the battle over the Employee Free Choice Act next post; which the Dogs are, of course, lifting their leg on.

Jude

Bayh: My Group Of Blue Dogs ‘Literally Has No Agenda’ Other Than Blocking Obama’s
Think Progress
3/26/09

Yesterday, MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, and several other progressive groups began running ads urging “moderate” Democratic members of Congress to “get on board with the president’s budget.” The ads are, in part, a response to Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and 14 of his Democratic colleagues who are creating what they call a “moderate coalition that will meet regularly to shape public policy.” Bayh responded to the new ads late yesterday, telling Politico that his group of “moderates” should not be targeted because they have “no agenda”:

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is also unhappy with the friendly fire. Bayh…found himself targeted by an ad accusing him of “standing in the way of President Obama’s reforms.” “We literally have no agenda,” Bayh shot back. “How can they be threatened by a group that has taken no policy positions?”

Bayh’s claim that his group has no agenda is hard to believe. Indeed, as the Wall Street Journal explained yesterday, the group’s “stated goal is to…protect business interests.” Even before the group was officially formed, their efforts dampened a number of progressive policy proposals and they clearly have aspirations to expand their portfolio:

– Shrinking Economic Recovery: The group’s first significant “success” was “paring down the more than $900 billion economic stimulus bill to $787 billion,” reducing the government’s ability to spur economic recovery quickly. [Roll Call, 3/12/2009]

– Preserving The Bush Tax Cuts: Regarding Obama’s plan to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire, Bayh said, “I do think that before we raise revenue, we first should look to see if there are ways we can cut back on spending.” [Politico, 3/3/2009]

– Delaying Cap-and-Trade: Bayh coaltion member, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), explained that the group might “push for a more lenient phase-in period for a cap-and-trade system and revenue-raising offsets to pay for expensive mandates.” [CQ Politics, 3/9/2009]

– Weakening Bankruptcy Protection: Centrist Democrats “forced changes to a House bill that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages, ensuring that the legislation better reflected the concerns of the financial-services industry.” [WSJ, 3/25/09]

If Bayh is to be believed and his new group of moderates “literally have no agenda,” then what exactly are they doing? As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow explained last night, it appears that Bayh and his colleagues have found at least one niche to fill by helping Republicans obstruct the President’s agenda and deny voters the policies they endorsed last November:

Anyone voting against a Democratic agenda voted Republican. Those votes produced a very small Republican minority in Congress. A small minority that now has way more power than they otherwise would because of conservative Democrats deciding to give Republicans as much power as they can.

[Open link to] Watch it: ++

Who Are The Anonymous ‘Three Or Four’ Senators In Bayh’s Blue Dog-Style Coalition?
Think Progres
3/18/09

This morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) discussed the creation of a new group of “moderate” Democratic senators whose goal is to “restrain the influence of party liberals.” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explained the implications of Bayh’s new group, saying “this is the group that will control the outcome politically on what can pass on the Senate floor.”

Bayh explained that his office would be issuing a press release detailing the group and its 15 inaugural members. This press release is now available and explains that the group is “will meet every other Tuesday before the Democratic Caucus lunch to discuss legislative strategies and ideas”:

[T]he Moderate Dems are joined by a shared commitment to pursue pragmatic, fiscally sustainable policies across a range of issues, such as deficit containment, health care reform, the housing crisis, educational reform, energy policy and climate change.

In addition to Bayh, Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) will lead the group. Other members include: Sens. Mark Udall (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mark Begich (D-AK), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

But Bayh also told MSNBC this morning that there are “three or four” members in what he called the “Witness Protection Program.” These members, Bayh explained, are currently attending the group’s meetings but do not wish to be “publicly identified.” Based on press reports, however, ThinkProgress has compiled a list of who might be the three anonymous “moderates.” The following members have been reported as attending Bayh’s meetings in recent weeks, but are not named in today’s press release:

– Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA)
– Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
– Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)

Additionally, Bayh told MSNBC this morning that yesterday’s meeting featured a presentation by Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) on the upcoming budget debate.

Steve Benen observes, “The president — you know, the one who just easily won a national election and enjoys strong approval ratings — will face governing challenges in a Senate in which his own party has 58 (eventually, 59) members. Part of the problem is Republican obstructionism, and part of it is Bayh and the Blue Dogs who feel more comfortable driving with their foot on the brake.”

Update
David Waldman notes that this is not the first time Bayh has tried to organize such a group. Waldman quips, “Yawn. Sun rises in East, Evan Bayh forms ‘moderate coalition.’ Too bad he’s not as moderate in the amount of time he dedicates to making sure people hear how ‘moderate’ he is.” ++

Blue Dogs? Purple Cats with Claws Would Be Better
Sally Kohn, Common Dreams
3/19/09

Am I the only one frustrated that now that we finally have a President who looks out for the greater good of average Americans, his own party won’t join the fight to take the country back from special interests? Yesterday, Indiana centrist Democrat Evan Bayh announced that he and 14 other self-titled “Blue Dog” Democrats have been secretly scheming how to dig a hole around President Obama’s agenda. For instance, neglecting to mention that all their hot air is further threatening the climate and making us all sick, the Blue Dogs want to bury healthcare reform and clean energy policies.

Hasn’t anyone told them that dogs are supposed to be loyal? Or that, as of November 2008, purple is the new blue?

But what really drives me mad is the Democratic party constantly bending over backwards to placate this fringe minority that is more wedded to Wall Street ideology than common sense and the common good. Democrats in Congress rush to prove their tax cutting and deficit watching bona fides to please the Blue Dogs, regurgitating Right wing attack lines on government and insisting that their policies aren’t really that progressive or bold. At a time when the American public handed a strikingly decisive victory to a Democratic president and now holding him aloft with dizzying popularity numbers—including support for a strong government hand in fixing the economy and support for Obama’s multi-pronged agenda - shouldn’t the majority of Democrats feel courageous enough to stiffen their spines and say and do what’s right?

Polls show that the American people think a bigger budget deficit is worth it for spending that jumpstarts our economy. And Christopher Hayes from The Nation has written that the Blue Dog’s signature issue of fiscal responsibility doesn’t even matter to their own constituents-it’s simply code for “centrist”. But at a time when the code itself is being codified into policy, when we need discretionary spending and deficit spending to jump start an economy that is plainly getting worse by the minute, shouldn’t the Blue Dogs be big enough to put petty politics aside for the good of the people? And shouldn’t the rest of the Democrats be bold enough to stand up for strong principles and a strong economy instead of wavering and equivocating each time the Blue Dogs tug at their tether?

Instead of constantly deferring to a small fringe group of ideologues as alpha dogs, it’s time for a new political caucus. I propose the Purple Cats. Anyone from any party should be able to join-unlike the Blue Dogs who masquerade party infighting as pragmatism, there are actually a number of decent and dedicated politicians who want to do what’s best for America, not just their party or re-election. And as popular resentment rightfully swells against Wall Street and the bloated executive class, Congresspeople with a conscience have new wind at their back to reject the wishes of their donors and re-commit to the will of the people. As Barack Obama famously reminded us, we are not a red America or blue America but the United States of America-all in the same boat in this growing crisis and all desperate for political leaders who will prioritize our shared interest and our shared sacrifice.

Another quality must define the Purple Cats: Claws. No more political leaders cowering in the corner when the Blue Dogs bark. It’s time to come out scratching, fiercely defending the principles and policies we all know are good for the economy, good for America, good for humanity.

We are facing extraordinary challenges as a national community that drive us to learn from our history as much as we can, a history that teaches that public spending buffers the inequalities and shortcomings of the private sector. In the 1930s, public spending was just under 20 percent as a share of the total economy and unemployment hovered around 17 percent for the decade. By 1944, expanded New Deal programs fully kicked in and public spending was, at its peak, 70 percent of the total economy. And unemployment for the same period was one percent. Knowing that cuts to government programs and reckless deregulation of the private sector got us in this mess in the first place and bold and big public spending is the only thing that ever has and ever will rescue us, how could any politician look in the mirror let alone the faces of suffering constituents and do anything but champion the vital role of government going forward?

They have a saying in the South: The cat is mighty dignified until the dog comes by. The Democrats seem mighty principled until the Blue Dogs foam at the mouth. But, especially at a time like this, it’s essential that principles beat out politics.

Speaking yesterday at a town hall meeting in California about his re-election, President Obama said, “I would rather be a good president—to take on the tough issues for four years—than a mediocre president for eight years.” The Purple Cats should learn from his courage. ++

Sally Kohn is Senior Campaign Strategist and Director at Movement Vision Lab, a project of the Center for Community Change.

Post-Post-Partisanship
Mike Lux, HuffPo
March 18, 2009

I woke up this morning to read about conservative Democrats not wanting to govern without empowering the Republican Party (read my earlier thoughts about this group of Democrats), and to this delightful high-pitched whine from Judd Gregg:

“That would be the Chicago approach to governing: Strong-arm it through. You’re talking about the exact opposite of bipartisan. You’re talking about running over the minority, putting them in cement and throwing them in the Chicago River.”

Yeah, baby!

That is just the kind of whining we want to see out of Republicans right
now.

Okay, as one of the original people who suggested the whole post-partisan thing wasn’t going to work out so well, I will never be surprised, or be shedding any tears, about such a quote. What the Democrats who-don’t-want-too-much-power in the Senate don’t understand is that the Obama White House is doing exactly what it should be: telling the Republicans that if they want a seat at the table, that’s fine, come along, bring your ideas, we will work with you constructively. But, if all you are going to do is oppose real progress and transformative change on the important issues, we are fully prepared to use our majority to do what needs to be done.

It is in fact that threat, not the silly “we don’t really want the power that has been given to us by voters to really change things” act that the anti-change Democrats are pushing, which is exactly what will bring some Republicans to the table. If they know they can block anything that really matters by just saying no, they will just say no. If they realize, though, that important legislation is going to pass without any impact from them no matter what, they will come to the table.

And not to beat a dead horse or anything, but the same iron-fisted approach ought to be exactly how we are dealing with the AIG and the big banks: you guys don’t want to do the right thing to save this country in our own time of crisis, we will roll you, so get on board or get thrown from the train.

Lincoln, FDR, and LBJ all did what they had to do, played the hardball that had to be played, to change the country. Their opponents whined about it like crazy, but those Presidents made big change happen at times when the country desperately needed it. Obama should follow their example, and the Democrats outraged that we are not giving Republicans all the power should follow his lead. ++

“I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington … I’m asking you to believe in yours.”
~ Barack Obama

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