Blue Dog Democrats

Blue Dog Democrats are social and economic conservatives and moderates in the United States Democratic Party. In the United States House of Representatives, Blue Dogs are an actual coalition of likeminded Democrats organized as the Blue Dog Coalition, rather than just an expression such as "Yellow Dog" Democrats. The term is a reference to the "Blue Dog" paintings of Cajun artist George Rodrigue of Lafayette, Louisiana; the original members of the coalition would regularly meet in the offices of Louisiana representatives who had Rodrigue's paintings on their walls.

Differences between the Blue Dogs and the party's left wing

The Blue Dogs' moderate agenda in Congress has angered many in the Democratic party, as it often leads to them voting with the more conservative Republicans. In 2005, the members of the Blue Dog Coalition voted 32 to 3 in favor of the bill to limit access to bankruptcy protection (S 256). Congressman Collin Peterson was subjected to a heated round of questioning from colleagues in the Democratic Party over several votes where he strayed from the party line before being nominated as the Ranking Member on the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, in what would otherwise have been a routine nomination.

Related Topics:
Bankruptcy - U.S. House Committee on Agriculture

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On the other hand, some prominent Blue Dogs have also gotten strong support from progressive activists within the party, most notably Brad Carson of Oklahoma in his unsuccessful 2004 run for the U.S. Senate, John Tanner of Tennessee (whose Republican opponent in 2004, James L. Hart, was a radical eugenics advocate denounced by his own party), Jim Matheson of Utah, and Loretta Sanchez of California in her successful bid to unseat former Congressman Bob Dornan. Online fundraising efforts by liberal weblogs in 2004 named Brad Carson's campaign a top national priority. In some cases this support for Blue Dogs came about because the Republican opponent was seen as holding radical right wing views; in other cases the support is because in some states like Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Utah, a conservative Democrat is seen as the only kind of Democrat who can be viable at the polls. Some progressive activists also view the Blue Dogs as an important part of a Democratic Party big tent coalition, which will give the party important credibility with rural voters and social conservatives, while viewing the Blue Dogs as perhaps easier to swing to the left on fiscal and trade issues than the DLC.

Related Topics:
Progressive - U.S. Senate - James L. Hart - Eugenics - Bob Dornan - Weblogs - Radical - Right wing - Big tent - Rural

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Others in the party's left wing disagree, and have promoted the idea of running future primary challenges against both Blue Dog Coalition and DLC members in an effort to unseat Democratic Party members they view as unreliable or too conservative.

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