Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

NEWS ABOUT: Blue Dog Democrats

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Switch to grid view »

Obama 2012? Some Dems in Congress Won't Say

Some moderates, liberals reluctant to voice support for reelection bid

(Newser) - It may not come as a surprise that Joe Lieberman isn’t sure where he stands on President Obama’s reelection bid—but a number of Obama’s fellow Democrats aren’t rushing to support him, either. Instead, they’re refusing to comment or choosing their words carefully, Politico finds.... More »

Ark. Blue Dog Mike Ross Won't Seek Reelection

Right-leaning Dem weighs Arkansas gubernatorial run after 6 House terms

(Newser) - Democrat Mike Ross won’t seek a seventh term in Congress, the Arkansas rep said today. A leader of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats, Ross said he’s considering running for governor in his home state, and another congressional term would conflict with a possible 2014 campaign.... More »

Biden Tries to Quell Democrat Rebellion in House

House Democrats band together to decry deal

(Newser) - Joe Biden will head to Capitol Hill today in an attempt to win over Democrats furious about President Obama’s deal on the Bush tax cuts. Democratic lawmakers discovered a shocking level of consensus when they huddled to discuss the deal yesterday, the Huffington Post reports: Every last speaker agreed... More »

Defeated House Democrats Urge Pelosi to Step Aside

Letter says Dems can't win with 'demonized' Pelosi at the helm

(Newser) - Some defeated Democratic candidates are now picking up the cause of their GOP rivals: firing Nancy Pelosi. An open letter to Pelosi from the Dems, many of whom are likely to run again in 2012, has been doing the rounds on Capitol Hill. "With you as the leader of... More »

Blue Dog Rep Jokes Pelosi 'Might Die'

Red state Dems distance themselves from speaker

(Newser) - When asked if he would back Nancy Pelosi’s bid to remain speaker of the House, Alabama Democrat Bobby Bright dodged. Maybe the speaker wouldn’t run, he said, adding jokingly, “Heck, she might even get sick and die.” This lighthearted jape drew laughter from all present, the... More »

'No' Votes Adding Up to Trouble for Pelosi

She can't afford any more defections

(Newser) - A new survey of Democrats could mean a big political headache for Nancy Pelosi. The Hill rounds up 25 in the House who are expected to vote "no" on health care reform. Pelosi can afford no more than 37 defections, and the count doesn't include the 12 Stupak Democrats... More »

GOP Hopes Blue Dogs Can Kill Health Bill

Republicans see Democratic split in House as last chance

(Newser) - Republicans’ latest strategy in their war against health care reform: Get the Blue Dogs to kill the bill for them. With the public increasingly weary of congressional gridlock, the Republicans would rather the bill die “without their fingerprints on the body,” writes David Rogers of Politico . They also... More »

Health Care Still Alive? Nate Counts the Votes

Silver adds up House Dems who would support Senate bill

(Newser) - The math is pretty bleak for passage of the Senate version of health-care reform in the House—the last-ditch effort being considered to save it—but it’s not impossible that 218 votes could be wrangled, Nate Silver writes. One big hurdle is the “Stupak block,” which Silver... More »

Resolutions for Obama and Co.

Rove has suggestions for everyone in Washington this new year

(Newser) - With the New Year mere hours away, Karl Rove offers up some 2010 resolutions for the White House in the Wall Street Journal. They go a little something like this:
  • Barack Obama should worry less about making everyone think he agrees with them, and more about meaning what he says.
... More »

Blue Dogs Top Dems' Most Valuable List

But others, like turncoat Parker Griffith, can feel free to take a hike

(Newser) - How worthless for Democrats was turncoat Rep. Parker Griffiths? To find out, Nate Silver created a formula for determining the Democrats’ MVP for the year in the House. Choosing 10 key votes, he counted how often each rep votes with the party, then adjusted the tally based on how conservative... More »

Blue Dog Rep. Griffith Switches Parties

Alabama Rep. will become a Republican

(Newser) - After less than a year in the House, Blue Dog Democrat Parker Griffith is hopping across the aisle to join the GOP. The Alabama congressman will make the announcement this afternoon, an Alabama Republican Party source tells the Hill . He will cite health care legislation as his main reason, says... More »

Hoyer: US Must Raise Debt Ceiling $1.8T

Not until we have a solution, say moderate Dems and GOP

(Newser) - House Democrats are attempting to raise the national debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion to pay for loans coming due next year, despite strong opposition from Blue Dogs, their brethren in the Senate, and the GOP. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today the move is necessary, and Nancy Pelosi... More »

Blue Dog Tanner Retiring

NRCC gleeful at Tennessee Democrat's retirement

(Newser) - Blue Dog Coalition co-founder John Tanner will be calling it a day next year after 11 terms in Congress. The Tennessee Democrat hasn't faced serious opposition since first being elected to Congress, but was likely to meet a strong Republican challenger in 2010, Hotline notes. "Rep. Tanner wisely threw... More »

Hey Blue Dogs, We Need a Second Stimulus

Rising unemployment makes it essential

(Newser) - The ever-worsening employment situation demands a second stimulus, writes former Labor Secretary Robert Reich . Yes, the first stimulus is only half-spent, but the remaining programs won’t affect mounting job losses. Blue Dog Democrats, worried about the deficit and 2010 elections, will be hard-pressed to support a second round, but... More »

Obama Can't Save Democrats

NJ, Va. votes show that president's popularity isn't catching

(Newser) - The message to Democratic candidates from yesterday's GOP wins in New Jersey and Virginia should be loud and clear: they're on their own, writes Dan McLaughlin . Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds tied themselves as closely to possible to President Obama and lost, demonstrating that the president's continued personal popularity isn't... More »

Pelosi Fighting for Stronger Public Option

Plan with Medicare-linked option would cost only $871B

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi is on a mission to pass the strongest public option on the table in the House—a plan that would pay doctors the same rates as Medicare—and she's close to having enough votes, she told fellow Dems last night. The plan would cost just $871 billion, according... More »

House Dems Fear Senate, WH Steamroll on Health Care

Moderates don't want to spend risky votes on legless progressive bill

(Newser) - House Democrats on both ends of the spectrum are feeling sorry for themselves as they struggle to shape a final health care reform bill. The bill is widely expected—based in no small part on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s proclamations—to include a public option, a tax on wealthy Americans,... More »

Blue Dogs Offer Own Spin on Finance Reform

Float alternative to Obama's financial protection agency

(Newser) - Blue Dogs are digging in against the idea of creating a “consumer financial protection agency,” a key provision in Barack Obama’s financial regulatory reform plan, Politico reports. Instead, they want existing regulators to collaborate by way of a “consumer financial protection council.” “We’re... More »

Obama Neglects a Powerful Presidential Tool: Fear

Opponents' ability to criticize with impunity hinders the president's effectiveness

(Newser) - Barack Obama has been praised for bringing a more conciliatory tone to the presidency after the with-us-or-against-us swagger of George W. Bush. But Obama’s preference for gentle negotiation and compromise leaves him less able to use an effective presidential tool: fear, writes Ben Smith for Politico. Obama has failed... More »

Hold On, Blue Dogs: Your Voters Like the Public Option

(Newser) - When top Blue Dog Dem Mike Ross came out against the public option, he said that “an overwhelming number” of his constituents opposed it. Maybe he's gotten emails to that effect, but if he’d actually bothered to poll his district, he’d probably get a different story, writes... More »

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne