The Blue Dogs' Bite is Worse than Its Bark
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
Two years ago, a little movement developed in response to Obama and his liberal policies. It was called the Tea Party. I don’t think any of us took it seriously at first; it was a bunch of right-wing crackpots calling for all sorts of conservative policies that seemed extremist, even to many Republicans. But the Tea Party persevered — it developed real policies, real goals and real candidates — and has now become widely recognized as legitimate. Most recently, the Tea Party was surprisingly influential in the midterm elections, carrying two senators to victory and raising hell when it defied the GOP by supporting candidates like Christine O’Donnell.
Representative Heath Shuler of North Carolina has apparently crowned himself the ringleader of the Blue Dogs, causing a political stir over the last few days with his bold announcement. “I’ve said all along I’m hoping that Nancy Pelosi will step aside,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union” this Sunday. “Because of her being at the very top right now, no one’s willing to throw their hat in the ring. And if it comes down to this coming week and she doesn’t step aside, then I will challenge her.”
But he wasn’t very convincing, perhaps because he knows that even if he runs, he will lose.
“I can add and subtract pretty well — I don’t have the numbers to be able to win,” Shuler added.
He would therefore be running for purely symbolic reasons. But I’m pretty sure that’s not the kind of symbolism Democrats need right now. No one wants to support a party that is fraught with internal bickering — and nothing says that like challenging a party leader. It’s always better to have a unified front, which is why the GOP has been pretty pissed with the Tea Party and why Democratic leaders aren’t pleased with the Blue Dogs right now.
What’s more troublesome is the fact that Shuler’s announcement doesn’t resonate with the current mindset of voters. Like a lot of Republicans, he’s interpreted the midterm election results as a sign that Americans don’t agree with Democratic policy. But, unlike the Republicans, Shuler has taken this to mean that we need more moderates in the government.
Au contraire! Exhibit A: The Blue Dogs were murdered this election season. Twenty of them lost bids for reelection, and six retired, leaving their numbers almost cut in half. In fact, one of the biggest surprises this election was the way voters ran to either political extreme — either ultra conservative or ultra liberal. The middle road isn’t in vogue right now, which is why the moderate Blue Dogs are on their way out and the more radical Tea Party is on its way in.
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