Pelosi should tell Shuler 'Make my day'

Nancy Pelosi not only doesn't plan to resign from Congress, she's looking at running for minority leader.

And Blue Dog Pain in the Ass Heath Shuler says he'll run against her if she does.

Another Blue Dog, Jim Matheson, tells her to move on.

However:

(T)he Blue Dog coalition was decimated on Tuesday; more than half of its members, 29, lost. Only 28 remain. For the most part, the Democrats who survived Tuesday are the more liberal members, including Pelosi's strongest supporters.

So, no, YOU move on, Jim Matheson. (And, in Shuler's case, "thanks," Rahmbo. And, you weren't a good QB, either.)

That said, Pelosi deserves her Passive Pelosi moniker if it's true that, in this Internet/image/idiocy driven politics we have to day, she rejected image consultants.

Booting the Blue Dogs is only half the battle

Ari Berman ofThe Nation, opining in the NYT, exhorts and pleads with Democratic leaders to boot the Blue Dogs, especially cockroaches like Health Shuler.

Of course, The Nation, which will surely endorse neolibs like Obama himself again in 2012 rather than the Green candidate for president, don't have a lot of room to talk.

Seriously, after it's Obama apologetics issue of late this summer, I expect The Nation will NEVER venture beyond endorsing the Democratic candidate for president. Not even to a nonendorsement of anybody, let alone endorsing a third-party candidate.

So, yeah, Ari, I agree with you as far as you go. Next time, write an op-ed, whether in the NYT or The Nation, calling for Democrats to boot all the neoliberals, too.

Massachusetts post-mortem in haiku

A clueless Coakley;
A non-outre Obama;
Sure Senate defeat.

Sure health care defeat?
With sellouts and idiocy,
We can only hope.

Boot Lieberman out
Of your caucus, Democrats,
Neuter the Blue Dogs.

Pass new health care,
Reconciliation's route
Trumps filibusters.

Pass real health care,
Without Big Pharm bribery
Or watering down.

Pass a jobs bill.
Reconciliation's route
Trumps filibusters.

Tax Wall Street harder
Than Obama's weak tea.
Add regulation.

And now you know why
I saw through him in '08
And had no surprise.

In 2-0-1-2?
I will vote Green again.
As I did before.

Let me tell you why.
A Barack won't change his spots.
Once he has shown them.

Rahm Emanuel, meet Bill Daley

Is there something in the water supply that makes Chicago Democratic politicians try to make the party bend over for Blue Dogs? Judging by Bill Daley's new column in the Post, I am at a loss for other explanation.

Parker says that the defection to the GOP by Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith is a sign that Democrats are dangerously close to shutting down their "big tent." Where does this nonsense, and the "more" that follows it in the column, come from?

Screw you, Evan Bayh

The blue dog Democrat, self-billed as both “war hawk” and “deficit hawk,” throws principles out the door on paying for the Afghan war upgrade, or even its current level, in full.

Apparently the GOP DOES favor stimulus measures

An extension of unemployment benefits, and a home-buyer tax credit, both in the original Obama stimulus package but set to expire, were approved with near unanimity by both houses of Congress.

The vote? It was 403-12 in the House and 90-0 in the Senate.

On a similar note, I guess Blue Dog Democrats aren't so worried about deficit spending.

House Dems Blue Dog recruiting comes home to roost

Not every Blue Dog in the House may be forthright about wanting to dump Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, like Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith, but I bet at least a dozen feel that way in private.

Having a majority that will not band together like a majority is not really a majority.

Do I hear a petard being cranked up for hoisting use?
-END-

Blue Dog hypocrisy on insurance campaign $$$

This is the real reason Blue Dog Democrats oppose the public option on healthcare reform, perhaps — the campaign cash they get from the health insurance industry.

And, even worse, many of them are actually actively exploiting the current political climate to up their fundraising.

Blue Dog Dems have no electoral worries

Michael Tomasky compares their recently electoral wins with McCain-Obama margin in their districts. The results? They’re full of crap with their “we have to vote conservative” claims.

Tomasky goes on to chide the American mainstream media for, well, for not doing the research he just did, and instead, blindly buying these claims.

Let’s take that a step further, and say that Henry Waxman and Nancy Pelosi also need more chiding.

Silver lining in another House Dem surge?

Reports are that Democrats could add as many House seats this fall as in 2006.

Bottom line would be that Blue Dog Democrats would have to decide whether they wanted to be “Blue Dog” or “Democrat” on several issues.

Even if half of 30 new Congressmen this year might fall in the Blue Dog coalition, the other 15 would negate the part of this Congress’s Democratic majority that is owed to Blue Dogs.

Even if we whack those numbers to 20 new seats, and half of them not Blue Dog, the 10 “pristine” new seats would pretty much do the trick.