WASHINGTON (By Steve Goldstein,
Philadelphia Inquirer) December 1, 2006 — President Harry S.
Truman famously said: If you want a friend in Washington, get a
dog.
For the new Democratic majority
in Congress, the maxim should be changed: Get a Blue Dog.
The Blue Dog Coalition, a pack
of conservative-to-moderate Democrats, has grown to 44 members
in the new House of Representatives and represents a powerful
and pivotal voting bloc that could determine what legislation is
passed in the 110th Congress.
Resident scholar Norman
Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute said the Blue Dogs
"hold the balance of power" for the Democratic agenda.
Political analyst Charlie Cook
said a prominent Republican told him that if House Republicans
want to remain relevant, "they would take their cues not from
the White House" but from the Blue Dogs.
"Who would have thought even
six months ago that one of the largest groups in the Democratic
House caucus would be conservative to moderate Democrats," said
Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas, communications cochairman for the
group.
There are nine new blue
"puppies," in the group's cuddly lexicon, an increase of about
25 percent and a voting coalition that makes up about one-fifth
of House Democrats.
One of the litter is Patrick
Murphy of Pennsylvania. He actively sought the group's
endorsement early in his race against incumbent Republican
Michael G. Fitzpatrick.
"While campaigning over the
last 18 months, there were two issues that families were most
concerned with: the war in Iraq and irresponsible spending in
Washington," Murphy said. "I reached out to the leaders of the
Blue Dog Coalition to show my dedication toward restoring fiscal
responsibility in Washington."
Murphy's application was
seconded by Rep. Tim Holden, the only other Pennsylvania Blue
Dog member.
Wanting to be a Blue Dog is not
nearly enough. Aspirants must undergo an extensive interview and
screening process, according to Ross.
"We want hands-on participation
and we want members that aren't just trying to look conservative
back home, but who really do share our values and priorities,"
said Ross.
The Blue Dog endorsement
carries a financial benefit, too. The coalition's political
action committee raised $1.3 million for this election - much of
it from the usual special-interest groups.
Coalition members are expected
to attend twice-weekly meetings and actively participate in
making proposals and discussions.
Murphy said he looked forward
to "rolling up my sleeves and getting our fiscal house in
order."
Ross said the group would focus
on the budget, the debt and the deficit. "We have a 12-point
plan for budget reform and a package of accountability bills to
hold federal agencies accountable for their spending," said
Ross. The latter is sometimes referred to as "paygo," for
pay-as-you-go government spending programs.
Blue Dog Democrats also support
strong defense policies, while steering away from "bedroom," or
social, issues.
The Blue Dogs may already have
had an impact.
Shortly after the election, the
coalition wrote to incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif., to object to her plans to award the chairmanship of
the House intelligence committee to Florida Rep. Alcee L.
Hastings, bypassing Californian Jane Harman, the senior Democrat
on the panel.
Hastings is the only member of
Congress ever to have been impeached and removed from office as
a federal judge. He was acquitted by a jury of bribery charges
in 1983, but an appeals court called for impeachment on
different charges and referred the case to Congress, which
removed him in 1989. Three years later, he was elected to the
body that voted to end his judicial career.
On Tuesday, Pelosi told
Hastings that he would not be chairman. She will choose someone
other than the two top candidates, she said. The about-face on
Hastings was welcomed by the Blue Dogs, though Harman, one of
their pack, won't get the job.
The Blue Dog Coalition was
formed by 21 House members in 1995 in the wake of the GOP
congressional sweep. The name is a reference to "yellow dog
Democrat," an old phrase describing Southerners so loyal to the
party that they would sooner vote for a yellow dog than a
Republican.
A Blue Dog Democrat is a yellow
dog that has almost been choked to death - turned blue - by
party extremists. Or one that's been left standing out in the
cold.
Former Rep. Charlie Stenholm of
Texas, a founding member, used to say that a Blue Dog "has a
little better sense of smell than a yellow dog, and sometimes
will bite you, which a yellow dog won't do."
Ross said the election results
showed that Republicans were defeated by conservative to
moderate Democrats, not liberals, so the new majority should let
its Blue Dogs howl.
"We do not plan to be
obstructionist," said Ross, "but we also do not plan to be
rubber stamps." Or to follow the pack.
