About Blue Dogs: There is NOTHING that Democrats in Congress are doing that isn't being directed by the head of the Democratic Party (Obama).
"Privately, Obama describes himself as a Blue Dog Democrat"
Blue Dog = (might as well be registered as a) Republican
Obama's continuing just about all of the BushCheney policies and pushing Republican-like legislation isn't because he's even a centrist. Obama's corporate, a neoliberal), which bears no relationship to liberalism.
Now, when you are the president, you are the head of your political party. When your political party controls both Houses of Congress and the White House, you do what the head of your party tells you to do. There is nothing that Democrats in Congress are doing that Obama hasn't signed off on, much less ordered. The only people who don't understand this are those who have never worked in politics.
Democrats like to hide this from the people, and lend the illusion of democracy (small 'd'), like "herding cats", "no organized party", etc., but that's how it is, and it's the only reason there are political parties.
If you do not get behind what the leader of your political party tells you to do, you're going to find your life really cold and lonely for the duration of your term in office. Come election time, you will NOT have the party behind you, and that is certain de@th for your time in office.
Just to show you where Obama's and the DLC's real heart lies, there are so many things he and the DLC/DNC could have done, could be doing, to get real Democratic legislation through, but don't.
Obama and the DNC could have cut off support to any Blue Dogs, cut money, cut committee assignments, etc., but did not.
There is plenty that a President and a Speaker of the House and a Senate Majority Leader can do to pressure representatives and senators into voting as you want them to vote. We saw that Obama had no problem doing it when he wanted and needed BlueDogs like Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu's votes -- He literally bought them.
There is nothing that the BlueDogs are doing that Obama and the DLC doesn't want them to do.
Before the midterms of 2010, I asked, facetiously, if Obama's 'most ardent supporters' believed that if Democrats lost control of Congress, would they be as effective at preventing the Republicans' agenda from moving forward as Republicans have been at stymieing Democrats. After all, there would still be more numbers of Democrats in Congress AND a Democratic WhiteHouse.
Not one of Obama's 'most ardent fans' replied.
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