Tuesday
Mar242009
Dog the blue dog
By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
Grassroots advocacy groups are launching an offensive against conservative Democrats in Congress who are opposing President Obama’s legislation. Campaign for America’s Future has launched a program called “Dog the Blue Dogs”, which is aimed at persuading members of the Blue Dog Coalition into voting for President Obama’s legislation. The Blue Dog Coalition is a group of moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Bob Borosage, President of Campaign for America’s Future, said that several Blue Dog Democrats are conspiring with the Republicans to be obstructionists of the president’s agenda, and are partnering with the likes of talk show host Rush Limbaugh to try to make Obama fail all together. The response from Borosage and groups like USAction is going to be a ground offensive against these Democratic members of Congress. The plan is to run ads in each member’s home district, informing the constituents of how their congressional representatives voted against the President. Borosage said that the campaign is about educating the public, not partisanship.
Senator Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) has been painted with a target for his position on the president’s budget. William McNary, President of USAction and part of Unity 09, said that his organization was going to be mobilizing grassroots efforts in Bayh’s home state of Indiana during the upcoming congressional recess, but could not elaborate on what specific strategies would be used. McNary said that if Senator Bayh wants some specific changes made to the Obama budget, he should express that in a clear and articulate manner, instead of simply voting against the bill.
McNary said that the public should not let members of Congress get “cold feet” about change. Borosage believes this reluctance by some members is because of the power of entrenched interests, rather than individual political stances. He continued that these legislators must “be heard by their constituents, not just their contributors”.
Borosage denied planning this with any of the Congressional Leadership, and said that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel was also not involved.
Grassroots advocacy groups are launching an offensive against conservative Democrats in Congress who are opposing President Obama’s legislation. Campaign for America’s Future has launched a program called “Dog the Blue Dogs”, which is aimed at persuading members of the Blue Dog Coalition into voting for President Obama’s legislation. The Blue Dog Coalition is a group of moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Bob Borosage, President of Campaign for America’s Future, said that several Blue Dog Democrats are conspiring with the Republicans to be obstructionists of the president’s agenda, and are partnering with the likes of talk show host Rush Limbaugh to try to make Obama fail all together. The response from Borosage and groups like USAction is going to be a ground offensive against these Democratic members of Congress. The plan is to run ads in each member’s home district, informing the constituents of how their congressional representatives voted against the President. Borosage said that the campaign is about educating the public, not partisanship.
Senator Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) has been painted with a target for his position on the president’s budget. William McNary, President of USAction and part of Unity 09, said that his organization was going to be mobilizing grassroots efforts in Bayh’s home state of Indiana during the upcoming congressional recess, but could not elaborate on what specific strategies would be used. McNary said that if Senator Bayh wants some specific changes made to the Obama budget, he should express that in a clear and articulate manner, instead of simply voting against the bill.
McNary said that the public should not let members of Congress get “cold feet” about change. Borosage believes this reluctance by some members is because of the power of entrenched interests, rather than individual political stances. He continued that these legislators must “be heard by their constituents, not just their contributors”.
Borosage denied planning this with any of the Congressional Leadership, and said that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel was also not involved.
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Barack Obama, Blue Dog Coalition, Blue Dogs, Bob Borosage, Congress, Conservative Democrats, Dot the Blue Dogs, Evan Bayh, House of Representatives, Indiana, Michael Ruhl, Moderte Democrat, Rahm Emmanuel, Ruhl, Rush Limbaugh, The Campaign for America's Future, USAction, Unity 09, White House, William McNary, budget, democrat, grassroots, leadership, michael, michael t ruhl, michaeltruhl, omb, partisan, partisanship, senate, senator in News/Commentary
Barack Obama, Blue Dog Coalition, Blue Dogs, Bob Borosage, Congress, Conservative Democrats, Dot the Blue Dogs, Evan Bayh, House of Representatives, Indiana, Michael Ruhl, Moderte Democrat, Rahm Emmanuel, Ruhl, Rush Limbaugh, The Campaign for America's Future, USAction, Unity 09, White House, William McNary, budget, democrat, grassroots, leadership, michael, michael t ruhl, michaeltruhl, omb, partisan, partisanship, senate, senator in News/Commentary
House Democrats Move To Increase Debt Limit
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Friday that the House of Representatives will vote next week to increase the the national debt limit by up to $1.9 trillion to avoid a default in U.S. debt.
The Majority Leader said that an increase debt limit is necessary to keep the government running into December of 2010.
“The amount I want to increase the debt is zero,” Hoyer said. “But ... we need to do it so we can meet the bills that we’ve incurred.”
House Democrats are battling to push through legislation that would increase the $12 trillion spending limit by December 31, the date given by the Treasury Department as the deadline for when funds would run out. Passage of the bill would increase the federal debt limit to a total of $14 trillion.
“We are not flexible, we are using December 31 as a deadline,” Hoyer said. “We do not want to wait until the deadline.”
Resistance has been found in fiscally conscious "Blue Dog” Democrats who say they are not willing to vote to increase the deficit unless the legislation includes strict “pay-as-you-go” language, aimed at ensuring that future expenditures will not further increase the deficit.
“The Speaker and I are vowing to make sure we do everything possible to pass statutory Pay-go this year,” Hoyer said. “It would be very difficult to raise the debt limit without support in either chamber of those that are very concerned with fiscal discipline.”
The “Pay-as-you-go measure,” which would require lawmakers to offset new spending by making cuts elsewhere, is expected to be included to a $626 billion Pentagon funding bill that will be voted on next week.