Dems Must Show Public That They Are Fiscally Responsible, Say Blue Dogs

By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service

The Democrats must convince the public that they are fiscally responsible on health care Blue Dog Democrats said Wednesday.

Members of the coalition spoke at a press conference following the successful passage of the Democrats 'pay as you go' legislation, which if passed by the Senate, will require Congress to secure funds for new projects by cutting spending from other programs.

"We can pass health care in a fiscally responsible way and make it deficit neutral. It has to convey that to the American people," said said Rep. Baron Hill (D- Ind.) "We have got to get back on the message that we are fiscally responsible here. Quite frankly we have lost that message but we are going to get back on track."

Hill said that the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), was ready to roll up his sleeves in order to make sure that the bill left his committee as soon as possible while also remaining deficit neutral.

"We are making progress, albeit slowly" Hill said. "I am optimistic that we can get something done sooner rather than later."

Rep. Charles Stenholm (D-Texas) said that although the bill did not go as far as he would like to have seen, it was a step in the right direction.

"To all of those who criticize this bill: This is only the beginning," Stenholm said. Anyone who thinks this bill will solve all our fiscal problems does not understand the depth...of the problems we have."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-M.D.) commended the Blue Dogs for their work on the legislation.

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.