Just A Thought

It seems the MSM is making a big deal out of Blue Dog Democrats switching parties, joining the GOP and the possibility of losing seats in the House. My question is, what the hell difference does it make what party affiliation they avow if they're not going to vote with the Democrats anyway?

Take for example, Rep. Bobby Bright of Alabama's 2nd District.  They sure do like him over at Church's Chicken in Andalusia, Alabama because he a "fine Christian man" even though he is a Democrat. But Bright won largely because he ran as a Democrat, the first for that district in 45 years, in a year when an overwhelming African-American vote awarded him the seat by less than a percentage point. President Obama lost the district to McCain in 2008, but Montgomery most likely won the district for Bright. But overall...

Mr. Bright has been such a purebred Blue Dog that he is practically red. He has voted with the Republicans on every significant piece of legislation of his term, including the health care overhaul, the budget and the “cap and trade” energy legislation.

So of what use is he to the Democratic Party in the House? I say if Blue Dogs want to defect the party, let them. If they think having a 'D' after your name is toxic in rural, southern conservative counties, just wait til they have a 'T' (for "Teabag") after it. They may keep their job and win their local election, but they'll be reduced to less than insignificance. And it'll only make clearer what Democratic voters need to do in 2010, 2012 and beyond.  Not just elect Democrats, but elect better Democrats.  Vote for someone who shares your beliefs and not just because they have a 'D' after their name.

Health Care Copy-and-Paste Blogging

posted by Armadillo Joe

Atrios:

...I'm cautiously optimistic that whatever finally gets passed will be a nontrivial improvement over the status quo. Still, I don't think it's crazy for people to be concerned that whatever comes out of the sausage factory might be worse. Whatever it is will be a rube goldberg plan which preserves health insurance profits, keeps hypocritical fiscal scolds happy, has the goal of controlling costs, and can pass the Senate and keep enough blue dog wankers happy. It certainly isn't crazy to be worried that such a plan might, in fact, suck.