Polimom’s put a lot of energy here into bashing and lashing the fringes of our partisan mudpit, but I’ve also been trying to find some viable alternatives.
So it happened that, while researching Shane Sklar (who is running against Ron Paul in my district), I came across the interesting note that he plans to align with the Blue Dog Democrats.
In a district like mine, a Blue Dog is a fascinating challenger, particularly given that Ron Paul is a pure-as-the-driven-snow Libertarian marketed as a Republican. Paul’s position papers are always interesting, but because he’s an ideological purist, he’s been utterly ineffective as a Representative.
What I’ve read about the Blue Dogs thus far indicates that they tend to be more socially conservative than I am, but spot on, fiscally. (Polimom trends toward socially moderate and fiscally conservative). It also seems that they’re firmly committed to working for bi-partisan solutions — something I strongly support.
So tell me — what do you think about the Blue Dogs?
Blue Dog Coalition Website
The Heritage Foundation: The Blue Dog Democrats’ Budget Process Proposal: An Emerging Bipartisan Consensus (Feb 2005)
Wikipedia – Blue Dog Democrats
MyDD: Congressional Loyalty Scorecards, Part Four: Blue Dog Democrats (Apr 2005)
Bob Geiger: Time for Blue Dog Democrats in House to Disband (Nov 2005)