Ben Chandler – Blue Dogs

 Yesterday, Congressman Health Shuler in North Carolina became the latest “Blue Dog” Democrat to announce his retirement, a move that his own colleague Congressman Kurt Schrader described as a “crushing blow” to the vulnerable group.

The Blue Dogs’ ranks are rapidly diminishing, as voters in their districts realize they have been fraudulently campaigning as moderates only to turn their backs on constituents by voting with Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama back in D.C.

Today’s Roll Call lays out how bad things are for the Blue Dogs: “The once-mighty fiscally conservative group was a thorn in the side of Democratic leaders while the party was in the majority following the 2006 elections, but the Blue Dogs lost scores of members to the bruising 2010 midterms, a trend that will continue as a wave of retirements has hit them.”

So, will Ben Chandler follow Shuler’s lead and just retire now rather than face the embarrassment of being unelected in November?

NRCC COMMENT: “Ben Chandler has played a game of wag-the-dog for too long, scamming voters by campaigning as a moderate and then rolling over for Obama back in Washington. Voters need a watchdog, not a lapdog. It’s time for Chandler to follow the lead of his Blue Dog colleagues and retire before he finds himself in the doghouse come election day.” – NRCC spokesman Nat Sillin