Another Blue Dog Bites The Dust, Is Schuler Next?

Good Afternoon,

In the last few months, four Blue Dogs (Dan Boren (OK-02), Joe Donnelly (IN-02), Jane Harman (CA-36) and Mike Ross (AR-04) have announced that they will not seek reelection in 2012. Will other so-called “moderate Democrats” like Heath Shuler join them on their way out?

“Heath Shuler and his fellow Blue Dogs are running on empty, simply out of ways to fuel their difficult re-election bids because of their support for Nancy Pelosi’s job-destroying agenda. Will Shuler be the next self-proclaimed ‘moderate’ Democrat to throw in the towel and take a pass at a bruising re-election battle?” – NRCC Spokeswoman Andrea Bozek

Another Blue Dog Bites The Dust

Rep. Mike Ross The Latest Blue Dog Dem To Not Seek Reelection. “Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., will not seek reelection in 2012, according to a senior source, becoming the fourth moderate Blue Dog Democrat to head to the exits this year after a midterm election cycle that decimated their ranks… Ross was singled out by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions and NRCC Vice Chair Greg Walden at a briefing last week as one of 12 House seats they believed they could defeat in 2012. The NRCC has also already run a radio ad in April against Ross after he didn’t vote in favor of a budget. Ross has also expressed interest in running for governor in 2014, when current Gov. Mike Beebe, D-Ark., is term-limited. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Ore., has already announced his retirement this year, while fellow Blue Dog member Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., is vacating his House seat to run for governor. Former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif, resigned her seat to head the Woodrow Wilson Center in February.” (National Journal, 7/25/2011)

The Ever Dwindling Blue Dogs Coalition Have Lost Influence With Party Leaders. “Almost a third of the Blue Dog Democrats who retired or were defeated in 2010 have gone to work for organizations that lobby their former colleagues in Congress, according to an iWatch News review. The Blue Dog ranks were devastated by the 2010 election, falling from a high of 54 to 26. Of those no longer in Congress, eight have moved through the “revolving door” to employment with lobbying entities. The conservative Blue Dogs formed a key voting bloc for much of the last congressional session, drawing impressive fundraising from energy, financial and health care industry groups hoping to impact proposed legislation from the Obama administration. However, once that legislation was either passed or stalled, industry groups began abandoning the pro-business coalition, instead favoring their Republican opponents.” (The Center for Public Integrity, 5/16/2011)

Blue Dogs Relationships With Pelosi Turn “Chilly.” “Rep. Dennis Cardoza suspected that his January vote against fellow California Democrat Nancy Pelosi for Speaker might cost him the informal leadership post he’s held for more than three years. He was right. But even though Cardoza wasn’t surprised Pelosi didn’t want him back at the leadership table this Congress, he said he was still disappointed that she never told him of her decision. Cardoza, a Blue Dog Democrat, had served as an unofficial liaison between moderates and top Democrats, a position that got him into the room during high-level talks. Cardoza said he spoke to Pelosi last week for the first time since the Jan. 5 vote in which he and 18 other moderate Democrats backed someone else for Speaker. ‘The Speaker has not ever called and told me I’m out of the room,’ Cardoza said during a recent interview in his Capitol office. ‘I assumed when I didn’t vote for her that that may happen, but I am a little disappointed that she has not called me and told me that we’ve been disinvited.’” (Roll Call, 2/14/2011)

Blue Dogs Were Soundly Rejected By Voters Last Election, Only 26 Blue Dogs out of 54 were re-elected to the House. “The election took a big toll on the Blue Dogs. Only 26 were reelected, while 28 either retired or were defeated.” (The Wall Street Journal, 12/11/2010)

So-Called “Moderate Democrats” In The Blue Dog Coalition Were Led Into The Extreme Wing Of Their Party By President Obama And Nancy Pelosi. Blue Dogs Supported The Obama-Pelosi Agenda In Large Numbers During The 111th Congress When Nearly Every Blue Dog Voted For Either The Stimulus, Obamacare Or The Cap-And-Trade Legislation. “Of the 54 Blue Dogs serving at the end of the 111th Congress, 26 voted for the climate change bill in June 2009, 30 voted for the final version of health care reform in March 2010, and 42 ultimately backed the financial services bill in late June this year.” (The Center for Public Integrity, 12/7/2010)