Blue Dog release targets Markey

A coalition of conservative Democrats said national Republicans sent out a “blatantly false” news release saying Rep. Betsy Markey and other representatives had been denied membership in the group.
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The National Republican Congressional Committee sent the news releases Thursday to media in 19 House districts they’re likely to target in 2010, saying the local representative was “rejected” for membership in the Blue Dog Coalition.

The members singled out by the NRCC -including Markey – never sought affiliation with the Blue Dog Democrats, a group of 51 fiscally conservative Democrats, said Kristen Hawn, a spokeswoman for the group.

“It’s a lie,” she said.

“This is yet another blatantly false press release sent out by Washington Republicans who are looking to attack fiscally responsible, common-sense Democrats like the Blue Dogs in the House,” Hawn said. “Anyone who knows Betsy Markey, or is familiar with her fiscally responsible voting record, knows that this is a shameless political ploy that has no basis in truth.”

The Republican release included a quote from the NRCC’s communications director, Ken Spain, saying “rejection” by the Blue Dog Coalition demonstrated that each representative wasn’t fiscally responsible.

The quote was identical in each release, changing only to include the local representative’s name.

Markey’s spokesman, Ben Marter, declined to comment on the NRCC release other than to note that Markey’s voting record has been essentially identical to that of Rep. John Salazar, a fellow Colorado Congressman who is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.

Spain stood by his criticism of Markey.

“So is Betsy Markey admitting that she did not even bother to apply for membership in the Blue Dog Coalition?” Spain said. “If so, that is an even greater indictment of Betsy Markey who has voted $1.2 trillion in spending bills littered with wasteful Washington spending and now appears to be admitting that she has little interest in joining a group of fiscally responsible members of Congress.” …