The Blue Dogs Are Back

During the Reagan administration, the president was able to get much of his conservative agenda through Congress thanks to the "blue dog" Democrats. These were conservative Dems (many of them from the South) who went along with many of Reagan's conservative fiscal plans and helped the GOP overcome a significant vote deficit in the Congress.

With the election of a Dem majority in both Houses of Congress, caused largely by the election of much more conservative Dems than those in the Dem leadership, the "blue dogs" are back (h/t Captain Ed):

They helped propel the Democrats to victory in last week's election, and now the "Blue Dogs" want their reward: a decidedly conservative fiscal policy that begins with a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.

The coalition of moderate and conservative House Democrats on Wednesday introduced nine members who were newly elected to Congress, bringing its numerical strength to 44. That's more than enough, if all 44 join with the Republican minority in January, to block the initiatives of the more liberal House leadership headed by Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). ....

Blue Dog Co-Chairman Jim Matheson of Utah said neither party could take the support of the coalition for granted. "Blue Dogs believe in partnership and not partisanship," he said.

Mike Ross of Arkansas, another Blue Dog leader, said the Democratic Party owed its success in the midterm election to the conservative Democrats who won many seats formerly held by Republicans. "Republicans did not lose their seats to liberal Democrats," Ross said. "Republicans lost their seats to Blue Dog Democrats, to conservative Democrats."

This is potentially good news on a lot of fronts. There are more GOP members in the House and Senate today than there was during the Reagan Administration, which gives hope for the continuation of Bush tax policies despite the way left leadership of Charlie Rangel. It could also pose some problems for the new Speaker, and that will be entertaining to watch.