Free Republic

Conservative Democrats seek larger role By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 24 minutes ago For a dozen years, the Democratic conservatives known as Blue Dogs have been baying at the moon, ignored by Republicans and tolerated by their more liberal Democratic colleagues. Now, these House lawmakers say that is about to change. Republicans "did not lose their seats to liberal Democrats" in last weeks elections, said Rep. Mike Ross (news, bio, voting record), D-Ark. "Republicans lost their seats to Blue Dog Democrats." "We'll have a lot to say about what passes and what doesn't" when the 110th Congress convenes in...

The Monitor's ViewPresident Bush may have won at least something in last week's election. A Democratic Congress could lean more closely toward his ideas on dealing with illegal immigration. But before the two now try to look bipartisan and pass something quickly, they should scrutinize the tea leaves in the ballot results. Mr. Bush was a bit hasty just two days after the election in pledging to Mexico's visiting president-elect, Felipe Calder?n, that he'll work harder for his "comprehensive" solution on illegal immigration. The election signals on this issue were mixed. In many races, illegal migration was a major topic...

It was almost the perfect television ad for a conservative candidate, hitting cultural issues certain to drive a wedge between Middle American voters and liberal Democrats. "A lifetime of Hoosier values, a southwest Indiana native, Brad Ellsworth knows faith and family comes first," said the narrator. Photos flashed on the screen showing Mr. Ellsworth as a little boy, with his wife and daughter, chatting with seniors, carrying a shotgun in his hunting gear, working with teenage students and wearing the uniform of a law enforcement officer. "Opposes abortion, and supports traditional marriage," the narrator continued, "a hunter who supports the...

The conservative Democrats, or new Democrats as they are sometimes called, were disproportionately represented in the most highly contested races against Republicans, and are likely to form a substantial bloc within the new members. Heath Shuler, a former American football celebrity who now holds a House of Representatives' seat for North Carolina, is representative of the group. He has an evangelical Christian background and is on the right of the argument on many social issues such as abortion. Democratic party leaders deny that they had an official strategy to plant right-wing candidates in vulnerable Republican seats as a way of...