Free Republic

Success and failure are in the eye of the beholder, so if damaging freedom and prosperity was the goal, president Obama and Democrat “Progressives” are extremely successful. If the well being of the people was the objective, they have indeed been an abysmal failure! Yesterday (11/2) the people pushed back a bit. In this push back we saw the slaughter of the "Blue Dogs". They were but lambs/pawns sacrificed on Obama and Nancy's altar of "change"... done in for the most part, by the actions of their own party's leadership and in their own outright disdain of their constituents wishes!...

Gene Taylor MS concedes, Runyan wins

IN 2008, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seemed to rewrite all the rules in electoral politics and herald a new progressive era in America. Democrats assembled a huge Congressional majority and, in the euphoria that followed the historic election, were poised to enact sweeping change. However, despite some notable successes — the stimulus package, health care reform, tighter rules for the financial industry — things have not gone according to plan. Just two years later, Democrats face a bad economy, a skeptical public, a re-energized Republican Party and a coming avalanche of losses in the midterm elections. What happened? One important...

WASHINGTON—More than half the members of the Blue Dog Coalition—the organization of moderate to conservative Democrats in the House—are in peril in next week's election, a stark indicator of how the balloting could produce a Congress even more polarized than the current one. The Blue Dogs are often seen as a kind of human bridge, connecting left and right in the House. But that bridge is imperiled by the coming Republican wave in midterm elections, the most stark example of how the midterms are likely to weaken Capitol Hill's political center. Of 54 Blue Dogs in the House, six already...

Conservative Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) said he voted for GOP Sen. John McCain for president in 2008, not Barack Obama. The revelation by Taylor, an 11-term incumbent facing a tough reelection battle, is one of the most extreme examples yet of a Democrat distancing himself from his party’s unpopular leaders. Taylor, who has been taking step after to step to highlight his independence from Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), told a reporter for The Sun Herald of South Mississippi about his secret ballot two years ago. “I did not vote for Obama. I voted for Sen. McCain,” Taylor told...

In an ideal world, there would not be a single blue dog left in congress on November 3rd. All of them reside in strong or lean GOP districts and in a year when congress critters like John Dingell and Barney Frank are in trouble, one would assume that all the blue dogs would be long gone. Unfortunately, there are a few districts that will retain some of their blue dog frauds unless there is a drastic change over the next 11 days. In some of these districts the Republican candidate never gained traction, while in others, the blue dog was...

In light of all the recent news about Democrat candidates running as John Birchers, I felt is was finally time to call their bluff. We are in a very good position to take back the House, but there is some polling evidence that some of the red district blue dog frauds are still hanging in there. Keep in mind that there are 70 Dems in R rated districts. A handful of them are doing relatively well because they try to block out their party label, run against the liberal platform, attack their Republican opponent from the right, or tout endorsements...

Last week, we compiled a list of Democrats who were endorsed by the NRA. (It was posted on Red State here) Some expressed surprise at how the NRA would negate their own interests by supporting Democrats in the vital districts that are needed for them to preserve their majority. Well, the Chamber of Commerce in no different. They are out endorsing liberal fraud, blue dog, Frank Kratovil over conservative Andy Harris in Maryland's 1st district. The Chamber has contributed over $168,000 to Kratovil! Meanwhile, throughout the weekend the Obama administration has been attacking the Chamber of Commerce and accusing them...

The Hill just published the results of 12 House polls that they conducted together with America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA). The Republican challenger is ahead in 11 of them and tied with the Democrat in one district. Over the next few weeks the Hill will publish poll results in 42 districts. The survey size is 400 per district with a 4.9% margin of error. Oh, and by the way, the poll team is being led by Democrat consultant Mark Penn. Here are the results: AZ-1: Republican Paul Gosar leads Dem. Ann Kirkpatrick 46-39. CO-4: Republican Cory Gardner leads Democrat Betsey...

Believe it or not, the only ones who might help Nancy Pelosi save her House majority are those who run legislative affairs at the NRA. So called Blue Dog Democrats across the nation are campaigning as red meat conservatives in their home districts, while running deceptive ads about their Republican opponents. They campaign as if they have nothing to do with the Democrat Party that they propelled to power and which passed all of the nefarious legislation that they purport to oppose. The sick irony is that the more successful these liars are in distancing themselves from Pelosi, the more...

Blue Dog Democrats voted with Nancy Pelosi 80% of the time on economic issues. In the House of Representatives, the 54 members of the Blue Dog Coalition are the self-described fiscal conservatives in the Democratic caucus. Unfortunately, the description doesn't fit. Organizing into a coalition after the Republican takeover of the House in 1994, the Blue Dogs branded themselves loyal but conservative Democrats. They were, in the words of Rep. Pete Geren of Texas, yellow dogs who had been "choked blue" by the strident economic liberalism of their party leaders. In their first Congress, the Blue Dogs mostly lived up...

Earlier in this election cycle unions were pumped up with an assumed sense of supreme power, they had spent millions to elect their guy to the White House and they were ready to flex their muscles. Unions began to direct that assumed power against Democrats that were reticent to support Obama's takeover of our healthcare system. In some early primaries unions spoke out against these so-called Blue-dog Democrats and said they would not support them but at the other end of this primary season unions are singing a different tune. With the obvious downturn in support that Democrats have seen...

Embracing the Ground Zero mosque? The vacationer-in-chief is puzzling the world. Why is all this self-destructive behavior from Barack Obama? Here is an idea: maybe it is about giving a chance to democrats in conservative districts to distance themselves from the President without offending the liberal base. Remember Rev. Wright? The radical pastor’s sermons were about to cost candidate Obama the democratic primary in 2008. Then something interesting happened. Rev Wright scheduled appearance in the National press-club... The pastor stood up in front of the cameras and made sure the judges from the mainstream media give him the ‘insanity...

The Democrats currently have a 39 seat majority in Congress, however 58 members of their caucus are "blue dogs". These 58 Democrats describe themselves as fiscal conservatives (and in some cases social conservatives) and represent districts that range from marginally Republican to "red meat conservative". The problem is that there is no such thing as a conservative Democrat in the 21st century. Most of the blue dogs are in fact Pelosi lapdogs who vote with their leadership on a majority of issues and on virtually all of the vital procedural votes. Even the few blue dogs who vote with Republicans...

Democratic candidates in key states are embracing gun owners’ rights, winning favor from the National Rifle Association, a lobby that has long been the target of disdain from the party faithful. In New Hampshire, Representative Paul Hodes, a Democratic Senate candidate, has an “A minus’’ NRA rating, potentially insulating him from progun rights attacks in a state that’s big on hunting and personal liberties. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, in a bruising campaign for reelection in Nevada, has conservative activists buzzing because the NRA is considering endorsing his reelection. Indiana’s Democratic Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth, who has an “A’’ rating...

President Obama embarked on a what seemed to be an insane strategy last year. Shortly after passing the Stimulus, he had his minions on the Hill, Reid and Pelosi, launch full throttle into two of the most controversial legislative issues ever to face Congress. The House passed Cap-and-Trade climate change legislation in June of 2009. The Senate failed to take up the bill because of lack of support among many Midwest Democratic Senators. Undeterred, President Obama had Pelosi start the process of ramming Health Care Reform through the House. After much twisting of 'Blue Dog' Democrats arms, the House passed...

Parker Griffith, considered a blue dog, switched to the Republican party on December 22, tonight was the GOP Primary in Alabama, Griffith comes up short to Mo Brooks....(Results)

The NRA and the Blue DogsAmerica’s foremost gun-rights organization faces some tough decisions this year.  As the National Rifle Association’s annual convention opens Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., the organization finds itself in strong shape — but facing some difficult decisions. In the eyes of most conservative organizations, the Obama administration has already enacted a cornucopia of bad legislation, but the president and his team have been relatively quiet on gun issues. In February 2009, newly appointed Attorney General Eric Holder indicated he wanted to reinstate the expired assault-weapons ban, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the same while...

After former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin urged a "Don't Retreat, Instead—RELOAD!" strategy to her fellow Tea Party and anti-Washington fans on Twitter last month, she was slapped by liberals and Democrats for using deplorable gun imagery. But Palin is not about to holster her rhetorical sidearm. What's more, she's leading a posse of Second Amendment-supporting Republicans to the annual National Rifle Association convention later this month in Charlotte, N.C. Take a gander at who's on the docket, which looks like the conservative roundup for the 2012 GOP primaries: Palin, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former United Nations Ambassador John...

The president’s push to turn health care reform into a catalyst for the rest of his agenda is getting mixed early reactions on Capitol Hill, where Democratic leaders' desire to take advantage of healthy majorities before the November elections must contend with lawmakers’ survival instincts. White House aides told POLITICO earlier this week that an emboldened Barack Obama plans to parlay his win on health care into a crackdown on Wall Street excesses, a rewrite of education and campaign finance laws and possibly a climate change bill — all before the fall's midterms. But aides and members, Republicans and Democrats...